Take & read: New books in theology
To speak words of grace, we must first name the powers and principalities that hold us captive.
apocalypse
Climate science is apocalyptic: it reveals fundamental truths.
What happens after you survive an apocalypse?
The lively dystopian worlds of Louise Erdrich and Kaethe Schwehn
“I tried to remember that these are human beings, not caricatures.”
How does it end?
The apocalypse, it seems, is cultural and psychological rather than historical. One can only hope that this theory is right.
Alternative realities
John of Patmos presents readers of Revelation with fantastical visions of what life could be, just as Dickens does to Scrooge.
Full of emptiness
Emptiness can alternatively mean too little or too much. It is sometimes unclear where emptiness is distinct from excess.
I want the kingdom of God to be civilized. If possible I'd like to be able to keep sleeping in my own bed.
A Political Theology of Climate Change, by Michael S. Northcott
Many Americans dismiss climate change reports as fear mongering. Michael Northcott sees the use of apocalyptic imagery differently.
In theaters now, Nicholas Cage is taking us to the beginning of the end of time. A time when passengers vanish mid-flight, cars lose their drivers, and those who aren’t raptured face a violent world and a monumental choice: follow the Antichrist toward destruction or follow the righteous and be saved from the world. It’s the end of the world as we know it, and no one’s feeling fine. Years ago, when the Left Behind series topped the bestseller lists, a friend and colleague of mine was on fire over the books.
The Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an, by Anton Wessels
Anton Wessels emphasizes points of convergence among the Abrahamic religions, even assimilating their scriptural perspectives into a single story. It's an audacious wager, and not without dangers.
Invasion of the Dead, by Brian K. Blount
Brian Blount mounts a sweeping plea for bold preaching about the God who invades and routes death. Resurrection, he argues, transforms all of us “living dead” into witnesses.
While my home church sang praises to King Jesus and also ran a food pantry, the Feast of the Reign of Christ boldly proclaims that the hungry won't be hungry forever. While others in the '60s juxtaposed sweet harmonies with earnestly social lyrics, Dylan conjured a complex vision of social upheaval—a vision both threatening and profoundly hopeful.