Tag Archives: books
Jesus – Dead or Alive? Luke Timothy Johnson and the temptation to put Jesus back in the tomb
One of my favorite New Testament Scholars is Luke Timothy Johnson who is the R.W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Emory University in Atlanta. He is a former Benedictine monk and prolific scholar whose work digs deep into scripture but continues to ask very humane questions. In his 1999 book Living Jesus: Learning the Heart of the Gospels, he poses a deceptively simple yet … There’s more to read here.
Glasgow, the stoning of Stephen and a lack of theological imagination
Doug Gay, a colleague who teaches Practical Theology at University of Glasgow, recently posted a citation on his Facebook page from Alastair Gray’s stunning 1981 novel Lanark that gave voice to much of what I been wrestling with for the past two weeks. For those not familiar with Lanark, it is reminiscent of James Joyce’s Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Ulysses with echoes of … There’s more to read here.
The ‘Book’ in memoriam: The Book of Eli and The Secret of Kells
Numerous scholars of the Abrahamic religions have called Christianity, Judaism and Islam “religions of the book” in reference to the central role that the sacred text plays in each tradition and all three sharing similar narratives albeit interpreted theologically in differing ways. As someone who studies and inhabits the Christian tradition, I would be a called a ‘person of the book’ as well. The collected 66 books that constitute the Christian scriptures … There’s more to read here.
Teaching as Pez dispensers – Parker Palmer and the active vs. contemplative life
One of the challenges I face as a theologian working with educators in the public school system is helping teachers discover courage and hopefully a passion for engaging students in a life of the spirit as much as a life of the mind. This is no easy task. Teachers in elementary and secondary schools are under huge pressure to ‘teach for the test’ and constantly assessing students in ways that focus … There’s more to read here.
How (Not) to Speak of God – some latent reflections on Peter Rollins’ book
As I have begun to receive comments on my recent book Freedom of the Self, one of the questions I have had is for follow-up reading – people who are tilling the same soil I am seeking to work in bringing together continental philosophy, Christian mysticism, and a deep concern for the contemporary accelerated culture within which live in Western culture. One of the books I point people to … There’s more to read here.
Dragon Tattoo, Crazy Heart, Facebook and the End of Forgiveness
Like so many people this year, I have been swept up into the world of Lisbeth Salander and the Millennium Trilogy of the late Stieg Larsson that began with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Needless to say, the books follow a fairly predicable pot boiler thriller formula akin to a Scott Turow, Robert Ludlum or Tom Clancy novel: an innocence protagonist is thrust (whether by chance or fate – you … There’s more to read here.
Tom Oord lists “Freedom of the Self” in his summer reading list
Tom Oord at Northwest Nazarene University posted his summer reading list and included Freedom of the Self on the list:
http://thomasjayoord.com/index.php/blog/archives/books_im_reading/
Many thanks Tom for the kind thoughts!… There’s more to read here.
Freedom of the Self – a short description of my new book and web deal price available now!
Friends – my new book Freedom of the Self: Kenosis, Cultural Identity and Mission at the Crossroads is about to be published and I have a web deal for you. The book will be available July 1st but won’t be up on Amazon and other sites for a few more weeks. My publisher has a “web deal” price of $16.80 if you order directly from the URL I am providing. Feel … There’s more to read here.
Being Tame and Neo-Manhood Movement: A new appreciation for The Little Prince
There is a line in Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s wee 1943 book The Little Prince that caught my eye the other day: “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.” It is such an interesting term this notion of taming. The tension surrounding what it means to be human is ultimately bound up (pun intended) in this notion of whether we are to be tamed or allowed to go native … There’s more to read here.
Letter to the Board of IMAGE journal – making poetry in remembrance of Christ
I have the honor of being appointed to the Board of Directors for IMAGE journal – a quarterly literary journal the seeks the intersection of faith and the arts. Quite a gift to be part of this amazing and deeply thoughtful journal. While housed at Seattle Pacific, IMAGE is an independent literary journal that has published work from writers and artists such as Anne Lamott, Wim Wenders, Luci Shaw, Kathleen Norris, … There’s more to read here.
