(2009)
Recognizing that one-third of the world's Christians practice their faith outside Europe and North America, the fourteen essays in Darren J. N. Middleton’s Mother Tongue Theologies explore how international fiction depicts Christianity's dramatic movement South and East of Jerusalem as well as North and West. Structured by geographical region, this collection captures the many ways in which people around the globe receive Christianity. It also celebrates postcolonial literature's diversity. And it highlights non-Western authors’ biblical literacy, addressing how and why locally rooted Christians invoke Scripture in their pursuit of personal as well as social transformation.
Featured authors include Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constantine Cavafy, Scott Cairns, Chinua Achebe, Madam Afua Kuma, Earl Lovelace, V. S. Reid, Ernesto Cardenal, Helena Parente Cunha, Arundhati Roy, Mary Martha Sherwood, Marguerite Butler, R. M. Ballantyne, Rudyard Kipling, Nora Okja Keller, Amy Tan, Albert Wendt, and Louise Erdrich.
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INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF MISSIONARY RESEARCH 34.3 (2010)
“Mother Tongue Theologies is a collection, in five parts, of fourteen literary interpretations of writings of mostly poets and novelists, covering Orthodox Russia, Africa, the Caribbean. Central and South America, Asia and the Pacific Islands, and Native America. The focal point in each part is the engagement of Christianity with local cultures, as interpreted by the authors. While addressing the important emerging issues and challenges of Christianity through literature, the essays are meant to reflect global differences in the way Christianity has been received worldwide. The justification for Darren Middleton’s selection lies not only in the personal, religious, and sociological themes treated by the authors but also in the intricate link between works of fiction and non-Western Christianity. Noticeable in the authors’ interpretations are their ‘intuitive associations’ with biblical images and symbols, while employing indigenous linguistic forms and cultural categories. The collection makes interesting reading and will be greatly appreciated by students of theology and literary enthusiasts in any culture.”