A Time to Keep: Theology, Mortality, and the Shape of a Human Life

by Ephraim Radner

The miracle of birth and the mystery of death markhuman life. Mortality, like a dark specter, looms over all that lies in between. Human character, behavior, aims, and community are all inescapably shaped by this certainty of human ends. Mortality, like an unwanted guest, intrudes, becoming a burden and a constant struggle. Mortality, like a thief who steals, even threatens the ability to live life rightly. Life is short. Death is certain. Mortality, at all costs, should be resisted or transcended.In "A Time to Keep" Ephraim Radner revalues mortality, reclaiming it as God s own. Mortality should notbe resisted butreceived. Radner reveals mortality s true nature as a gift, God s gift, and thus reveals that the many limitations that mortality imposes should be celebrated. Radner demonstrates how faithfulness and not resignation, escape, denial, redefinition, or excess is the proper response to the gift of humanity s temporal limitation. To live rightly is to recognize and then willingly accept life s limitations. In chapters on sex and sexuality, singleness and family, education and vocation, andapanoply of end of life issues, "A Time to Keep" plumbs the depths of the secularimagination, uncovering the constantstrugglewith human finitudein its myriadforms. Radner shows thatby wrongly positioningcreaturely mortality, these parts of human experience havereceivedan inadequate reckoning. "A Time to Keep" retrieves the most basic confession of the Christian faith, that life is God s, which Radner offers as grace, asthe basis for a Christian understanding of human existence bound by its origin and telos. Thepossibilityand purposeof what comes between birth and deathisorderedby the pattern of Scripture, but isperformed faithfully onlyin obedience to thelimits that bind it."

Genres: Theology, Philosophy, Anthropology, Cultural, Religion

304 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2016

Reviews

[Jess Schurz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A theology of the body, a theology of time, a theology that answers existential dread with: “it all coheres!”

[Lauren Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. just wow. if you think you know what it is to be a human being or what the meaning of life is - you don’t if you haven’t read this book!!!

it was such a true masterpiece and a work of art. theologically and philosophically rich, but written in the most beautifully poetic style. references to amazing authors abound, including both those i love and those i have yet to discover. made me cry and squeal at multiple points through the way he described and reimagined friendship, the Eucharist, and the Gospel. i need to read it again asap.

a call to remember that human life is shaped by time and therefore by limits, and that this points to all that is as being given by God. he gives us our limits, he gives us the mundane aspects of sustenance and relationship, he gives us our specific places and circumstances and selves. not only is their meaning found in an impetuous for gratitude that all of life is a gift, but God though Jesus enters into the adventure, the “great traversal” of human life, transfiguring it, bringing it into himself, and imbuing it with ultimate meaning and beauty.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read this year (2019). Though it takes some work to grasp given his poetic, unique phrasing, it is well worth the effort. Radner offers a theological anthropology focused on the this-ness of being human, including sex, work, time and friendship. He argued that life as seen in its details and in our own morality point to our reception of it as a gift.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to rate. Its opening chapter, describing the Strasbourg clock and the effects of the Great Transition (Radner's term for the great jump in life expectancy almost universally experienced in the modern world in the last 150 years) was profound and whet my appetite for more. Our modern longevity (relatively-speaking) causes us to be forgetful of the shape of a mortal human life: from birth to death, with no exceptions. Thus Radner calls the church to develop a theology of mortality, a way of thinking about human experience that doesn't treat life as atomized into unrelated segments or experiences, but takes account the entire arc of a mortal human life. Thus far, I found the book thought-provoking and very helpful.

But Radner then degenerates into what can only be called muddled theology (at best). His discussion especially of death and resurrection (he is frustratingly vague on whether he even believes in a genuine after-life), and correspondingly of the nature of sin and atonement, left much to be desired. In the end, I think the topic raised in the subtitle ("theology, mortality, and the shape of a human life") should require careful theological work - unfortunately, Radner's book only raises the question and then muddies the waters.

[Grant W Currier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Radner meticulously investigates the nature and consequences of ramified, donative embodiment, touching on how such historical realities as The Great Transition (worldwide increased life expectancy and prosperity), AIDS and disease, diversity (especially as considered in its sexual aspects), filiated relationships (existence, perhaps, is the more appropriate word), work and singleness all point us to a renewed understanding of the giftedness of existence as well as its limitation.

While I think Radner's concluding chapter falls short in an odd addenda-laden version of the Savior's prayer, the chapters bringing us to an understanding of what it means to "number our days" are profound and resonant, touching on philosophy and literature and history and science, and the importance of understanding our persons as filiated generators. This has immense implications for the ways in which we work, the realms in which we exist, and the persons with whom we eat and work.

Radner's work deserves to be read, considered, argued, and challenged; this will be a book to ponder and reconsider in the (possible) years to come.

[Sam Nesbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and overall enjoyable read. Radner presents a much-needed “material theology” that touches on the genealogical shape of human life and history. In turn, sexuality, distinction, marriage, and more is addressed and elucidated from a robustly theological and cosmological view. There are still some heavy questions and issues that Radner could take more time to address, such as the question of natural mortality in God’s creation. Moreover, as is the case with many of Radner’s works, Radner’s style is more poetic and verbose and so it can be difficult to know what exactly he is saying sometimes.

[Matthew Colvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains many provocative thoughts and helpful sources. Its main project, to teach Christians to number their days and gain a heart of wisdom, is excellent. I highlighted many passages and will no doubt return to them and use them in my own thinking, writing, and preaching.

I seem to recall Alan Jacobs complaining about Radner's difficult prose, and I sympathize with that criticism. Such coinages as "skinfulness" are unnecessary and grating.

[David Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important Christian theology books on what it means to be human written in our time.

[Brianna Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book so much that I started it again. It needs to be read slowly and thoughtfully for sure, but so much to chew on!

[Taylor Barkley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book, perhaps my favorite of the year. He talks about the effects and blessings of the Great Transition (lower mortality rates) and peels back a lot of cultural assumptions. Very good.

[John Kight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ephraim Radner is professor of Historical Theology at Wycliffe College, Toronto. Radner earned both an MDiv and PhD from Yale University. He is the author of several books and articles, including A Brutal Unity: The Spiritual Politics of the Christian Church, The World in the Shadow of God: An Introduction to Christian Natural Theology, and the volume on the book of Leviticus as part of the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible. Most recently, Radner released an exciting anthropological investigation into the nature and function of mankind in relation to his time and being here on earth.

A Time to Keep: Theology, Morality, and the Shape of Human Life explores significant territory and wrestles with noteworthy questions—many of which we may have never even thought to ask. For Radner, mankind is a relational being created and shaped by God for redemption and death. That is, as creatures, mortality should continually remind us that death is but a doorstep away. Because the number of days are finite for God’s creatures, time here on earth is to be understood as both vocational and purposeful. Thus, Radner guides the reader to reflect upon the frailty of life as it was intentionally created by God and challenges them to make the most of it for him daily. Life, for Radner, is graciously given by God for his glory, and thus, he has sought to establish his presence in this world through the specific nature and function of his creatures. Still, Radner does much more than establish the above reality. He also spends a good amount of time and energy exploring the Bible to construct a biblical portrait of humanity, including issues related to human sexuality, gender, and even bodily fluids (yes, bodily fluids) in relation to cleanliness and Leviticus 15.

Radner has creatively (and I would even go as far as to say, masterfully) woven some of the most intricate details of biblical anthropology with that discovered in the overarching implications of human life that is both purposeful and sustained for divine fruitfulness. The reader will likely leave with numerous questions, but a new perspective on life should be the Radner’s guarantee. A Time to Keep is a book that (while more advanced than some may choose to enjoy) will deeply encourage your heart and enrich your understanding of God’s creative work in mankind. Radner effectively teaches both the heart and the head, and thus succeeds in transforming a worldview that recognizes the real point of life. This is a book worth weighing through! It comes highly recommended!

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.