In my continued reading of Alan Jacobs' A Theology of Reading, I've come to his chapter “Kenosis.” He addresses the question of whether someone can love a text in the same self-giving way that one can —even ought to —love another person. Kenosis is the Greek word used in Philippians 2:7 to describe the “self-emptying” movement of Christ in his Incarnation: [Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the … [Read more...] about Are There Any Books That You Revere?
books
Talking with Non-Evangelicals (When God Talks Back)
A couple of weeks ago, I finished reading T.M. Luhrmann's When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God. As I mentioned then, please read Mark Noll's review, which is much better than what I could have written. This week, I'd like to share a few things that I learned from Luhrmann about engaging and talking with non-evangelicals. Next week, I'll have a few thoughts about how we evangelicals can talk amongst ourselves. 1. Encourage good scholars and thinkers, whatever their beliefs. … [Read more...] about Talking with Non-Evangelicals (When God Talks Back)
Book Review: Homosexuality and the Christian
We're beginning an occasional series of short book reviews, written by guest writers, on topics relevant to Christians in the academy. The following review is by Tim, a professor at a small private college. Thank you, Tim! If you'd like to contribute a book review, please get in touch. ~ Mike This year has seen homosexuality in the news more than usual. In March, Vanderbilt University began prohibiting student groups from requiring officers to sign a statement of beliefs, following a homosexual student's … [Read more...] about Book Review: Homosexuality and the Christian
Bielo: The Textual Economies of Bible Studies
James Bielo's Words Upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Group Bible Study closely observes several Bible studies in Lansing, Michigan. I've been reading and blogging about the book this summer as part of my efforts to gain a sense of the academic perspective on evangelical Christians[1. You may have noticed that Bielo capitalizes "Evangelical," while I don't. The style of our blog has generally been not to capitalize the word, but I've maintained Bielo's own usage in my quotations.]. In this week's chapter, … [Read more...] about Bielo: The Textual Economies of Bible Studies
What’s on your summer reading list?
Just a brief post today, because Tom and I have been busy with other things. Perhaps because of my busy schedule, I've been thinking ahead to summer, when I will have more time for reading —or, at least, I imagine I'll have more time. Two weeks ago, I shared my reading list focusing on how academics perceive evangelicals. My family has a vacation scheduled for June, and my hope is that I'll make a big dent in that reading list while sitting by the beach. (Yes, that's how much a nerd I am. No Hunger Games for me, … [Read more...] about What’s on your summer reading list?