I love the writing of Cornelius Plantinga Jr., especially "Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin" and "Engaging God's World." Do you know Plantinga? An artist of theology. I also recommend the poetry of Sietze Buning (penname for the late Stanley Wiersma, an English prof at Calvin College/University in the 1970s & 1980s), especially the books "Style and Class" and "Purpaleanie and Other Permutations." Both of these writers wrestle with theological questions in a way that engages not just the intellect but also the imagination.
I’m an editor at a Christian publisher, and completely agree. It’s the path of least resistance for theologians to play it safe and imitate the prevailing mode of discourse in their field. And thanks for the recommendations; I will have to check out The Ordinal Society in particular.
That's an interesting thought; I think there is truth to it. I have tended to chalk it up to the narrowness of a certain kind of academic mindset, which assumes that a subject is inherently interesting to everyone because the theologian finds it inherently interesting. It takes a real mental shift to acknowledge that what you're writing about isn't inherently interesting to everyone, that you need to become aware of what your intended readers already care about and build a bridge between that and your subject (I think you get at this with your "Big Idea" point above).
The three things you identified are missing from a lot of Christian books, both academic and popular level. I hope we’re on the cusp of something truly interesting books!
on why NPP matters, I found this short piece by prof Chuck Hill helpful. Hill argues that Sanders/Wright relocate justification from soteriology to ecclesiology. The description of that relocation seems accurate, and the implications of that relocation seem significant. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1--dTlhdLmwUwea5rin1KqGTEPBqGwjRe/view?usp=sharing
on reading art, do you know of the work of prof of art history (Covenant College), Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt: https://www.redeemingvision.com/
Hey, you really must read Ray Monk’s biography of Wittgenstein called “The Duty of Genius,” absolutely fabulous book in that intellectual biography genre. There are also some great biographies on Kierkegaard, notably the ones by Claire Carlisle and by Stephen Backhouse!
Tough question, Kirsten. As an academic sort, I've developed a high tolerance for "boring" books! And doing academic and reference, most were in that category. But I liked those that broke the mold. I'm having a hard time thinking of good examples now. But two off-brand types did quite well, though tilted to general readers.
John Walton's Lost World series is one (Lost World of Genesis One etc). Of all things, he proceeds by a series of propositions, but he's taking readers in a new direction. I worked with him on the concept. The "Lost World" angle worked well.
Then I came up with a bunch of Week in the Life of [Corinth, Ephesus, etc], where the idea was to get NT scholars to put readers on the ground through narrative and introduce them to social/cultural/historical realities. Very introductory level but seemed to work.
What I'd like to see more of in theological writing is starting with ordinary things/ideas/practices/trends/artifacts and taking the reader into new territory. "Turn the book inside out" is my working image for that approach: "Here is an odd thing in our church's liturgy that perhaps you've barely considered. But it's like a narrow passageway into a mystery that will blow your mind. Follow me!" Or something like that....
One more thing: If one wants one's imagination engaged when doing theology, I recommend reading the Bible in the original languages. I don't read Hebrew, but I've been reading the NT in Greek, and wow there's a lot of imagination there that gets lost in translation and doesn't make its way into any sermon I ever heard.
Loved this! I'm thinking right now of Larissa MacFarquhar's STRANGERS DROWNING, which is popular philosophy and even metaphysics, reads like a novel, SO good. I also think Atul Gawande's BEING MORTAL got to big issues with a just-right amount of complexity and depth for the lay reader. I would have enjoyed more cultural history and philosophy, but the success of the book is its read- and share-ability for so many many people. None theological come to mind except Francis Spufford's UNAPOLOGETIC, but it's very celebrated.
i love philosophy, I read Kate Manne's recent books and Helena de Bres's How to Be Multiple; I had issues with both but i think philosophers have a leg up on this conceit that theologians haven't picked up on
I had students reading THE GOOD LIFE AND GOD for a co-curricular gathering, but it was too much abstraction, straight to the ideas. In a class on nonfiction, though, reading MacFarquhar and Kidder's MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS provided great walk-ups to big ideas by means of characters and narratives. One thinks of GILEAD, too — it may just be the need for fully housing in stories? Also Coetzee's ELIZABETH COSTELLO is an interesting hybrid: fiction but as a housing for proper essayistic lectures on ethics. Most of us can't pull off Coetzee-level work, though.
Some of the most interesting books I have read in the last little while have had a hook that helps tie their ideas together. Andrew Root's book "Churches and the Crisis of Decline" did this in a very clever way by developing a fable (a church which wants to avoid turning into a brew pub), and using Karl Barth's biography to help tie together abstract theological ideas from Barth, Charles Taylor and others into something that's interesting without losing its depth.
"Pilgrims and Priests" by Stefan Paas is also a book about Missiology that I am still thinking about five years later. In this case I think that has more to do with my personality than the subject matter, but I do think it's written at a moderately accessible level that helps explain the stakes of the ideas.
It's not about church at all, but I read "Understanding Media" by Marshall McLuhan and then "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. McLuhan's writing is incredibly interesting and thought provoking, but is also a maze to try and understand. Postman takes a lot of McLuhan's ideas and communicates them in a way that's much more accessible because he ties it to much more concrete examples.
When I was doing my Biology undergrad, the Science community was recognizing the need to better communicate its big ideas to the public. A whole field (and programs!) for science communication developed, and a lot of the fruits of that work have shown up on YouTube. I think we need the same thing with theology. Reading "Eccentric Existence" is super interesting, but it is a struggle for me to read AND I would probably never suggest someone in my church read it. What I can do is figure out how to communicate some of the ideas within the book into places where people will see how they are interesting and helpful.
I love the writing of Cornelius Plantinga Jr., especially "Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin" and "Engaging God's World." Do you know Plantinga? An artist of theology. I also recommend the poetry of Sietze Buning (penname for the late Stanley Wiersma, an English prof at Calvin College/University in the 1970s & 1980s), especially the books "Style and Class" and "Purpaleanie and Other Permutations." Both of these writers wrestle with theological questions in a way that engages not just the intellect but also the imagination.
yes Plantinga is good. I should have included David Kelsey's "Imagining Redemption"; if you like Plantinga, you'd like this!
Thanks!
I’m an editor at a Christian publisher, and completely agree. It’s the path of least resistance for theologians to play it safe and imitate the prevailing mode of discourse in their field. And thanks for the recommendations; I will have to check out The Ordinal Society in particular.
I wonder if it’s also related to the self perception of many theologians- not to “entertain” but to instruct
That's an interesting thought; I think there is truth to it. I have tended to chalk it up to the narrowness of a certain kind of academic mindset, which assumes that a subject is inherently interesting to everyone because the theologian finds it inherently interesting. It takes a real mental shift to acknowledge that what you're writing about isn't inherently interesting to everyone, that you need to become aware of what your intended readers already care about and build a bridge between that and your subject (I think you get at this with your "Big Idea" point above).
The three things you identified are missing from a lot of Christian books, both academic and popular level. I hope we’re on the cusp of something truly interesting books!
on why NPP matters, I found this short piece by prof Chuck Hill helpful. Hill argues that Sanders/Wright relocate justification from soteriology to ecclesiology. The description of that relocation seems accurate, and the implications of that relocation seem significant. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1--dTlhdLmwUwea5rin1KqGTEPBqGwjRe/view?usp=sharing
on reading art, do you know of the work of prof of art history (Covenant College), Elissa Yukiko Weichbrodt: https://www.redeemingvision.com/
Hey, you really must read Ray Monk’s biography of Wittgenstein called “The Duty of Genius,” absolutely fabulous book in that intellectual biography genre. There are also some great biographies on Kierkegaard, notably the ones by Claire Carlisle and by Stephen Backhouse!
wow, these seem wonderful- thanks for the tip!
This is great! As a retired IVP Academic editor, you almost tempt to get back in the game and try a few things.
what are the most interesting books you edited, Dan?
Tough question, Kirsten. As an academic sort, I've developed a high tolerance for "boring" books! And doing academic and reference, most were in that category. But I liked those that broke the mold. I'm having a hard time thinking of good examples now. But two off-brand types did quite well, though tilted to general readers.
John Walton's Lost World series is one (Lost World of Genesis One etc). Of all things, he proceeds by a series of propositions, but he's taking readers in a new direction. I worked with him on the concept. The "Lost World" angle worked well.
Then I came up with a bunch of Week in the Life of [Corinth, Ephesus, etc], where the idea was to get NT scholars to put readers on the ground through narrative and introduce them to social/cultural/historical realities. Very introductory level but seemed to work.
What I'd like to see more of in theological writing is starting with ordinary things/ideas/practices/trends/artifacts and taking the reader into new territory. "Turn the book inside out" is my working image for that approach: "Here is an odd thing in our church's liturgy that perhaps you've barely considered. But it's like a narrow passageway into a mystery that will blow your mind. Follow me!" Or something like that....
I found Hunter’s Democracy and Solidarity fascinating. It feels like a Rosetta key for our politics. Only very tangentially theological.
have not read!
One more thing: If one wants one's imagination engaged when doing theology, I recommend reading the Bible in the original languages. I don't read Hebrew, but I've been reading the NT in Greek, and wow there's a lot of imagination there that gets lost in translation and doesn't make its way into any sermon I ever heard.
Loved this! I'm thinking right now of Larissa MacFarquhar's STRANGERS DROWNING, which is popular philosophy and even metaphysics, reads like a novel, SO good. I also think Atul Gawande's BEING MORTAL got to big issues with a just-right amount of complexity and depth for the lay reader. I would have enjoyed more cultural history and philosophy, but the success of the book is its read- and share-ability for so many many people. None theological come to mind except Francis Spufford's UNAPOLOGETIC, but it's very celebrated.
People love Spufford. I can't think of any, either. And I still can't figure out how to do it myself.
i love philosophy, I read Kate Manne's recent books and Helena de Bres's How to Be Multiple; I had issues with both but i think philosophers have a leg up on this conceit that theologians haven't picked up on
I had students reading THE GOOD LIFE AND GOD for a co-curricular gathering, but it was too much abstraction, straight to the ideas. In a class on nonfiction, though, reading MacFarquhar and Kidder's MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS provided great walk-ups to big ideas by means of characters and narratives. One thinks of GILEAD, too — it may just be the need for fully housing in stories? Also Coetzee's ELIZABETH COSTELLO is an interesting hybrid: fiction but as a housing for proper essayistic lectures on ethics. Most of us can't pull off Coetzee-level work, though.
i find gilead a bit too preachy! it might be me. theology is even more subtle
ive nearly given up on anything but fiction
Some of the most interesting books I have read in the last little while have had a hook that helps tie their ideas together. Andrew Root's book "Churches and the Crisis of Decline" did this in a very clever way by developing a fable (a church which wants to avoid turning into a brew pub), and using Karl Barth's biography to help tie together abstract theological ideas from Barth, Charles Taylor and others into something that's interesting without losing its depth.
"Pilgrims and Priests" by Stefan Paas is also a book about Missiology that I am still thinking about five years later. In this case I think that has more to do with my personality than the subject matter, but I do think it's written at a moderately accessible level that helps explain the stakes of the ideas.
It's not about church at all, but I read "Understanding Media" by Marshall McLuhan and then "Amusing Ourselves to Death" by Neil Postman. McLuhan's writing is incredibly interesting and thought provoking, but is also a maze to try and understand. Postman takes a lot of McLuhan's ideas and communicates them in a way that's much more accessible because he ties it to much more concrete examples.
When I was doing my Biology undergrad, the Science community was recognizing the need to better communicate its big ideas to the public. A whole field (and programs!) for science communication developed, and a lot of the fruits of that work have shown up on YouTube. I think we need the same thing with theology. Reading "Eccentric Existence" is super interesting, but it is a struggle for me to read AND I would probably never suggest someone in my church read it. What I can do is figure out how to communicate some of the ideas within the book into places where people will see how they are interesting and helpful.