I try to control my intake of information. I sort of have an idea of the next book to read, the next lecture to listen to, the next article to puzzle over, the next blog post to write, and the next item to take off my reading list just because it doesn’t seem that important anymore. But once in a while, it just happens; I am faced with the reality that there are certain things—even what I read— that I just can’t plan or control.

When Westminster Seminary made its audio archive available, I wasn’t all that excited; but I decided to check it out, and a name immediately jumped out at me—Harvie Conn. I had heard of this guy before, but I had never listened to him or read any of his books. Of all the lectures there, I decided to start with the first in a series on “Contextual Theology.” That was it—I was hooked!

I am so glad and thankful I got a chance to be exposed to some of Harvie Conn’s thinking. This particular course was recorded in 1984, and it was great to hear him talk about the “current controversy” of women in ministry, liberation theology, Charles Kraft’s ideas, biblical theology, missions, etc. Halfway through the lectures, I picked up his book Eternal Word and Changing Worlds and read it before I finished listening to the course. It is now one of my favorite books; Peter Enns said that, in his opinion, it is “the single most penetrating and insightful theological work the WTS tradition has ever produced.” I can see why. Listening to the lectures really helped me “contextualize” what he was talking about in the book. It is not an easy read, specially the first part, but it is well worth the effort.

My unplanned exposure to Harvie Conn has forced me to start rethinking how I do theology, and especially how I relate to my own community and culture. The result is that now I “plan” to read and listen more to Harvie Conn, and I hope you will take the time to listen to what he had to say, for even after almost three decades, his words are as fresh as today’s news.