Balm in Gilead
A Theological Dialogue with Marilynne Robinson
by Timothy Larsen and Keith L. Johnson (Editors)
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Pub Date Apr 02 2019 | Archive Date Jun 13 2019
InterVarsity Press | IVP Academic
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Description
Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Marilynne Robinson is one of the most eminent public intellectuals in America today. In addition to literary elegance, her trilogy of novels (Gilead, Home, and Lila) and her collections of essays offer probing meditations on the Christian faith. Many of these reflections are grounded in her belief that the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformer John Calvin still deserves a hearing in the twenty-first century. This volume, based on the 2018 Wheaton Theology Conference, brings together the thoughts of leading theologians, historians, literary scholars, and church leaders who engaged in theological dialogue with Robinson's published work—and with the author herself.
Advance Praise
"Marilynne Robinson's work is saturated in theology—not only in that it is pervaded by engagement with Christian belief in general but in that it is shaped by years of deep engagement with the texts of the Protestant (especially Calvinist) tradition. We have waited a long time for a collection like this. It is certain to be a rich source of interest and delight."
-Jeremy Begbie, Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Professor of Theology, Duke University
"Marilynne Robinson is perhaps the most vital of living American novelists. This collection contains essay after thoughtful essay exploring various facets of her complex and beautiful body of work. After reading them you feel that you have watched the assembling of a delightful portrait of this most theologically resonant of our writers."
-Alan Jacobs, distinguished professor of humanities, honors program, Baylor University
"The religious themes and insights in Marilynne Robinson's novels and essays—especially her striking fondness for Calvin—have won her a devoted Christian following. Until now, however, there has been little explicit engagement with her work by theologians. In this volume, an impressive range of thinkers opens up a conversation with the novelist about the Christian life, the Reformed tradition, and the American experience."
-David Heim, executive editor, Christian Century
"If the test of a good story is the kind of person it shapes, then we can only hope that Marilynne Robinson continues to write her stories. Reading her stories makes one want to be more truly alive. They also, as it happens, make one curious to read her nonfiction. In reading both novels and essays, we are introduced to a theologically dynamic vision of the world. This marvelous collection of essays is a welcomed engagement by theologians with an author who demands careful—and repeated!—reading."
-W. David O. Taylor, assistant professor of theology and culture, Fuller Theological Seminary
"Doing theology and reading fiction figure among my best-loved pastimes. Reading theology about fiction ranks almost as high. Yet Balm in Gilead is something better: an interdisciplinary conversation about the theological presuppositions and implications of one of America's most important living novelists. Entertaining does not come close to doing justice to Marilynne Robinson's Gilead series, though they are that. Robinson raises profound questions about the shape of Christian ministry and community and, in so doing, exposes and seeks to transform America's secular social imaginary. In similar fashion, Balm in Gilead raises profound questions about Robinson's work and theology, putting her in conversation with theologians past (Augustine, John Calvin) and present (Rowan Williams)."
-Kevin J. Vanhoozer, research professor of systematic theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
"This collection of thoughtful and erudite essays is a welcome addition to the growing interest in (and admiration of) one of the church's—and culture's—preeminent voices of the last thirty years. For readers who are familiar with Robinson's writing, this collection will provide much-welcomed insight into the theological depth of her essays and novels. For those unfamiliar with her work, this volume provides a lively and accessible theological introduction to one of the major creative thinkers of our time. A must-read for anyone who wants to understand the conversations and currents happening at the deepest levels between the church and culture today."
-Michael Bruner, author of A Subversive Gospel: Flannery O'Connor and the Reimagining of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780830853182 |
| PRICE | $28.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 250 |
Links
Featured Reviews
Educator 242522
I really appreciated the breadth of views and writing voices in this work. Will be using it in some of my classes on the power of personal perspective - even when its flawed.
Educator 528984
The book Balm in Gilead is a reflection on the book Gilead and its two sequels. This was the official theme of Wheaton College's Theology Conference last year, and all of the chapters were written by presenters at the conference. I have always loved attending Wheaton's Theology Conference, but due to other obligations I was unable to attend last year. Reading this book made me feel like I had been there. Many of the themes of the book relate to Calvinism and abolitionism in Marilynne Robinson's Gilead and its two sequels. I appreciated the deep discussion of these themes, because I think they are often overlooked in modern dialogue. The one drawback for me is that I have only read Gilead once a few years ago, and I have not read its sequels, so some of the references were lost on me. However, it has motivated me to re-read Gilead and the rest of the series. I would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the work of Marilynne Robinson and would like to engage further in its themes.
Lyndsey H, Reviewer
Balm in Gilead: A Theological Dialogue with Marilynne Robinson is a unique book arising from a unique situation. Wheaton College is one of the historic institutions of higher learning for modern day evangelicalism. For over a quarter of a century, Wheaton College has held a theology conference each spring. In and of itself, that is not unusual. In fact, that is a quite common thing for a religious school to do. However, it is more unique for a theology conference at an evangelical school to focus on the work of one theologian. It is even more unique for that one theologian to still be alive and active in their vocation. It is further even more unique for that theologian to be a writer of fiction by vocation. And did I mention that theologian is a woman? Perhaps you’re beginning to understand the very special nature of this book edited by Timothy Larsen and Keith L. Johnson.
The chapters in this book originated in the presentations at the 2019 Wheaton Theology Conference. Some chapters focus on specific aspects of Gilead as a literary work while others interact with Gilead through various lens of Christian theology. A couple of chapters were formed from a panel and and interview with Robinson while one chapter presents an essay from Robinson herself.
You don’t have to agree with every theological conclusion of Robinson or the conference presenters in order to benefit from reading this book. Whether you’ve never heard of Marilynne Robinson and her Gilead or have devoured every page and are longing for more, read this book. If you’ve never read Robinson, you will benefit from building a strong foundation to better understand the magnificence of her books. If you are a Gilead addict, reading Balm in Gilead: A Theological Dialogue will give you even further appreciation for Robinson and her writing. For those unexposed to more nuanced theological discussion, this book models that in many wonderful ways. For those who spend their entire lives engaged in nuanced theological discussion, this book will sharpen your thinking and give you a finer appreciation for God’s graciousness to us all in our everyday vocations.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #InterVarsityPress for the opportunity to read and review this title.
janet k, Librarian
Marilynne Robinson's novels are full of religious themes. This conversational set of essays is collected from a 2018 Wheaton College Theological Conference. It will make you question, it will make you contemplate, it will engage your head and your heart, as scholars, historians, church leaders and others participate in an open dialogue centering on Ms. Robinson's work "Gilead." Balm in Gilead lends itself very easily to being a book discussion selection on many levels. At times, some of the positions defended were a little above my head, but I found myself wishing that someone else was reading with me so that we could continue the discussion and debate. I really appreciated the opportunity to have this glimpse into the mind and motives of Marilynne Robinson.
Holly C, Reviewer
I appreciate the theological influence behind all the Gilead series and this is a book that highlights those themes in a more academic sense. This is not a casual read, but with that said, it is thought-provoking and interesting as insight into some of the reasoning behind the narratives of Gilead and it's themes. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to dig a bit deeper into philosophical background of what they have read.
#BalmInGilead #NetGalley
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