In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Nicholas Elder, who is Associate Professor of New Testament at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary and the author of the book that we discuss in this episode, Gospel Media: Reading, Writing, and Circulating Jesus Traditions (published by Eerdmans). Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Elder talks about some major myths that are perpetuated in scholarship regarding reading, writing, circulating, and publishing texts in antiquity and how...
In this episode we’re joined by Dr. Karen Swallow Prior to discuss Guides for Reading and Reflecting (published by B&H). Dr. Karen Swallow Prior is Research Professor of English and Christianity and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, the host or Jesus and Jane Austen, and the editor of a series that we’re discussing today, which provide critical introductions to classic texts called Guides for Reading and Reflecting. Dr. Prior tells us about the idea...
I love books. Books have been my faithful companions since childhood. I remember always having a book with me, no matter where I went, even if I was going to a large social gathering, I would take a book in my purse. Actually, especially at large social gatherings, I would take a book with me to avoid talking with people. Yes, I was one of those kids. I’m also second-generation Filipino-American, and my extended family is huge...
Warning: Spoilers ahead for classics you should have already read! I didn’t want to write for the blog this week. I’m going through a very difficult situation at work that has me feeling like I’ve been turned inside out. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I can’t see through to the outcome. I’m having trouble imagining what awaits me on the other side of this mess. And I hate it. It’s scary and uncomfortable...
Sometimes I like to read a popular book, a book that everyone is reading—so that I can know what everybody is talking about and, maybe, join in the conversation. So a couple weeks ago I read The Fault in Our Stars—the latest young adult novel from author John Green. The book—about two teenagers who meet at a cancer support group—is instantly gripping, and continues on to tell–in quick-witted, excellently crafted prose—a heart-wrenching, beautiful, soul-searching story...
I’ve recently been thumbing around in All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age (Free Press, 2011). It is a middlebrow book written by two eminent philosophy professors, Hubert Dreyfus and Sean Dorrance Kelly. It is essentially an interpretation of contemporary society inspired by the works of existentialist philosopher Martin Heidegger, with an attendant Heideggerean prescription for overcoming “our contemporary nihilism.” So though you will not find it in...
Recent Comments