Hi there, readers: I try to avoid ‘housekeeping’ posts as much as possible, but I thought I’d spend a few minutes today to let you know what you can expect here in the coming weeks. I’ve found myself with an awkward 2-3 week gap between the end of my series ‘Pathways of Peace’ and the … Continue reading Some Housekeeping
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (2017) has described her Anishinaabe culture as “nationhood based on a series of radiating responsibilities.”* It’s hard to imagine any Western person describing our own culture in such terms, especially today. While traditional Western society was very community-focused, to the point of an often extreme anti-individualism, and Western liberal (i.e., constitutional, rights-based) … Continue reading Responsibility
When I started this study on Ephesians, I framed it in terms of a desire to see what it would be like to apply the ‘Integral Hermeneutic’ framework I developed a few years ago to a whole book of the Bible. And, while I definitely did this in terms of preparation, thought process, and ultimate … Continue reading The Life in Christ, Putting it All Together: Ephesians in Integral Perspective
The last post in this series on Ephesians looked at the controversial Household Code in 5.21-6.9. We saw there that, while Paul was unquestionably a spiritual revolutionary, he was very cautious — we might say conservative — in how he applied that spirit to the social structures of the first century Mediterranean world. He attempted … Continue reading The Household Codes of Ephesians 5.21-6.9 under the Microscope
One of the major themes of Paul's writings is the importance of unity within the Christian community. While it would be nice to think that this reflected a time when Christians were indeed unified, the fact that he felt the need to write so much about it demonstrates that it has always been something elusive. … Continue reading Unity as Witness: Ephesians 4.1-6
Matthew Root 