The souls of Jamel Brinkley’s stories
Brinkley has a storyteller’s gift for revealing characters and the connections between them.
Memoir of a pastor’s husband
Washed Ashore is, at its heart, about a man growing up while raising children.
Is The Hero of this Book a novel or a memoir?
In either case, Elizabeth McCracken’s account of losing a mother is wrenching and tender.
The White Rose movement in graphic novel form
Andrea Ciponte has found an ideal genre for telling the Scholl siblings’ story.
The emotional wisdom of irrational Christians
Ken Evers-Hood applies behavioral economic theories to Jesus—and the people who follow him.
Novel exegesis
The lines between sacred history and contemporary life are wonderfully, miraculously blurred.
Harper Lee, then and now
Yes, Go Set a Watchman has its problems; yes, it needed an editor. Yet one senses that this fiction has grown out of a life lived.
Made in Americus
In many books, the Jim Crow era is mediated through the sensibilities of white people. Jim Auchmutey shrewdly avoids this.
Penelope Fitzgerald, by Hermione Lee
Penelope Fitzgerald wrote her first novel at 60 and became famous at 80. "How does she do it?" asked A. S. Byatt. Hermione Lee tries to answer.
Curious, by Ian Leslie
In Ian Leslie’s telling, curiosity is far from a valued quality. Augustine, he notes, equated curiosity with temptation.
Theologians in place: Thinking about God together
Designating a person “in residence” to think about theology may seem like a luxury. But for the church, making room for such work may be a necessity.
DFW's iron pen
Job describes “an iron pen” with which words could be “engraved on a rock forever.” Few writers have such a pen. Even C. S. Lewis might well have been surprised that The Screwtape Letters has enjoyed such a long life.
Does Jesus Really Love Me? by Jeff Chu
A gay Christian with a compelling personal story, Jeff Chu is also a superb journalist who listens closely to whoever is sitting across from him.
Sunday, November 10: Job 19:23-27a
When I was a new pastor I imagined that I was breaking new ground, doing things differently than older colleagues....
Blessings alongside woes
Some years ago, on the day before All Saints’ Day, the country’s best distance runners met in Central Park. These included two old friends, Ryan Hall and Ryan Shay.
All Saints Sunday, November 3: Luke 6:20-31
They are overhead even now, making a racket as they chant Texas, Texas, Texas. The high cold air brushes the tips of their wings....