Abstract
Academic neighbors,
Welcome back. The regular rhythm of the academic year is upon us. For those of you who are new here, in this introductory section, I am reviewing W.H. Auden's six functions of a critic. I’ve already explained the first two—namely, introducing authors or works that I am unaware and convincing me that I have undervalued an author or work. The third duty of a critic is to “show me relations between works of different ages and cultures which I could never have seen for myself because I do not know enough and never shall” (The Dyers Hand, New York: Random, 1962, 8–9). I love this one because it assumes a level of humility and limitation on the reader. No one person can know everything. As I regularly begin my classes each semester, I remind students that the collective wisdom of all of them is greater than my single wisdom. We need people who see from different perspectives, have been shaped by different voices, and raised in different cultures. People are endlessly fascinating, and their outlooks are endlessly unique.
I’m not your regular academic. I write that as a confession more than a boast. I’m more of a generalist than a specialist, I’m okay with reading wide rather than narrowly deep, and I come from ministry formation more than academic formation. In some ways, those are weaknesses. When I’m around academic communities, I can feel out of place. I don’t feel like I’ve read all the classic books, and in many ways, I am in remedial training for a robust liberal arts education. I’m an intellectual late bloomer. However, I do see from somewhere—and that's a foundation, not a limitation. My goal is to see as far as I can from where I stand, and no one else can see where I see from.
So I want you to consider: how have you been particularly formed? What books can you bring in from across your formation, culture, and training that is unique? What connections can you alone make from your background, understanding of history, or culture? We are all strange people seeing unique things. Show me relations between different ages and cultures that I could never see myself. I, after all, am not you.
In this issue, we have a showcase of relations and viewpoints—from leadership and education to psychology and cultural issues. We have reviews from across cultures—like Our Uninforming—and from across time, like Teaching for Spiritual Formation. This issue is a feast of different connections and relations. I invite you to read and consider. I invite you to review a book for CEJ, and if interested, contact Alex Sosler at