Michael Hardin

Reading the Bible with Rene Girard When Ren Girard introduced the Bible back into conversation with anthropology in 1978, it was all a bit scandalous. Here, for the first time, Girard weaves his life story and that of the mimetic theory with his own faith reflections and interpretation of Scripture. These interviews are a great introduction for the person new to Girard's writings and will delight Girardian scholars and aficionados alike. "One of the many gifts of Ren Girard is his ability to unfold his theory in interviews...many of these dialogues open new perspectives on mimetic theory. Reading the Bible with Rene Girard is a wonderful example of this" Wolfgang Palaver, Universit t Innsbruck, Austria, past COV&R President "Reading the Bible with Ren Girard is an important contribution both to understanding the Bible as a "work in progress" that continues into our own lives and to introducing the ground-breaking insights of Ren Girard on the human condition and the love of God that breaks through to us in the historical process." James G. Williams, Syracuse University, past COV&R President "This is a wonderful introduction to Ren Girard's work. Through it one can follow the unfolding of his theory in the context of his life. We are lucky to have this " Jeremiah Alberg, International Christian University, Tokyo, COV&R President "Very often Ren Girard is at his best when he talks freely in a relaxed interview style. Reading the Bible With Rene Girard provides the master of mimetic theory with one more chance to show this strength. It is indeed hearing the master's voice." Niki Wandinger, University of Innsbruck "One comes away from Reading the Bible with Ren Girard unable to view the Bible-or the modern world that has been so decisively shaped by it-in quite the same way ever again." George A. Dunn, University of Indianapolis "Clear, conversational, and as always brilliantly insightful. There are few more accessible introductions as this little gem." Jarrod McKenna Australian peace award-winning pastor, cofounder of First Home Project "In this excellent book, you are invited to sit in on a series of conversations with one of the leading thinkers of our time, concerning matters of the utmost philosophical, theological, and practical significance. This is a very important volume indeed." Dr Chris Fleming, University of Western Sydney

Knowing God? is an indictment of Protestant American Christianity in its failure to follow Jesus of Nazareth. Consumer Christianity is laid bare before the gospel and found wanting. After exposing the superstition of American Christianity, Hardin examines the gospel narrative and demonstrates that a truly Jesus-oriented approach must be non-sacrificial in all its ways. Like Jeremiah, Kierkegaard, or the early Barth, Knowing God? rings with a clarion call for followers of Jesus to ask what the Christian life looks like and is all about.

Knowing God? is an indictment of Protestant American Christianity in its failure to follow Jesus of Nazareth. Consumer Christianity is laid bare before the gospel and found wanting. After exposing the superstition of American Christianity, Hardin examines the gospel narrative and demonstrates that a truly Jesus-oriented approach must be non-sacrificial in all its ways. Like Jeremiah, Kierkegaard, or the early Barth, Knowing God? rings with a clarion call for followers of Jesus to ask what the Christian life looks like and is all about.

"Michael Hardin and I go way back. He was my student and friend at North Park Theological Seminary in the mid 1980s. I was a green PhD in New Testament. Michael was a cocky and astonishingly self-taught theologian who seemed to know a little bit about just about everything. Even then, for the timid, he could be intimidating The same fire that is in Michael today was in him then. It was a fire that could warm those who wanted to listen and learn. It was also a fire that could scorch those who were shallow or flippant. Michael is passionate about theology. He believes that doing theology is a full contact sport. If you are going to engage Michael, you had better bring your A game He did not then, and he does not now, suffer fools gladly. And he does not believe in the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down Part of this is just who Michael is. He loves a good fight, a good conflict between worthy, respectful opponents. Such engagements are the essence of good theologizing. At the same time I have seen him deal gently and generously with genuine questions brought by troubled souls. As he says in the pages that follow, his calling is to teaching. Whether in a church basement or seminary classroom; whether in his many books and articles, or, as represented here, on Facebook-Michael is a teacher. But there is more to Michael's mission than engaging in theological fisticuffs (non-violent theological fisticuffs, I might add). Michael isn't in this simply for the thrill of thrashing a hapless opponent-although that can be fun. No. There is more to it than that." from the Foreword by Jay Phelan Michael Hardin is a 21st century Winkelprediger-an Anabaptist corner preacher-who fearlessly takes the disruptively good news of Jesus Christ into the religious marketplace of the blogosphere, exposing the sham pieties of establishment Christendom while calling out the domination systems that structure entrepreneurial evangelicalism. Like the Anabaptist corner preachers of the 16th century, Hardin is not afraid of an argument, but he insists that the debate be grounded in honest and well-informed biblical exegesis. Unlike the Winkelprediger of old he believes that the disciplines of academic scholarship and human reasoning are friends, not enemies, of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why Hardin takes the discoveries of social theory and biblical studies out of the esoteric environment of academic journals and conferences and into the hurly burly world of social media and Facebook where ordinary Christians argue about politics and popular culture while disclosing the terrors and pleasures of their challenging lives. In this extraordinary encounter, the gospel of Jesus Christ as amplified by mimetic theory shows us a beautiful and hopeful picture of a church to come, glimmering at the edges of Christendom's increasingly unsalvageable ruins. This church is the church that Menno Simons dreamed of, built on the foundation of Jesus Christ alone. Of course, the coming of this church of peace unsettles the empires of this world along with their religious chaplains, just as did its announcement during the chaos of the Reformation era and as did the coming of the Prince of peace himself into the world two millennia ago. So it is not surprising that this corner preacher inspires controversy and disquiet and rejection, alongside the hope of salvation that he brings so brilliantly into view in these prophetic posts. Gerald J Mast Professor of Communication, Bluffton University "In the spirit of Martin Luther who invited theological debate by posting 95 theses on the Wittenberg Door, Michael Hardin uses Facebook posts to challenge people to rethink what Christianity is about and what it can become. With boldness, clarity of thought, and lots of good humor, he leads people to ask dangerous and important questions and invites them into honest dialogue." Brian McLaren, author, international speaker, pastor

"Apenas s logro encontrar las palabras para hacerle justicia a este brillante estudio. La Vida Impulsada por Jes s es nada menos que una s ntesis magistral de lo mucho que se puede conocer acerca de Jes s y de los primeros siglos del cristianismo y su continua relevancia para el d a de hoy." Walter Wink, Instituto de la Paz de los Estados Unidos, Recibi El Premio de la Paz de Martin Luther King, Jr. Autor galardonado por Engaging the Powers y The Human Being "Hay muchos libros acerca de la b squeda de sentido y plenitud, formulas secretas para el xito y la prosperidad. La Vida Impulsada por Jes s nos recuerda que debemos ser cuidadosos en medio de todas las predicaciones narcisistas centradas en la prosperidad de si mismo, a fin de no perder el sencillo secreto en el coraz n de Jes s -- si quieres encontrar tu vida... debes perderla. Esta es una invitaci n a darle una mirada m s de cerca a la Perla que es tan preciada que vale la pena dejar todo en el mundo para perseguirla." Shane Claiborne, Activista, pecador recuperado y co-autor de Jesus for President "La Vida Impulsada por Jes s emerge de las luchas de la vida de Hardin en su viaje hacia y dentro de Jes s, remodelando su visi n de Dios y transformando el yo veleidoso. Su viaje incluye una amplia gama de estudios b blicos que nos ayudar n a comprender a Dios, Jes s y a los creyentes unificados en solidaridad redentora (Juan 17:20-24). Nuestros viajes tal vez var en dentro de este amplio panorama de ortodoxia generosa, pero nos beneficiamos de escuchar a Hardin, cuya s ntesis de tipo b blico, hist rico y pr ctica sabidur a cristiana es cautivante." Willard Swartley, Autor de Covenant of Peace y Send Forth Your Light: A Vision for Peace, Mission, and Worship, Em rito Asociado del Seminario B blico Menonita "Hay un valor extraordinario en La Vida Impulsada por Jes s para cualquier lector que est hambriento de una versi n realista, inteligente y pac fica de la fe cristiana. Michael Hardin se enfrenta directamente a aquellos cristianos que se imaginan la Biblia como "un telegrama divino de un Dios retributivo", y ofrece una alternativa m s convincente. Hardin es un te logo p blico que escribe con claridad y garbo. Al poner a Jes s, en lugar de algunos "prop sitos" ideologicamente impulsados en el centro, Hardin nos encamina hacia una manera no violenta de confiar en la gracia y de forjar sociedades civiles mas justas."

Metafictional texts frequently construct both their narrators and readers as male. The relationship between the narrator and reader within the novel is often dismissed, but in many cases it is the most intimate relationship in the novel. Drawing from such disparate frameworks as queer theory, reader theory, and game theory, this work argues that within specific metafictional novels, a strong homoerotic metanarrative exists despite the heterosexual relationships at the narrative level. The texts that this work addresses are Laurence Sterne's "Tristram Shandy," Henry Miller's "Tropic of Cancer," Julio Cortazar's "Hopscotch," Milorad Pavic's "Dictionary of the Khazars" and "Landscape Painted with Tea," and Carlos Fuentes' "Christopher Unborn."