Discipleship in the Present Tense: Reflections on Faith and Culture

by James K. A. Smith

Overview

In this accessible, insightful book, noted Christian scholar and award-winning author James K. A. Smith gathers together a range of his writing for popular audiences. Working at the intersection of faith and culture, past and present, church and world, Smith offers both incisive cultural criticism and winsome articulation of a robust Christian faith in our "secular age." Whether he's making a case for the enduring treasures of the Christian tradition in postmodernity, or talking about the virtues of "hipster" Christianity, or inviting us to consider the poetry of Charles Wright, or offering advice to young parents, Smith’s prose is always probing, provocative, and illuminating.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781937555085
Publisher:	Calvin College Press
Publication date:	08/01/2013
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	232
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

James K. A. Smith is professor of philosophy at Calvin College, where he holds the Gary and Henrietta Byker Chair in Applied Reformed Theology and Worldview. Trained as a philosopher with a focus on contemporary French thought, Smith has expanded on that scholarly platform to become an engaged public intellectual and cultural critic. An award-winning author and widely-traveled speaker, he has emerged as a thought leader with a unique gift of translation, building bridges between the academy, society, and the church.

Table of Contents

1-Redemption; 2-Buried Treasures; 3-A Peculiar People?; 4-Is All of Life Worship?; 5-Redeeming Ritual; 6-The Case for Christian Education; 7-Learning (by) Stories; 8-How (Not) to Change the World; 9-Thinking Biblically about Culture; 10-Poser Christianity; 11-Show Me the World; 12-The Other Ineffable;13-The Incarnation Is Local; 14-Erotic Theology; 15-Dream Small; 16-What’s Right with the Prosperity Gospel?; 17-A Letter to Young Parents; 18-An Open Letter to Praise Bands; 19-The Other Side of Athens; 20-Can Hope Be Wrong?; 21-(Liberal) Skepticism vs. (Orthodox) Doubt; 22-The Secularization of Thanksgiving and the Sacralization of the Military; 23-Desiring the Kingdom in a Postmodern World; 24-Philosophy, Culture, and Communication

Editorial Reviews

"Discipleship in the Present Tense reflects on the intersections of faith and culture in our contemporary world. 'Intersections' may bring to mind two roads meeting at right angles, with stop signs. The intersections in this book are more like freeway cloverleafs: the traffic keeps moving. Suggestion: start at the end, with two interviews that are real conversations, not perfunctory Q&As. Then pick and choose, tapas-style, from the tasty selection of essays."

—John Wilson, editor, Books & Culture

"Few people are as qualified as James K. A. Smith to write a book on the intersection of faith and culture. Whenever he speaks, I listen. In this book, you’ll find winsome but profound essays on following Jesus in the 21st century. Read it and be challenged."

—Jonathan Merritt, faith and culture writer; author of A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars

"As a busy practitioner leading the church and Christian ministry in this hinge period in history, I often dream of being able to sit down with a discerner of the times—one who both loves the church and understands the intellectual and spiritual subterranean forces that are shaping the way we live and forging the way we live the Christian life. Reading Discipleship in the Present Tense is the next best thing to this kind of friendly chat. James K. A. Smith in this delightful assortment of essays, critiques, and interviews is a Christian ethnographer helping the church move through the 'hazy space' between faith and culture, the church and the academy, the historical and the traditional. He does this as a committed scholar in the Reformed tradition, but all of us will find what he says extremely helpful."

—Berten A. Waggoner , Former National Director, Vineyard USA

From the Publisher