Today’s Gospel reading is Luke’s account of the encounter between Jesus and the tax collector Zacchaeus. Zacchaeus was too short to see Jesus through the crowds, so he climbed a tree for the chance to see him pass by. (As a tax collector — and therefore a collaborator with the hated Roman occupiers — the … Continue reading Zacchaeus! (Seen, reprise) (A reflection on Luke 19.1-10)
The previous post in this series talked about typology. One typological system that’s been influential in theological circles over the past few decades has been George Lindbeck’s model of how doctrine and dogma function (see The Nature of Doctrine (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1984).). This typology distinguishes communities based on the attitudes of adherents … Continue reading Anguagelay Amesgay (Languages of God, Part IV)
I was thrilled to read last week about the opening of a Big House in Bella Bella, off the coast of British Columbia. The last Big House in the community was destroyed 120 years ago under suspicious circumstances, likely as a part of Canada’s attempted cultural genocide of Indigenous peoples. The event was a joyful … Continue reading Nostalgia the Joy-Killer (A reflection on Ezra 3.1-13)
In the most recent post in the series looking at religious commitments through a linguistic analogy, I introduced the idea that different religions function like languages and different theological traditions, denominations, or lineages function as the dialects of those languages. But I also noted that we’re in a time of significant realignment and that new … Continue reading Typology and the Realignment of Western Christianity
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?
Matthew Root 