In the most recent post in this series exploring the idea of Christianity’s ‘shadow’, we looked at some of Carl Jung’s arguments that Christian teaching promotes the individual and collective shadow (those parts of us we reject and try to hide from ourselves and others) rather than dealing with it honestly. My problem with this … Continue reading Shadow, Repentance, and Confession
For a man who was known for his strong critiques of Christianity and the so-called ‘Christian’ culture of Western Europe, Carl Jung was a big fan of Christ himself. In fact some of the most beautiful and powerful words I’ve ever read about Christ and the possibilities within Christianity were from Jung’s own pen. As … Continue reading The Way of Christ: Imitation or Individuation?
Today, the Sunday after Epiphany, is when we here in the West commemorate the baptism of Jesus at the hands of John the Baptist. It’s a formative event in Jesus’ life, and functions as his ‘call to action’, marking him as special to those around him and confirming his identity. It’s also the narrative passing … Continue reading Ritual and Rebirth: A Reflection on the Baptism of Christ
Well it would appear that I’ve reached week 2 of this project, so as far as New Year’s projects go, that’s not nothing! As I noted last week, I started 2025 thinking a lot about how important it is to lean into and celebrate the things that bring us joy, encouragement, and nourishment of soul … Continue reading What’s Lighting Me Up (January 11, 2025)
For better or for worse, we humans are storied people. Not only are we shaped by our personal and national experiences, but we also tend to assume those experiences are universal. And so, St. Augustine struggled with reining in his libido and so developed a theology that linked the Fall to sex, Martin Luther struggled … Continue reading Christianity, Shadow, and Jung’s Diagnosis of Modern Europe
Matthew Root 