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
Emma Mason is Professor of English and Comparative Literary Studies at Warwick University in England. She’s the author and editor of several books, primarily...
C. Vanessa White is Associate Professor of Spirituality and Ministry, and Director of the Certificate in Black Theology and Ministry, at Catholic Theological Union...
Kim Langley is president of LifeBalance Enterprises and founder of WordSPA (short for spirituality, poetry, appreciation), an organization that engages poetry as a healing...
