Nonfiction: Confessions by Augustine of Hippo
Although Augustine's autobiography was written more than 1,500 years ago, it feels eerily relevant in our post-modern era. Written as a prayer to God, Augustine recounts the emptiness that he encountered trying to find meaning in the entertainment, sexual promiscuity, and relativistic philosophies of his culture. He wrestles, in ancient Rome, with the same dilemmas and temptations that we face in contemporary America and, ultimately, he finds fulfillment and meaning only in the person of Jesus Christ. Nearly every theologian and autobiographical author in the past thousand years has borrowed or stolen a great deal from Augustine, which is a testimony to his great brilliance as a thinker and writer.
Fiction: Silence by Shusaku Endo
I was profoundly challenged and troubled by this novel (after finishing it, I laid awake for several hours thinking about the questions that it raised). Written by a Japanese Catholic, the story follows a group of Portuguese missionaries who travel to 17th century Japan to investigate reports that their mentor has apostatized and denied his faith. What they find is more troubling than they could ever have imagined. Endo asks important questions about how Christianity can fit into Eastern culture, where God is the midst of suffering and, ultimately, about what it means to follow Christ. The answer to these questions is ambiguously hinted at, but readers are left to sort through the clues and implications and to examine themselves for the answers.
Film: The Kid With a Bike by Jeanne Pierre and Luc Dardenne
It is a Belgian film with subtitles, but don't let that keep you from putting it in your Netflix queue. This heart-wrenching and hopeful tale of shattered innocence and redemption has one of the clearest portrayals of stubborn and unconditional grace that I have ever seen. God is not mentioned verbally in the film, but His love is evident in the characters and events that unfold. The story is moving, the cinematography is gorgeous, and the acting is superb.
Music: Instruments of Mercy by Beautiful Eulogy
Lyrically intelligent and aesthetically excellent, this Portland hip-hop trio mixes theological insight with creative beats and ambient instrumentation to create something utterly unique. The group wears their Reformed theology prominently on their sleeve, basically rapping through Calvin's "Institutes of the Christian Religion," but it comes across much more worshipful than preachy. You can't help but walk away from a listen with a sense of awe at the grace of God (and maybe a catchy beat or two stuck in your head).
What pieces of literature or art moved you this past year? I'd love to hear!
