In the most recent post in this series celebrating different aspects of the Christian tradition, I talked about why I identify as ‘Eastern’, how its whole ethos and approach to doing church and theology offers a helpful alternative to the West. But, as the say, you can choose your friends but you can’t choose your … Continue reading Why I am … Western
This series, ‘A Renewed Generous Orthodoxy’, is all about how I as a Christian today identify with different traditions and movements. Last week I talked about being ‘traditional’ in broad strokes. But of course Christianity is, and has always been, a big tent. At its best, this has been understood as a healthy diversity; at … Continue reading Why I am … Eastern
This series is about finding a way forward theologically by celebrating the strengths of different Christian traditions or movements. Last time, I explored the value of Tradition — how it means we don’t have to reinvent the wheel in every generation, how it challenges our assumptions, deepens our understanding and experience of God, and how … Continue reading Why I Am … Progressive
There was an article in the news the other day referring to life in our current moment as “The Great Exhaustion.” On top of all of the normal concerns of work and home life, we’re all still dealing with the deep fatigue of the 2020 pandemic, the toxic political climate it released, a cost of … Continue reading Rest for Everyone (No Really): A Reflection on Deuteronomy 5.12-15 and Mark 2.23-3.6
A few years ago I was talking to a colleague about the value of pleasure. He was a proud hedonist, believing pleasure to be the ultimate good, while I — while certainly valuing pleasure — was more skeptical of it. To support my position, I brought in not only contemporary insights from psychology (hedonic adaptation … Continue reading Why I am … Traditional
Matthew Root 