Theoblogy
That’s the topic of our gathering next month, when I meet with nine of my favorite people in the world — the students in my D.Min. cohort at Fuller Theological Seminary. I’m co-teaching with my seminary classmate and long-time friend, Craig Detweiler, and thanks to him, we’re meeting on the stunningly beautiful campus of Pepperdine University.
We’ve got 10 topics, and each topic includes a novel (with one exception) and a film. Novels and films were nominated by the students, then Craig and I made the final list. Each student is presenting a paper on one topic, and a response to a classmate on another topic. Plus, we’ve got guest speakers, field trips, and more lined up.
Here’s the list:
| Topic | Novel | Film |
| Does God Exist? | The Brothers Karamazov | God on Trial |
| The Slippery Nature of Narrative | The Things They Carried | Memento |
| Sacred Texts After the Apocalypse | A Canticle for Leibowitz | The Book of Eli |
| The Nature of Reality | Simulacra and Simulation | The Matrix |
| Aren’t Evangelicals Funny? | Post-Rapture Radio | Saved |
| Interfaith dialogue | Life of Pi | Life of Pi |
| The Problem of Evil | Heart of Darkness | Apocalypse Now |
| Ascetics and Aesthetics | Chocolat | Chocolat (2000) |
| Revisionism and “Truth” | Unholy Night | The Last Temptation of Christ |
| Social Justice | Cry, the Beloved Country | Cry, the Beloved Country (1951) |
Some of you have asked when the next cohort will be offered — the answer is 2015.
So, what do you think of theses combos of books and films?
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