The Homebrewed Christianity Guide to Being Human: Becoming the Best Bag of Bones You Can Be

by Donna Bowman, Tripp Fuller (Editor)

This Homebrewed Christianity Guide explores how Christian theology can address our rapidly changing paradigms of human existence. Donna Bowman argues that theology can contribute to our knowledge of the human self as gained through the sciences, that a theological perspective on humanity is useful in contemporary pluralistic and global settings, and that there’s theological significance to work and play. She also tackles issues of gender, sexuality, creativity, and human expression--with jokes! It’s no longer possible to assign definitive meaning to categories like man and woman, self and society, freedom and determinism, reason and feeling, soul and body by reference to systems of narrative (including biblical narrative) and interpretation in which those ideas are taken for granted. The theology of human personhood begins with irreducible experiences both universal and particular and searches for functional understandings from the whole range of Christian and non-Christian ways of knowing. Plus, jokes!

Genres: Religion

156 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2018

Reviews

[Rick Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best and most accessible books on theology I have read in a long time. The depth and breadth of scholarship and thinking are evident here but the reader never feels like an outsider looking in. The witty, engaging and authentic writing style invites the reader to a conversation that matters because the book is about how and in what we matter to ourselves, to one another, to God. Dr. Donna Bowman is obviously a thinker and scholar of depth and breadth but also a gifted and skilled teacher. These both shine in this book. I ordered this book when it came out and, I embarrasingly admit, it suffered the fate, at least for a while, that many books that catch my eye do. It migrated untouched from my To-Read pile to a an extended detention on my bookshelves. Prompted by some thoughts I was having during the Stay at Home responses of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was drawn to reading this exploration of being human in our times. I am glad that I read it in this season. Dr. Bowman's close reading of our times is helpful and prescient in so many ways. I was particularly struck by this assessment of our religious situation, "So many of our concepts of God seem to come from looking at the things that frustrate us about human existence and wishing ourselves into a reality where they don't apply. When we use this to detour around the real conditions of human existence, treating them as unreal and temporary, our concepts of God become actively dangerous."(p.44) In these two sentences is contained a profound analysis of the last few decades of American cultural religion and politics in the transition from the 20th to the 21st century. It is worth noting that this analysis is also in conversation and tension with some of the most authentic and relevant discussions of Christian life and hope in our pluralistic context. I could go on and on but let me just say that any book on theology that recognizes the enduring depth of Grover's role in "The Monster at the End of this Book" is well worth the price of purchasing it. If the rest of the Homebrewed Christianity guide series is close to this good, they would be worth investing in for your library and to share with others.

[Dorine]

DNF - this just wasn't working for me and I had to return it to the library.

[michael mercier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good intro to theological anthropology, recommend this book to anyone seeking a first-time intro or looking for a solid refresher. Goodman reflects on the Christian answer to “What does it mean to be human?” while also exploring a more universal basis for a coherent anthropology.

Very good intro to theological anthropology, recommend this book to anyone seeking a first-time intro or looking for a solid refresher. Goodman reflects on the Christian answer to “What does it mean to be human?” while also exploring a more universal basis for a coherent anthropology.