Hope in A Scattering Time by Eric Miller is the new biography of Christopher Lasch. Lasch was a brilliant public intellectual and social critic who railed against the hubris of stale liberalism and rejected all ideologies. If you want to know the roots of the “cultural wars” read this book. He is most known for his book The Culture of Narcissism and The Minimal Self.
Stanley Hauerwas’ memoir – Hannah’s Child. He is not known for kindness but this book is filled with kindness toward all the people that have shaped Hauerwas’ life, including his parents. In addition to insights into his theological journey from a brick layer’s son to as a world renowned theologian, professor and provocateur, he describes in harrowing details the costs of maintaining his marriage vows for as long as possible to a woman caught in the grip of mental illness.
A book of systematic theology published in 2010 that will stand the test of time is Kathryn Tanner’s Christ the Key. In this sequel to Jesus, Humanity and the Trinity, Tanner continues to draw upon a wide range of thinkers including the early church fathers to construct a thoroughly contemporary theology that reworks the classical themes of creation, atonement, and Trinitarian life.
Absence of Mind. Marilynne Robinson has a razor sharp mind capable of questioning every “given” that sustains common assumptions, in this case scientific reasoning. She demonstrates by careful argument, not rhetorical shouting, the limits of intellectual arrogance that underwrite much of current militant atheism. Read this alongside Wendell Berry’s Miracle of Life for a thoughtful alternative to cynicism and scientific triumphalism.
This one came out in 2009 but it didn’t get enough attention so I’m mentioning it again. Flannery by Brad Gooch. A very fine biography of Flannery O’Connor. I went back to read her Collected Stories with fresh understanding and delight.
