Foreword by Makoto Fujimura
Introduction: How Reading Buechner Changed My Life
Part I: Frederick Buechner as Memoirist
1. The Sacred Journey: The Universal Particular
2. Now and Then: Forrest Gump's Feather
3. Telling Secrets: A Deeper Honesty
4. The Eyes of the Heart: Remembering the Lost and Found
Part II: Frederick Buechner as Novelist
5. Godric: A Twelfth-Century Sinner-Saint
6. The Son of Laughter: Heels, Laughter, and the Fear
Part III: Frederick Buechner as Popular Theologian
7. Wishful Thinking: Renewing Tired Words
8. Peculiar Treasures: People We Thought We Knew
Part IV: Frederick Buechner as Preacher
9. Telling the Truth: Tears with Great Laughter
10. Secrets in the Dark: The Wonder of Words
11. Reading Buechner Today
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Appendix: An Annotated Bibliography of Frederick Buechner's
Books
Notes
Index
Jeffrey Munroe is executive vice president at Western Theological Seminary, where he also teaches writing. He was a charter member of the advisory board of the Buechner Institute of Faith and Culture, and is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America.
Makoto Fujimura is an internationally recognized contemporary artist whose work appears in major museums and galleries around the world. He is also an award-winning author of five books, including Art Is, Art and Faith, Beauty and Justice, and Silence and Beauty. He is the founder of IAMCultureCare and the Fujimura Institute. Fujimura served on the National Council on the Arts as a presidential appointee and he is a celebrated speaker and advocate for the arts.
"Reading Buechner gives us exactly what the title promises. These
are a fan's notes, based on many years of reading and reflection,
aimed at fellow Buechnerites but also readily accessible to
newcomers. Unpretentious but deeply versed in his subject, Jeffrey
Munroe is a winsome guide."John Wilson, contributing editor,
Englewood Review of Books
"Bringing his lifetime of grappling faithfully with all things
Buechner, the inestimable Jeff Munroe proves a winsome and
trustworthy guide to the essential works of Frederick Buechner. If
you've always wanted to read Buechner but didn't know where to
start, Reading Buechner is the introduction you've been looking
for. And if you're a longtime reader, Jeff does a lovely job of
finding new ways to appreciate and celebrate the richness of
Buechner's works."Jennifer L. Holberg, Calvin University professor
of English and codirector, Calvin Center for Faith & Writing
"A much-needed spiritual biography of the minister-writer who has
found himself walking the borders (to quote visual artist Makoto
Fujimura) of faith and literature, never truly at home in either.
Jeffrey Munroe invites us to listen not only to Frederick
Buechner's books but also to his life. And in turn, we listen to
our own."Sarah Arthur, author of A Light So Lovely
"Reading Buechner offers a lively, insightful overview of
Buechner's life and work. It also models the kind of engaged
reading that completes and amplifies the work of a worthy writer.
Drawing on a range of others' observations, Munroe's own
reflections come from long, deep, intelligent reading fueled by
delight and informed by theological training and faith. For those
new to Buechner, this book offers an enticing introduction. It also
invites longtime fans to return to Buechner's work with reawakened
appreciation for the rich, life-giving legacy of a man for whom
imagination has been a vital dimension of the life of
faith."Marilyn McEntyre, author of Caring for Words in a Culture of
Lies and Word by Word
"With a personal appreciation for Frederick Buechner's words and a
thoroughly researched knowledge of the experiences that formed
them, Jeffrey Munroe's Reading Buechner is a deft combination of
biography and reading companion. I had only known Buechner from
Telling the Truth; this book has inspired me to seek out so much
more."Josh Larsen, author of Movies Are Prayers and editor/podcast
host for ThinkChristian
"I am one who wonders why so many Christians spend so much time
talking about and writing about Christianity. Instead of the Word
becoming flesh, it becomes more and more words. Jeffrey Munroe, in
his masterfully clear and insightful Reading Buechner, opens up
about why Frederick Buechner devoted his career to, yes, more
words. Why? Because incarnation is at the heart of Buechner's
faith. His great hope is that his words, like all effective
literature, will become flesh, in his workChristian flesh. Munroe,
in a voice that feels as if he is sitting with you on the porch,
reveals that Buechner writes out from the 'flesh' of his inner life
hoping to connect with the inner life of anyone struggling within
God's love-endangered world. Even if you've already read Buechner's
work, read Jeffrey Munroe's informative and invigorating Reading
Buechner, then get on it and read Buechner again, perhaps for the
first time."Jack Ridl, author of Broken Symmetry, Losing Season,
Practicing to Walk Like a Heron, and St. Peter and the
Goldfinch
"Jeff has listened to the depth and more significantly to the
breadth of Buechner's work in a way no one else ever has. His work
enables each of us now to listen further to Buechner's remarkable
literary voice for ourselves. Moreover this book comes at a crucial
time, providing the next generation with a badly needed
introduction to one of the most important theological writers of
our time."Michael Card, Bible teacher, songwriter
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
