Acts

by Larry Woiwode

Larry Woiwode has been called "a prodigiously gifted stylist" (The New Republic) who can "wring your heart" (The Boston Globe) with his talent for evoking in language "pure, cleanly wrought beauty until it is made to seem both universal and extraordinary" (The Atlantic Monthly). Here Woiwode turns to the book of Acts, the generational history of the early Christians, and finds it a suitable framework within which to share his thoughts on storywriting, Christianity, the deleterious impact of culture upon the contemporary church, and the church's inability to clearly define itself or respond effectively to cultural attacks.
Woiwode takes us through the narrative journey of the book of Acts, analyzing each event with a writer's sensibility. He establishes a clear-eyed view of the true basis and purpose of Christianity, and points out how today's Church seems to be drifting farther and farther from those origins. Fresh and compelling, filled with revelations of Woiwode's own spiritual journey, Acts will absorb and enlighten anyone who has savored this master writer's fictional work.

Genres: Nonfiction

244 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1993

About the author

Larry Woiwode was designated Poet Laureate of North Dakota by the Legislative Assembly in 1995. He served as Writer in Residence at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1973-74; and from 1983-88 was a tenured professor at the State University of New York, Binghamton, and director of its Creative Writing Program.

Larry Woiwode’s fiction has appeared in Antaeus, Antioch Review, Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Harpers, The New Yorker, Paris Review, Partisan Review, and many other publications; his poetry has appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Harpers, The New Yorker, Mademoiselle, Poetry North, Tar River Poetry, Transatlantic Review, Works in Progress, and other publications and venues, including broadsides and anthologies.

His novels and his memoirs are widely acclaimed and his writings have been translated into a dozen languages and earned him international recognition: he is the recipient of the William Faulkner Foundation Award, 1969; has been a Guggenheim Fellow, 1971-72; a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the National Book Award, 1975; chosen by the American Association of Publishers for a novel to present to the White House Library, 1976; is recipient of an Award in Literature from the National Institute and American Academy of Arts & Letters, 1980; of the John Dos Passos Prize (for a diverse body of work), 1991; and of a Lannan Literary Fellowship, 2001. He has also received North Dakota’s highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Roughrider Award, conferred by Governor Sinner, in 1992; and in 2011 received the Emeritus Award from the High Plains Awards Committee, for “A Body of Work as Vast as the West.” His recent publications include Words Made Fresh, and The Invention of Lefse, published in 2011 by Crossway Books. His new novel Blackburn Bay is nearly ready to be viewed by agents and publishers, and in 2010 he completed a new book of short stories

Reviews

[Tim Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anything written by Woiwode is worth reading and this is no exception. At the time, I remember sharply disagreeing with Woiwode when he discussed the selection of Matthias as the apostolic replacement for the apostate Judas Iscariot (Woiwode believes that Matthias' choice was illegitimate). But now, with the benefit of further study and thought, I find myself coming around to agreeing with Woiwode: apostles were appointed by Christ and not to be chosen by lot. Paul was the legitimate 12th apostle in Judas' stead. Peter and the other apostles overstepped their authority when they selected Matthias. Despite good intentions, the Lord had a different plan. The apostles' lack of faith resulted in selecting a man who disappeared from history and left no mark at all in the early church. This is no reflection on his faith or Christian testimony, merely recognizing that Christ did not ordain him for an apostleship.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is part memoir, part theological discussion of the book of Acts and it was an enjoyable read. While I have some differences of opinion on open-handed issues in the church with the author, and his view on reformation is interesting, it still doesn't take away from the overall message of who Jesus is and the work of his apostles in Acts. The author is a literary writer, first and foremost, so the use of language and literary style helps this book be a very engaging read almost as though you're encountering a work of fiction.

If you enjoy creative non-fiction and want an overview of Acts, this is a decent choice.