Theology After Reading

Here is a wonderfully fresh invitation from a gifted writer to explore the storied worlds of great literary theology.

~Timothy K. Beal, Florence Harkness Professor of Religion, Case Western Reserve University

Darren Middleton is in love with stories and the challenge fiction poses to what we too confidently think of as reality. He knows that the best theology is always a story in the making. He also knows that narratives open up worlds that bring God to life, sometimes by the hint of divine presence, sometimes by the sorrow of absence.

~Peter S. Hawkins, Professor of Religion and Literature, Yale University Divinity School

In this stimulating and often inspiring book on the interface between fiction and theology, Darren Middleton shows how a variety of novels marked by "a graced search for meaning," provoke imaginative theological reflection on traditional Christian doctrines. Middleton extends a hermeneutics of love to carefully chosen novels, reading them on their own terms. This book should appeal well beyond the Christian community because of its exemplary openness and authentic humility.

~David E. Klemm, Professor of Modern Religious Thought, The University of Iowa

An exemplary, inspiring exploration of what the author calls "the interface of theology and literature." Deeply learned in both the Christian theological tradition and the five, widely variegated literary artists under consideration, Middleton impressively combines careful textual and contextual analysis of their writings. Skillfully and informatively annotated, the book is wonderfully capped off by its "Appendix" consisting of Middleton’s extensive interview with Thigpen.

~Eric Ziolkowski, Charles A. Dana Professor of Religious Studies and Department Head, Lafayette College