REVIEW: The Deformation and Reformation of the Evangelical Imagination
EXTRA: The newest review of The Evangelical Imagination
Over at Current, Christina Bieber Lake, Professor of English at Wheaton College, has reviewed The Evangelical Imagination. Now, maybe it’s because Lake is an English professor (probably so!), but she really, really gets the book. So if you haven’t read my book, are wondering if you want to, or wonder if it would make a good gift for someone else (ahem!), here’s a review that will give you the skinny:
Prior wisely begins before the twentieth century, first surveying the less destructive evangelical social imaginaries. From the beginning evangelicals have productively emphasized that we are all sleepers who need awakening; God wants a personal relationship with each one of us; and powerful conversion stories (testimonies) fuel evangelism. Prior understands that most of us would not be Christians today had our own imaginations not been captured and re-formed by these ideas and the stories through which we encountered them. An accomplished literary scholar, she expertly traces key story plots back to their cultural and literary origins: Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Richardson’s Pamela, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, just to name a few.
Read the rest of the review here at Current.
And while we are here:
In response to Richard and William: I had NOT thought of doing a series on my book here. That is partly because I started this substack right as my book was coming out and had done in online book club during the run-up and was perhaps of the mind "been there, done that" and of the mind that we are all sick of me talking about my book. However, most of you here were not part of that book club (though there were about 400 participants, which still blows me away!). And now the book is out and in more people's hands ...
All this to say, I think I might. Maybe that can be our "summer break" series here.
Would love others to chime in with their interest.
A couple of quick asks if I may:
i. Have you thought of doing, say, a monthly piece on here to discuss the book, chapter by chapter? Lucy Austen is doing something similar with her book on Elizabeth Elliott.
ii. You reference and quote Lakoff and Johnson - I got hold of that book some years back and figured it was an important work for pastors to read but have made at least 3 attempts and drifted off after the first half a dozen or so chapters. Is it something to persevere with? I feel like it probably is.