I'm a life-long Lutheran, a young(ish) theologian, and a father of two young boys who keep me energized–while tuckering me out. For three years, I have been teaching Christian theology at Augustana College, Rock Island, IL. Before that, I taught undergraduates at Duke University for three years. While I'm still a Bluedevils fan (especially when they win March Madness), I've come to love the students and the life at a small liberal arts college like Augustana. My favorite course to teach there is Introduction to Religion, in which students visits various mosques, temples, churches, meditation halls in the area and talk about religious difference, why they matter, and the place of devotion in the modern world.
I have just finished writing a book on Soren Kierkegaard called, "Fortunate Fallibility: Kierkegaard and The Power of Sin" (forthcoming, Oxford UP, 2011_. My broader theological interests include what Kierkegaard called the problem of "becoming a Christian in Christendom." What does it mean to be a Christian in a society that regards being Christian a societal norm? Does Christian life amount to being "good," "an upstanding citizen," or just plain "normal"? Or is authentic Christianity odder and perhaps more counter-cultural than we're ready to expect?
While I like to think of Christian discipleship as making us odd, I also like that my life with Laura, my wife (an ordained minister), and Asa and Gabe is "mundane""–in the best sense of the word. Our summer has been filling with hiking, being with friends at St. John's Lutheran Church, reading, and sing silly songs. We hope to do each at Holden as well!