In my study of 2 Kings 9-10 the past few weeks, I found myself coming back time and again to the character of Jezebel. She is unquestionably a villain, but she is one of the most compelling figures in the Hebrew Bible. In the Deuteronomistic history, she is treated less as a person than as … Continue reading Justice for Jezebel?
[Note: This is a very long post. If you don't want to read the whole thing, I would encourage you to read the introduction and then to scroll to the "Putting it together" section.] Part of the practice of lectio divina involves taking a passage as it is, without thinking of what comes before or … Continue reading Is it Peace? (An Integral Reading of 2 Kings 9-10)
For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been obsessed. Pretty much every spare moment I’ve had has been spent studying, reading about, and wrestling with a particular story from the Hebrew Bible: Jehu’s rebellion in 2 Kings 9-10. A strange thing for me to be obsessing over, I know. It’s a violent mess of a … Continue reading Stories Matter.
Some passages of Scripture are complex, inviting us to lots of study and contemplation. Others, though no less important, are simpler and can often serve as helpful reminders — even they feel at times like two-by-fours to the back of the head. Today’s offering from the Gospels is in the latter category. Jesus is at … Continue reading One Thing Needful (A Reflection on Luke 10.38-42)
One of my areas of learning over the summer has been permaculture, particularly as people are applying it to communities. One of the most interesting conversations going on in that space is the problem of scalability: how to get the micro and macro to functioning together based on the same values and principles. A common … Continue reading Fractal Faith
Matthew Root 