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“Not of This World”: Christian Devotional Literature As Minority

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“Not of This World”: Christian Devotional Literature As Minority “NOT OF THIS WORLD”: CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE AS MINORITY DISCOURSE by J. STEPHEN PEARSON (Under the Direction of RONALD BOGUE) ABSTRACT This dissertation re-reads the history of Western Christianity in order to reconsider notions of Christianized culture and politics. Using concepts from contemporary ethnic studies, I examine devotional works from the Western Christian tradition to expose a thematic thread that depicts the Christian community as a cultural minority: Exile in Patrick of Ireland; Minor Literature in Richard Rolle; Borderlands in Catherine of Genoa; Nationalism in George Fox; Contact Zones in Thomas Merton; and Diaspora in Kathleen Norris. I try to demonstrate that works from mainstream Christian writers can be profitably interpreted using minority discourse: though the authors were not ethnic minorities, their faith gave them a minority position in the world. My analyses are built on scriptural teachings about minority identity from the Book of Daniel, in which the community must learn to live in a foreign culture, and from the Gospel of John, in which Jesus teaches the disciples that they are no longer “of” the world. Alongside these analyses, I examine the multicultural aspects of Christian missionary work, showing how from its origins Christian history demonstrates a plurality of Christianities, as missionaries adapted their teachings for new cultures and as converts around the globe adopted Christianity on their own terms and developed new forms of Christian theology that use their historical and cultural situations to interpret the scriptures and vice versa. After arising in the poly-cultural Middle East, Christianity quickly spread into Europe, Africa, Asia and, eventually, the Americas, recasting its story for each new cultural context and thereby creating multiple Christianities. At the same time, theologians such as Augustine, Luther and Kierkegaard argued for radical distinctions between religious and political communities. For these theologians, the community of believers differs in essence from the secular political- cultural community; as a result, there can be no expectation of a Christian government or of a Christian culture. It can therefore be said that Christians are commanded by their scriptures, theologians and spiritual masters to embrace a minority status within their own cultures so as to minister to the world without being compromised by it. INDEX WORDS: Christianity; Devotional Literature; Minority Discourse; Book of Daniel; Gospel of John; Saint Patrick; Richard Rolle; Saint Catherine of Genoa; George Fox; Thomas Merton; Kathleen Norris; Saint Augustine; Martin Luther; Søren Kierkegaard; Exile; Minor Literature; Borderlands; Nationalism; Contact Zones; Diaspora “NOT OF THIS WORLD”: CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE AS MINORITY DISCOURSE by J. STEPHEN PEARSON B.A., St. John’s College, 1996 M.A., University of Georgia, 2001 M.A., St. John’s College, 2002 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2008 © 2008 J. Stephen Pearson All Rights Reserved “NOT OF THIS WORLD”: CHRISTIAN DEVOTIONAL LITERATURE AS MINORITY DISCOURSE by J. STEPHEN PEARSON Major Professor: Ronald Bogue Committee: Katarzyna Jerzak Sandy Martin Katharina Wilson Hyangsoon Yi Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2008 DEDICATION To the glory of God, who loved humankind enough to become one of us. In honor of Jacques Ellul (1912-1994), whose books have been my spiritual directors for the past decade and have given me the vision to pursue this project. For Max (b. 2004) and Lila Tate (b. 2007), that they may live in a world that celebrates the myriad ways humans express the joys and beauties of existence. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS There are many faculty to thank, from two different colleges and from at least three departments. First and foremost is Dr. Ronald Bogue, who agreed to take on this ridiculously ambitious project and who patiently read and commented on each chapter before allowing anyone else to see it. He also helped jump-start my writing with the simple comment that my seminar paper on Richard Rolle was a complete chapter; that comment made the entire project less daunting and the organization much more manageable. From Comparative Literature, special thanks to Dr. Katharina Wilson, who introduced me to academic writing by commissioning my first conference paper during my first week as a Comp Lit student way back when, and who worked with me again on my Catherine chapter and helped me get it published. I am also grateful for her continual encouragement, generosity and good cheer about my work, both as a student and as a human being. Additional thanks to Dr. Hyangsoon Yi for joining my committee, for giving me advice on sources regarding Thomas Merton and Zen, and for inviting me to numerous presentations on Korean literature and on Buddhism. Similarly, thanks to Dr. Katarzyna Jerzak for joining my committee as a last-minute replacement, and for her enthusiasm about doing so. And thanks to Dr. Dorothy Figueira, whose valuable but stern advice to the graduate students upon her arrival in the department helped me stay focused on the project. From the Religion Department, thanks to Dr. Sandy Martin for supporting and even encouraging my feeble attempts at interdisciplinary work. Thanks also for working with me on my theological and historical chapters, and especially for insisting that I take the time to examine Africa alongside Asia. Thanks also to Dr. Emily Cheney for teaching me how to work with academic theory and scholarship in Religious Studies. And for allowing me to write dissertation chapters for my course papers, thanks again to Dr. Martin and Dr. Cheney, as well v as to Dr. Elizabeth LaRocca-Pitts and Dr. William Power. Thanks also to Dr. Carolyn Medine for her enthusiastic reception of my chapter on Kathleen Norris. From English, thanks first to Dr. Timothy Powell for guiding me through my first formal multiculturalism classes and for demonstrating how to put literature, theory and history together. I am also grateful to him for giving his students so much encouragement and advice about entering and navigating the profession. Although I have never had her for a course, Dr. Barbara McCaskill in English has generously given me her time, advice and encouragement about the job market and about being new faculty. And this project might not have been completed had it not been for Dr. Michelle Ballif’s instruction on how to teach writing to students—much of which I used to finish this manuscript! This project would not have occurred had it not been for the confluence of several events, especially the overlap between Dr. Freda Scott Giles’ seminar on American Drama and Dr. James McGregor’s seminar on Contemporary Literary Theory, which met consecutively; the intersections between these classes sparked my interest in American Literature and Multicultural Studies. Similarly, it would not have occurred had I not encountered two books on Christian Spirituality: Richard J. Foster and James Bryan Smith’s anthology Devotional Classics introduced me to this wonderful genre and overwhelmed me with the diversity and depth of material that is available to study, and Kathleen Norris’ The Cloister Walk was instrumental in nurturing my interests in devotional living and in the lessons of monastic life. In addition, the Eastern Classics program at St. John’s College, Santa Fe, proved invaluable not only for my studies in Asian American and World Literature, but also for my analyses of Asian Christianity and of Thomas Merton’s approach to Zen. This project would never have been finished had it not been for two fellowships that allowed me the time to write, and for both of these I am grateful to Dr. Bogue, Dr. McGregor and Dr. Thomas Cerbu, who also guided me through both application processes. These three vi professors also encouraged me to pursue this project as a Ph.D. student, and I am deeply grateful for their positive responses to my initial queries into coming back to UGA. Although much of my coursework was not directly related to this project, I believe that every class is represented by at least one passage herein, and I am grateful for all my professors: in addition to those already mentioned, these include (alphabetically) Drs. Jonathan Evans, Talmadge Guy, Elissa Henken, Reginald McKnight, Karin Myhre, Masaki Mori, Timothy Raser, Max Reinhart, Chanette Romero, Gabriel Ruhumbika, Kam-ming Wong, and Ms. Amanda Smith. Thanks also to my students, for helping me stay connected to everyday language rather than flying off into jargoned, overly academic discourse. Two sections of this dissertation have been received for publication, one by Sister Judith Sutera at Magistra and the other by Sister Barbara Mayer at Benedictines; I am especially grateful for their confidence in my work. Thanks to Nell Burger and Sharon Brooks for their help with the administrative needs of this project, and to Nariman Crouch for her computer expertise. All three women are assets to our department for their professional abilities, their support of graduate students, and their ability to provide information, advice and calm, especially when I had no idea which way was up. Thanks to Ronita Bhattacharya and Laura Edmunds, my colleagues, taskmasters, lunch dates and friends, and to all my office mates for their conversation, commiseration and congratulations. Thanks to my counterpart in the English Department, Anastasia Wright Turner for helping me learn the ropes. Thanks also to those who went before me, esp. Kristen Roney, Rhonda Kelley-Heath and Jeffrey Marker. I have enjoyed sharing my studies with you all. Thanks to Rev. Renee DuBose and the good people at Our Hope MCC, especially the choir, for their support, friendship and prayers over the past five years. Thanks also to Joe Napoli and the Athens Master Chorale for allowing me two hours a week to concentrate on something outside of school.
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