A New Book to Check Out

Dry Bones & Holy Wars

I’ve always been fascinated by the role of public theologians. From Martin Luther King Jr. to Jim Wallis to Barbara Brown Taylor to Nadia Bolz-Weber, I find a little thrill in seeing the ways religious language plays in a secular sphere. I always sit up a little straighter when a president’s speech includes a biblical allusion, even when I then go on to roll my eyes. Some of my favorite journalists are people like Elizabeth Bruenig and Conor Friedersdorf, who forefront their own religious commitments and past experiences in their writing. I’ve even tried my hand at public theology before, writing a book aimed at popular audiences that has found some modest success.

One of my former students, who has become a friend and colleague, has published a new book in this vein. Brandan Robertson is a writer, pastor, activist, and student on the leftward edge of Protestant Christianity. The book is called Dry Bones & Holy Wars: A Call for Social and Spiritual Renewal, and it’s available for order now. (I think there’s a couple of weeks’ lead time for the paper copy, or Kindle is available immediately). In Brandan’s other books, and in his ubiquitous social media presence, I have appreciated his ability to cut through the noise of the conservative and evangelical religiosity that tends to dominate our discourse, to articulate something clear and prophetic on the left. Whether it’s about theology, racism, gender and sexuality, or the changing church, he does a great job of communicating clearly and urgently. He reminds me a bit of John Shelby Spong (though I like Robertson better both as a person and as an intellect), or of someone like Rachel Held Evans, in the way he weaves personal experience and thoughtful theological reflection together.

If you’re looking for a new book for a class or just for yourself,

check this one out. And let me know how it goes!