The first half of this series has attempted to show how traditional Christian practices have the power to act as shadow work, but also can, if we’re not careful, exacerbate the connected problems of a strong dark shadow and a bright but fragile persona. Today I’m going to turn the series to aspects of Christian … Continue reading The Shadow of God
In the most recent post in this series exploring the idea of Christianity’s ‘shadow’, we looked at some of Carl Jung’s arguments that Christian teaching promotes the individual and collective shadow (those parts of us we reject and try to hide from ourselves and others) rather than dealing with it honestly. My problem with this … Continue reading Shadow, Repentance, and Confession
For a man who was known for his strong critiques of Christianity and the so-called ‘Christian’ culture of Western Europe, Carl Jung was a big fan of Christ himself. In fact some of the most beautiful and powerful words I’ve ever read about Christ and the possibilities within Christianity were from Jung’s own pen. As … Continue reading The Way of Christ: Imitation or Individuation?
For better or for worse, we humans are storied people. Not only are we shaped by our personal and national experiences, but we also tend to assume those experiences are universal. And so, St. Augustine struggled with reining in his libido and so developed a theology that linked the Fall to sex, Martin Luther struggled … Continue reading Christianity, Shadow, and Jung’s Diagnosis of Modern Europe
Over the past decade or so, Holy Saturday has become one of my favorite parts of Holy Week. In a world of twenty-four-hour news cycles, constant change, and consistent demands to do more with less, Holy Saturday offers a beautiful opportunity to pause. Even though it’s a day when on the surface, nothing is happening, … Continue reading Harrowing the Hades Within: A Reflection for Holy Saturday 2023
Matthew Root 