 | |
| Author | Frederick Buechner |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | 2006 |
| Followed by | The Yellow Leaves |
Secrets in the Dark: A Life in Sermons is a collection of sermons and lectures authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 2006 by HarperCollins, Secrets in the Dark is Buechner's fifteenth non-fiction work.
In his introduction to the work, Buechner refers to Secrets in the Dark as a 'culling' from his previous sermon anthologies: The Magnificent Defeat (1966), The Hungering Dark (1968), A Room Called Remember (1984), The Clown in the Belfry (1992), and The Longing for Home (1996). [1] In addition to several sermons first published in these anthologies, Secrets in the Dark also contains a number of original works.
The collections features sermons preached while the author was chaplain at the Phillips Exeter Academy in 1959, alongside addresses given at a variety of venues, including the National Cathedral in Washington DC, Westminster Abbey, Princeton University Chapel, Mercersburg Academy, and the New York Public Library. [2]
Buechner scholar Jeffrey Munroe suggests that many of the sermons featured in Secrets in the Dark are apologetic in nature: 'This is how Buechner does apologetics', he writes, 'not drawing on reason or proof but experience.' [3] The critic further remarks that Buechner's apologetic style in Secrets in the Dark acknowledges what is 'preposterous and unbelievable' in the Biblical narrative, while also insisting that it 'has to be true'. [4]
Dale Brown locates the source for Buechner's preoccupations in Secrets in the Dark in Karl Barth's question, "Is It True?". Brown suggests that the author 'thinks about Barth's question with every sermon' featured in the anthology. [5] This space for doubt is further noted by Munroe, who argues that, in Secrets in the Dark, 'Buechner anticipates doubt and recognises it as a normal part of faith'. [6] Munroe also finds the significance of personal experience to be a central theme within the collection, writing that the author 'drawns on his experience and invites us through his words into deep and powerful mysteries'. [7] Brown roots Buechner's concern with personal experience in Secrets in the Dark in the work of theologians such as James Muilenberg and Paul Tillich; the critic writes that the 'airing of secrets', which he argues is promissory to the anthology, is presented as a means of access to 'hope and healing'. [8]
Carl Frederick Buechner was an American author, Presbyterian minister, preacher, and theologian. The author of thirty-nine published books, his career spanned more than six decades and encompassed many different genres. He wrote novels, including Godric, A Long Day's Dying and The Book of Bebb, his memoirs, including The Sacred Journey, and theological works, such as Secrets in the Dark, The Magnificent Defeat, and Telling the Truth.
Graeme L. Goldsworthy is an Australian evangelical Anglican theologian specialising in the Old Testament and Biblical theology. His most significant work is a trilogy: Gospel and Kingdom, Gospel and Wisdom, and The Gospel in Revelation. Goldsworthy has authored several other books including According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible, and Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Cambridge in England, and Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Union Theological Seminary, Richmond, Virginia.
The Book of Bebb is a tetralogy of novels by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. Published in 1971 by Atheneum, New York, Lion Country is the first in the Book of Bebb series. It was followed by Open Heart (1972), Love Feast (1974), and Treasure Hunt (1977). In 1972 Lion Country was named a finalist in the National Book Award for Fiction. The Book of Bebb is an edited single volume edition containing the four novels, and it was published by Atheneum, New York, in 1979.
C. René Padilla was an Ecuadorian evangelical theologian and missiologist known for coining the term integral mission in the 1970s to articulate Christianity's dual priority in evangelism and social activism. He popularized this term in Latin American evangelicalism through the Latin American Theological Fellowship and through the global evangelical Lausanne Conference of 1974.
This is a list of published works by writer and theologian Frederick Buechner.
Brendan is the eleventh novel by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. It was first published in 1987 by Atheneum, New York, and it won the Christianity and Literature Book Award for Belles-Lettres in the same year.
The Sacred Journey: A Memoir of Early Days is an autobiography by author Frederick Buechner, the first of a four part series. Published in 1982, the work describes the author's life from his childhood up until his conversion to Christianity in 1953, at the age of twenty-seven.
Telling Secrets: a memoir (1991), is the third of four partial autobiographies written by Frederick Buechner. Published in 1991, the work considers in depth several scenes and events from the author's life, from his father’s suicide through to his time spent as a visiting professor at Wheaton College.
The Alphabet of Grace is a collection of addresses on Christianity and faith by Frederick Buechner. It was first conceived as a trilogy of sermons, delivered at the Harvard Memorial Church in the winter of 1969. It was subsequently published by Seabury Press, NY, in 1970.
The Magnificent Defeat is a collection of meditations on Christianity and faith by Frederick Buechner. It was first conceived as a series of sermons, delivered at the Phillips Exeter Academy throughout 1959. It was subsequently published by Seabury Press, NY, in 1966. The Magnificent Defeat is Buechner’s first non-fiction publication.
The Hungering Dark is a collection of meditations on Christianity and faith by Frederick Buechner. Preceded by The Magnificent Defeat, it is the second in a series of sermon anthologies preached in 1959 during the author's time at the Phillips Exeter Academy. The Hungering Dark is Buechner's second non-fiction publication, and it was published by Seabury Press, NY, in 1968.
Wishful Thinking: a theological ABC, reissued in 1993 as Wishful Thinking: a seeker’s ABC, is a collection of meditations on faith, Christianity, and theology by Frederick Buechner. It is the first of Buechner’s lexical trilogy, which includes Peculiar Treasures (1979) and Whistling in the Dark (1988). Published in 1973 by Harper and Row, Wishful Thinking is Buechner’s fourth non-fiction work.
Telling the Truth: the Gospel as tragedy, comedy, and fairy tale, is a collection of essays by Frederick Buechner on the subject of homiletics. It was first composed for and delivered at the Yale Divinity School Lyman Beecher Lecture series in 1976. Telling the Truth was subsequently published in 1977 by HarperCollins. It is Buechner's sixth non-fiction work.
A Room Called Remember is a collection of sermons, meditations, articles, and addresses, authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 1984 by Harper and Row, A Room Called Remember is Buechner's eighth non-fiction work.
Whistling in the Dark: a doubter's dictionary, first issued as Whistling in the Dark: an ABC theologized, is a collection of meditations on faith, Christianity, and theology by Frederick Buechner. It is the third and final instalment of Buechner's lexical trilogy, which includes Wishful Thinking (1973) and Peculiar Treasures (1979). Published in 1988 by Harper and Row, Whistling in the Dark is Buechner's ninth non-fiction work.
The Clown in the Belfry is an anthology of sermons, lectures, and articles, authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 1992 by Harper and Row, The Clown in the Belfry is Buechner's tenth non-fiction work.
The Longing for Home: recollections and reflections is an anthology of sermons, poetry, devotional pieces, essays, and autobiographical reflections authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 1996 by HarperCollins, The Longing for Home is Buechner's twelfth non-fiction work.
Speak What We Feel : reflections on faith and literature is a collection of literary critical and theological essays authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 2001 by HarperCollins, Speak What We Feel is Buechner's thirteenth non-fiction work.
The Yellow Leaves: a miscellany is a collection of sermons, essays, short stories, and poetry authored by Frederick Buechner. Published in 2008 by Westminster John Knox Press, The Yellow Leaves is Buechner's sixteenth non-fiction work.
The Wizard's Tide: a story is a novella by the American author and theologian, Frederick Buechner. It was first published in 1990 by Harper and Row, before being re-issued in 2005 under the altered title, The Christmas Tide.