Discipleship in the Present Tense: Reflections on Faith and Culture

by James K.A. Smith

In this accessible, insightful book, noted Christian scholar and award-winning author James K. A. Smith gathers together a range of his writing for popular audiences. Working at the intersection of faith and culture, past and present, church and world, Smith offers both incisive cultural criticism and winsome articulation of a robust Christian faith in our "secular age." Whether he's making a case for the enduring treasures of the Christian tradition in postmodernity, or talking about the virtues of "hipster" Christianity, or inviting us to consider the poetry of Charles Wright, or offering advice to young parents, Smith's prose is always probing, provocative, and illuminating.

Genres: Cultural, Discipleship, Theology, Philosophy, Religion, Nonfiction, Faith

232 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice medley of Smith’s work—bit of this, bit of that.

[Радостин Марчев · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ако и останалите му книги са подобни на тази Джейм Смит вероятно ще се превърне в един от любимите ми автори.
Discipleship in the Present Tense е сборник от кратки есета, писма и интервюта на най-различни теми - образование, литература, изкуство, политика и църква. Написани са достъпно и съвсем разбираемо като в същото време езикът е доста красив и богат (без да е помпозен), а мисълта дълбока. Всъщност в доста от тях се крие повече отколкото изглед на пръв поглед (прочит). Лично за с огромно удоволствие прочетох анализът на книгата "To change the world" на Джеймс Хънър - симпатизиращ и в същото време критичен - и (с още по-голямо удоволствие) много по-острата реакция на Дон Карсън и на Брет МакКракън.
Докато чете човек трудно може да предположи, че авторът е философ - в това, което казва няма нищо отнесено, странно или неразбираемо. Точно обратното, често простичко и съвсем ясно той говори за съвсем реални въпроси - при това съвсем земно (виж напр. писмата му към младите родители и хвалебния църковен тим). Още по-малко пък човек може да предположи, че Джеймс Смит е професор специализирал континентална, съвременна френска философия - вкл. деконструкционизъм. Посланието му е откровено (и ясно) християнско, което е чудесен нагледен пример как постмодерната нагласа (Смит е открито постмодерен, макар че точно в тази книга това не е толкова лесно да се улови)и християнския светоглед по никакъв начин не са изключващи се понятия.
Единственият недостатък на книгата за българският читател е нейната ясно американска (или най-малкото северноамериканска) ситуираност. Липсата на познания за американския пейзаж може да направи четенето от скучно до почти напълно безсмислено.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This is not a book review; just a note for myself for the future--
Best chapters: (5) Redeeming Ritual - concise, clear articulation of the role of ritual in shaping our loves; (7) Learning (by) Stories - helpful articulation of humans as narrative beings; (8) How (Not) to Change the World - insightful book review of and interaction with James Hunter's 'To Change the World'; (9) Thinking Biblically About Culture - interacts with and critiques DA Carson's book Christ and Culture Revisited; (15) Dream Small - a speech to a graduating senior class, definitely a resource to use with 4th years in the ministry; (16) What's Right with the Prosperity Gospel? - learning God's 'liturgy of abundance'

[Daniel Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie Smith reminds me a lot of Jerry Seinfeld. Even when he doesn't seem to be in his best game, he is always worth your attention. Seinfeld could read a phone book and it would make me chuckle.

This book is a collection of articles, reviews, blog posts, etc. So, don't expect to read a manual on discipleship from Smith (though that would be a great book). Though, one may argue that discipleship is littered through Smith's writing. So perhaps this was the best way to put together a book like this.

[Jordan J. Andlovec · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of essays is a smattering of ideas that have defined Jamie Smith's career. In fact, if you were interested in an easy-to-digest introduction to his work, this is where I'd start. I don't think this is Smith at his best (he's better at the long-form development than the short burst), but it's still a succint group of challenging thoughts worthy of the attention of anyone who is interested in the intersection between faith and culture.

[Reinhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent introduction to James K A Smith. A collection of shorter articles that summarize the big ideas from some of his books. Suggestion on the back cover by John Wilson of 'Books and Culture' to read the last essay first. Brilliant way to read this highly recommended work.

If you have never read James K A Smith, this book is an easy on ramp that will put you on the fast track to grasping his insightful ideas.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short Review: a series of 24 essays (a couple are actually interviews) about church, culture, books, ideas and worship. This is a good way to get an overview of James KA Smith's thought. He is an increasingly important Christian thinker and while some of his books can be pretty dense, this is quite readable.

My full review is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/discipleship-in-the-...

[Shaun Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much like The Devil Reads Deridda, Discipleship in the Present Tense is a collection of some of Smith's articles, speeches, and interviews directed to a popular audience. I would highly recommend the book, as I would any of Smith's other writings.

[Jonathan Huggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intelligent and well-written (a rare combination). A great intro to Smith's work, who is fun to read in small doses. Short chapters on various subjects, all make for enlightening reading on faith and culture. Contains a helpful review of JD Hunter's book, To Change the World.

[Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jamie Smith is a philosopher/theologian and deep thinker in the Reformed tradition who is conversive on many topics. Often when I read his stuff, I have to really concentrate to follow his train of thought--because he is very bright and my brain doesn't work on the same planes. He also writes for more "ordinary folk" from time to time and this is one of those books. It is a collection of essays on a variety of topics--many of which were originally published elsewhere. Some are book reviews and some are interviews etc. It a book worth checking out and a good introduction to some of his thinking. As with any anthology, some pieces will resonate with certain individuals more than other essays will.

[Felipe Sabino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good!

[Brad Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Classic JKAS prose from several articles. The best being Redemption.