Last time, we looked at early Israel’s charismatic theocracy, in which Israel was a loose confederation of tribes united by faith, language, and heritage, but who were largely left to their own local governance. In times of national crisis, God would raise up a leader who could rally the tribes to the cause. But, as … Continue reading The God of the Kingdom(s)
Last week, we saw how the departure of some of John the Baptist’s disciples to follow Jesus was not a rejection of John’s ministry, but its fulfillment, and how, as followers of Jesus we too much point to him through our thoughts, words, and actions. Today’s readings bring our attention to the second half of … Continue reading The Ups and Downs of Fishing: A Reflection on Matthew 4.12-23
This series explores the way the relationship between God and ‘God’s people’ changes and evolves throughout the Scriptures. Last time, we saw how Moses marked a transition away from Abraham’s personal (but also private) relationship to a new kind of relationship, marked by the characteristics Integral theorists refer to as the ‘red’ mythical-literal meme: warring … Continue reading The God of the Twelve Tribes
Last time in this series, we looked at God’s relationship with Abraham, which Genesis reveals to be rather narrow: the relationship and the blessings that come with it are for Abraham and his kin after him. And this relationship is not grounded on any moral or ethical behaviours, but by faith as enacted through the … Continue reading The God of Moses
John the Baptist, or John the Forerunner in the Eastern traditions, is an interesting figure. So important a figure was he in the early first century that a religious sect formed around him that lasts to our own day, and our Christian Gospels felt the need to dedicate a significant amount of valuable page space … Continue reading Mission Accomplished: A Reflection on John 1.29-42
Matthew Root 