Stories matter. That seemed to be the point of view of Jesus, one of the greatest storytellers ever. He used them to offer his listeners a window on reality - his stories make claims about what is real, what life is about, how one should live. Often, they are not overtly religious or particularly pious, but they cut to the bone—the Story of the Prodigal Son being a prime example. This tradition of imaginative literature seeking to understand life from a theological standpoint continues today. This course concerns itself with examining theology—notably Christian—claims about life, about reality, about the good, about truth, through the study of imaginative literature: fiction, poetry, drama. To this end, we will read and discuss such writers as Bernanos, Greene, O'Connor, Lewis, Tolkien, L'Engle, Donne, Herbert, Kazanzakis, Eliot, Percy, Powers, and many others.
Semester Offered
Fall
Spring