Transforming Fire: Imagining Christian Teaching (Theological Education between the Times

by Mark D. Jordan

“We don’t need books  about  teaching so much as books  that teach .”   Considering Jesus himself taught in a variety of ways—parable, discussion, miracle performance, ritual observance—it seems that there can be no single, definitive, Christian method of teaching. How then should Christian teaching happen, especially in this time of significant change to theological education as an institution?  Mark Jordan addresses this question by first allowing various depictions and instances of Christian teaching from literature to speak for themselves before meditating on what these illustrative examples might mean for Christian pedagogy. Each textual scene he shares is juxtaposed with a contrasting scene to capture the pluralistic possibilities in the art of teaching a faith that is so often rooted in paradox. He exemplifies forms of teaching that operate beyond the boundaries of scholarly books and discursive lectures to disrupt the normative Western academic approach of treating theology as a body of knowledge to be transmitted merely through language.  Transforming Fire  consults writers ranging from Gregory of Nyssa to C. S. Lewis, and from John Bunyan to Octavia Butler, cutting across historical distance and boundaries of identity. Rather than offering solutions or systems, Jordan seeks in these texts new shelters for theological education where powerful teaching can happen and—even as traditional institutions shrink or vanish—the hearts of students can catch fire once again.

Genres: Education

172 pages, Paperback

Published January 28, 2021

About the author

Mark D. Jordan is the Andrew Mellon Professor of Christian Thought at Harvard Divinity School and Professor of the Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. His focus is on European philosophy, gender studies, and sexuality. Much of his early work related to Catholic teachings of Thomas Aquinas. In recent years, he has more specifically focused on religious doctrine and its relation to LGBT issues.

In addition to his scholarship and classroom teaching, Jordan has discussed sexual and religious issues to audiences that range from college lectureships to National Public Radio, the New York Times, and CNN.

Jordan won the annual Randy Shilts Award for nonfiction for his 2011 book, Recruiting Young Love: How Christians Talk about Homosexuality.

Prior to his return to Harvard in 2014, Jordan had held endowed professorships at Emory, Washington University at St. Louis, Notre Dame and at Harvard. He has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, a Fulbright-Hays grant (Spain), a Luce Fellowship in Theology, and a grant from the Ford Foundation.

Jordan received his BA from St. John’s College and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He grew up in Dallas, where he graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas.

Reviews

[Julian Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about how theological education needs to center texts that teach us, not texts that talk about teaching. This is how we live in the midst of the encounter, not just analyze it from afar.

[Tim Callicutt · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you were to combine James K.A. Smith with that one overly-energetic teacher that seeks to make everything “relevant” but really just leaves everything a cringy mess, and add in a dash of mysticism, you’d get something like this book.

I was excited when I started this book, but it seemed like it was trying its best to lack clarity. Due to the lack of explanation, the author’s points were more jumbled than thought-provoking.

[Chris Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrote review for Review and Expositor. Jordan's book is engaging and offers a compelling account of the ends of theological education.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read, raising the question of how, in theological education, to focus not just on what we teach but how we teach.