About the Book:
Humans are story-shaped creatures.
We make sense of our world, pattern our lives, and reflect on what is ultimately significant through language and the words that compose our stories. But how does this relate to the narrative of the Bible and the story that God is writing through history?
In Nourishing Narratives, writer and professor Jennifer Holberg engages with words from the likes of Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Flannery O'Connor, Marilynne Robinson, and more while also offering some of her own stories to reflect on the importance of story to our lives and our faith.
Here, readers are encouraged not only to understand how stories nourish our faith, but to discover how our stories are part of God's great story.
My Thoughts:
In Nourishing Narratives: The Power of Story to Shape Our Faith, Professor Jennifer L. Holberg invites the reader to contemplate the narratives (stories, rationales, thought patterns, faith traditions, etc) that one believes or follows. How do these narratives shape our lives? What truths (or lies) do we believe and how do they affect our actions? Does the literature, music, art, and other entertainment we consume point us to truth, illumination, and positive action? What narratives do we automatically accept or unconsciously absorb?
Surprisingly, the focus of Nourishing Narratives isn’t self-help for the reader or acclamation of literary works (though there is some of both). The weight of the book rests on sharing the hope found in Jesus through our interactions with others. Some prominent topics include generosity, friendship, community, contentment, etc. Inside those topics are smaller, but still important, ideas. I like how page 152 sums up the book’s aim: “Paying attention to the way we read – the strategies, the presuppositions, for example – and the why we read can help us determine if we are indeed pursuing ‘nourishing narratives’ and moving toward more Christlike ways of viewing the world.”
Nourishing Narratives, like most of life, is complex. Holberg writes with a thorough, academic tone that made me feel smarter just for having read it. Her excellent word choice and sentence structure carries beauty and information while remaining accessible for all teen or adult readers. Holberg shares many stories from her teaching career which fit in naturally with her topics. I did not feel like the book was targeted to teachers until the final chapter, though she framed her ideas within the context that we are all teachers and learners, no matter our age or station in life. I will also note that the author appears to follow a Calvinist faith tradition. I had no theological disagreement with her topics, and I don’t think most evangelicals would.
Of course, Nourishing Narratives incorporates lots of literature, especially poetry, that complements the topics and ideas. I now have even more authors that I would like to read including Dante, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Katerine Paterson, plus more.
My main takeaway from Nourishing Narratives: The Power of Story to Shape Our Faith by Jennifer L. Holberg was the importance of examining what we accept, absorb, create, and retell. I recommend this book to Christian readers who enjoy literary references, gentle challenges of beliefs (narratives), and encouragement to share Jesus with those around us. Four stars!
Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the author or publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
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