Theology as a Way of Life: On Teaching and Learning the Christian Faith - Paperback

by Adam Neder (Author)

What difference does Jesus Christ make for the way we teach the Christian faith? If he is truly God and truly human, if he reveals God to us and us to ourselves, how might that shape our approach to teaching Christianity? Drawing on the work of S ren Kierkegaard, Karl Barth, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Adam Neder offers a clear and creative theological and spiritual reflection on the art of teaching the Christian faith. This engaging book provides a wealth of fresh theological insights and practical suggestions for anyone involved in teaching and learning Christianity.

Back Jacket

"Simply superb"

"This is the book I wish I could have read when I started teaching theology over thirty years ago. Ironically, much literature on theological pedagogy these days is woefully bereft of theology. Every page of this book takes its ultimate cue, materially and formally, from the Christ-shaped gospel itself--in all its disturbing and heart-wrenching glory. At the same time, the text is jargon-free, utterly honest, and obviously born out of years of classroom experience. It is simply superb."
--Jeremy Begbie, Duke Divinity School

"Neder has written a beautiful book. It is also a profound book, one which will reward multiple readings. What comes to expression here is the 'impossible possibility' of teaching theology, and the kind of theological existence the teacher must herself reflect if she wants her students to know that this human impossibility is nonetheless, by God's grace, possible. This is a book that stands in favorable comparison with Barth's Evangelical Theology. Surely, a book for our times--and for all times."
--Bruce McCormack, Princeton Theological Seminary

"Neder's book has as its central claim that you cannot know Jesus from a safe distance. Yet as he makes clear, theologians are tempted to make it safe to follow and think with Jesus. Neder does not make that mistake, which is why this is such a challenging and constructive book."
--Stanley Hauerwas, Duke Divinity School

"Informed by careful engagement with an array of important voices past and present, this honest, realistic, yet deeply encouraging handbook for Christian theological educators is brimming with wise practical principles. Those who love to teach and learn about God--whether in the academy, the church, or the home--will themselves be taught and inspired by a vision of the task of Christian theology and the nature of the Christian life grounded in the glorious reality of God's work for us in Jesus Christ."
--Han-luen Kantzer Komline, Western Theological Seminary

"An incisive, wise, and wonderful book on teaching theology. There are many things to praise about this book, and I wish that it had been around when I began teaching. Theology as a Way of Life is the first book I would give to aspiring or newly minted teachers of theology. It should be required reading."
--Kimlyn J. Bender, Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University; author of Reading Karl Barth for the Church

Author Biography

Adam Neder (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is Bruner-Welch Professor of Theology at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, and the author of Participation in Christ: An Entry into Karl Barth's Church Dogmatics. He has been voted Most Influential Professor by four Whitworth senior classes.