I started the recent study here of Ephesians 4.25-5.2 by saying that crossing from the first half of Ephesians 4 to the rest of chapters 4-5 feels like dropping from heaven to earth. In place of grand spiritual theology calling us to the fullest heights of the human experience, we have lists commandments and prohibitions. … Continue reading Children of Love and Light: Ephesians 5.1-14
One could make a case that the first three chapters of Ephesians unite around the theme of power. The basic theological thrust thus far has been that God’s power over all of the world’s other so-called powers was expressed in the vindication, raising, and glorification of Jesus that puts all other claims to power — … Continue reading God’s Power for Us: Ephesians 3.14-21
The Exodus story, which was the basis of my Sunday reflection this week, lies at the heart of both Judaism and Christianity. But, as we've seen time and time again over the past couple of months, while Christianity presents a strong challenge to the spirit of Empire, it breaks from Exodus by not telling the … Continue reading A “Spiritual Liberation”: Does Christianity lose the plot?
Over the past few weeks, while we've been working through Paul's vision of Christian life and community in Romans 12-13, the Sunday lectionary has simultaneously been working through another story of the confrontation between God's people and Empire, that great paradigmatic story at the heart of both Judaism and Christianity: the Exodus. The part of … Continue reading The God of the Hebrews: A Reflection on Exodus 14.19-31
I was chatting with a friend recently about dating, and specifically about why dating these days is so difficult. He brought up the point that our particular cultural moment's great diversity in approaches, attitudes, and goals people have in relationships makes it difficult to know where we stand at any given time. While theoretically everyone … Continue reading The Rule of Saint Paul, or, What’s Love Got to Do with It
Matthew Root 