Kevin Hector - "Christianity as a Way of Life" - Jeffrey Stackert

Kevin W. Hector will discuss Christianity as a Way of Life: A Systematic Theology. He will be joined in conversation by Jeffrey Stackert.

A Q&A and signing will follow the discussion.

At the Co-op

RSVP HERE (Please note that your RSVP is requested but not required.)

About the Book: In this book, Kevin W. Hector argues that we can understand Christianity as a set of practices designed to transform one’s way of perceiving and being in the world. Hector examines practices that reorient us to God (imitation, corporate singing, eating together, friendship, and likemindedness), that transform our way of being in the world (prayer, wonder, laughter, lament, and vocation), and that reshape our way of being with others (benevolence, looking for the image of God in others, forgiveness, and activism).Taken together, the aim of these practices is to transform one’s way of perceiving and acting in the face of success and failure, risk and loss, guilt and shame, love, and loss of control. These transformations can add up to a transformation of one’s very self. To make sense of Christianity as a way of life, in turn, these practices must be understood within the context of Christian beliefs about sin, Jesus, redemption, and eternal life. Understanding them thus requires a systematic theology, which Hector offers in this clear-eyed, ambitious, and elegant interpretation of the Christian tradition.

About the Author: Kevin Hector teaches theology and philosophy of religions at the University of Chicago. He is the author of three books: Theology without Metaphysics, The Theological Project of Modernism, and Christianity as a Way of Life.

About the Interlocutor: Jeffrey Stackert is a biblical scholar who situates the Hebrew Bible in the context of the larger ancient Near Eastern world in which it was composed. His research focuses especially on the composition of the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern prophecy, cultic texts, and ancient Near Eastern law. His first book, Rewriting the Torah: Literary Revision in Deuteronomy and the Holiness Legislation (Mohr Siebeck, 2007), addresses literary correspondences among the biblical legal corpora. It was honored with the 2010 John Templeton Award for Theological Promise. His second book, A Prophet Like Moses: Prophecy, Law, and Israelite Religion (Oxford University Press, 2014), analyzes the relationship between law and prophecy in the pentateuchal sources and the role of the Documentary Hypothesis for understanding Israelite religion. Stackert’s latest monograph,  Deuteronomy and the Pentateuch (Yale University Press, 2022), makes a new argument for what Deuteronomy is, how and when it originated, and how it should be read. Stackert has also edited several volumes, including the The Oxford Handbook of the Pentateuch. He is currently working on a commentary on the biblical book of Deuteronomy (with Joel S. Baden) and a monograph on pentateuchal Priestly literature. Currently, he is the Director of MA Studies; and a Professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Chicago.