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He admits, to the surprise of those who know him best for his books, that writing is an expression of a more primary vocation. "I'm saying essentially the same things in books that I would say from the pulpit," he explains, "just in a different medium."

He remembers a Long Island dinner party he attended as a young man, where his hostess suddenly directed a question at him: "I understand that you are planning to enter the ministry. Is this your own idea, or were you poorly advised?" Ministry seems an odd calling to the urbane New England sophisticates among whom Buechner lives.

His ordination has been even more of a liability in his career. He recalls a recent article on religious writers by Dan Wakefield in the New York Times Book Review, where Wakefield confesses he avoided Buechner earlier "on the grounds that he was a Protestant minister writing purportedly 'Christian' novels, so I unfairly assumed he was some kind of propagandist, a prejudice he has suffered from widely and wrongly."

In a recently published interview, Buechner even admits, "I have often thought to become ordained was the stupidest thing I ever did in terms of my writing career." He is quick to point to the success of his former Exeter student, novelist John Irving, author of CiderHouse Rules and A Prayer for Owen Meany. In a recent note to Irving, Buechner wrote, "You're lucky you're not the Reverend John Irving."

But, Buechner believes, ordination has given him his subject and passion. It has not been easy, being called to minister to and live in more than one world. But Buechner sees it as a special calling that has emerged from God's unfathomable grace. "Looking back at my past, I've seen so many moments where I was simply the recipient of undeserved revelation or joy, or some gift. I can't imagine that I've come to where I am unaided. Nothing in what I was doing years ago would have led me to become a minister. But little by little, step by step, these moments of grace led me in a direction which I'm terribly glad I took."

This article originally appeared in the October 8, 1990 issue of Christianity Today. At the time, Timothy K. Jones was assistant editor for the magazine.

Copyright © 2003 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also appearing on our site today:

Flesh and Blood in the Magic Kingdom | Frederick Buechner's most recent works shed light on the shadows of the human heart.

Additional CT coverage of Buechner include:

Speak What We Feel | Frederick Buechner's latest book is one of his best. (July 29, 2002)

Buechner's books Speak What We Feel, Godric,Brendan, Son of Laughter, The Storm, On the Road with the Archangel and more are available from Christianbook.com.

In the March/April 1997 issue of Books & Culture, Philip Yancey profiled Frederick Buechner in the print edition only. But Christianity Today printed excerpts of the article, which brought into sharp relief the contours of Buechner's colorful, sometimes brooding, faith.

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March (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47