A celebration of Marilynne Robinson; her research, her theology and her books. Thus it's also a celebration of Reverend Ames and the community in Gilead. It's both academic and an at-length look at this modern thinker and writer. Composed of twelve essays and interviews.

While I do not necessarily agree that one should interact with Robinson's "theology" (because she isn't a theologian) but it is always refreshing to see her writing being interacted with at all.

I appreciate the theological influence behind all the Gilead series and this is a book that highlights those themes in a more academic sense. This is not a casual read, but with that said, it is thought-provoking and interesting as insight into some of the reasoning behind the narratives of Gilead and it's themes. I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants to dig a bit deeper into philosophical background of what they have read.

#BalmInGilead #NetGalley

Marilynne Robinson's novels are full of religious themes. This conversational set of essays is collected from a 2018 Wheaton College Theological Conference. It will make you question, it will make you contemplate, it will engage your head and your heart, as scholars, historians, church leaders and others participate in an open dialogue centering on Ms. Robinson's work "Gilead." Balm in Gilead lends itself very easily to being a book discussion selection on many levels. At times, some of the positions defended were a little above my head, but I found myself wishing that someone else was reading with me so that we could continue the discussion and debate. I really appreciated the opportunity to have this glimpse into the mind and motives of Marilynne Robinson.

Balm in Gilead: A Theological Dialogue with Marilynne Robinson is a unique book arising from a unique situation. Wheaton College is one of the historic institutions of higher learning for modern day evangelicalism. For over a quarter of a century, Wheaton College has held a theology conference each spring. In and of itself, that is not unusual. In fact, that is a quite common thing for a religious school to do. However, it is more unique for a theology conference at an evangelical school to focus on the work of one theologian. It is even more unique for that one theologian to still be alive and active in their vocation. It is further even more unique for that theologian to be a writer of fiction by vocation. And did I mention that theologian is a woman? Perhaps you’re beginning to understand the very special nature of this book edited by Timothy Larsen and Keith L. Johnson.

The chapters in this book originated in the presentations at the 2019 Wheaton Theology Conference. Some chapters focus on specific aspects of Gilead as a literary work while others interact with Gilead through various lens of Christian theology. A couple of chapters were formed from a panel and and interview with Robinson while one chapter presents an essay from Robinson herself.

You don’t have to agree with every theological conclusion of Robinson or the conference presenters in order to benefit from reading this book. Whether you’ve never heard of Marilynne Robinson and her Gilead or have devoured every page and are longing for more, read this book. If you’ve never read Robinson, you will benefit from building a strong foundation to better understand the magnificence of her books. If you are a Gilead addict, reading Balm in Gilead: A Theological Dialogue will give you even further appreciation for Robinson and her writing. For those unexposed to more nuanced theological discussion, this book models that in many wonderful ways. For those who spend their entire lives engaged in nuanced theological discussion, this book will sharpen your thinking and give you a finer appreciation for God’s graciousness to us all in our everyday vocations.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #InterVarsityPress for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Not for everyone, only for those who enjoy marylinne Robinson’s novels, for those highly informative

The book Balm in Gilead is a reflection on the book Gilead and its two sequels. This was the official theme of Wheaton College's Theology Conference last year, and all of the chapters were written by presenters at the conference. I have always loved attending Wheaton's Theology Conference, but due to other obligations I was unable to attend last year. Reading this book made me feel like I had been there. Many of the themes of the book relate to Calvinism and abolitionism in Marilynne Robinson's Gilead and its two sequels. I appreciated the deep discussion of these themes, because I think they are often overlooked in modern dialogue. The one drawback for me is that I have only read Gilead once a few years ago, and I have not read its sequels, so some of the references were lost on me. However, it has motivated me to re-read Gilead and the rest of the series. I would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed the work of Marilynne Robinson and would like to engage further in its themes.

I really appreciated the breadth of views and writing voices in this work. Will be using it in some of my classes on the power of personal perspective - even when its flawed.

For religious academic audiences only; this text, while a fascinating examination of Marilynn Robinson's impact, is not for the casual reader or for fans of Robinson's fiction.