The novel has long been celebrated as an art form that captures the complexity of human life, often by portraying the human condition in the density of its everyday circumstances. But today’s guest, Christina Bieber Lake, sees the novel as an expressly theological exercise. Dr. Lake, the Clyde S. Kilby Professor of English at Wheaton College, is the author of the 2019 book Beyond the Story: American Literary Fiction and the Limits of Materialism. On this episode, we discuss how theology helps us understand literature, whether those same principles apply to literary criticism, how one finds one’s purpose as a teacher and scholar, and what it means to help other people find their own.
Hosted by Matthew Wickman, Founding Director BYU Humanities Center.
Produced and Edited by Brooke Browne and Sam Jacob
Matthew Wickman is a professor of English at Brigham Young University. He served as the founding director of the BYU Humanities Center the past...
Mary Frohlich is Professor Emerita of Spirituality at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She is a former president of the Society for the Study...
Alice Fryling is a spiritual director and popular author of nine books on subjects like spiritual formation and relationships, including the well-received book Mirror...
