Books

Poetry, Parables, and Prose

The Unfinished Soul is an eclectic bag of goodies.

The Unfinished Soul
The Unfinished Soul
The Unfinished Soul: Happening Upon Jesus in the Happenstance of Life by Calvin Miller Broadman & Holman 208 pp., $14.99

Bestselling author Calvin Miller refers to this book as a collection of “bits and pieces of my life.” As he implies, it’s a mixed bag of goodies: ironic prose-poems, parables, and fairy tales with a twist populate the pages.

Some of the short fictional vignettes are chock-full of humor, such as the wife who discovers her husband is really the leotard-clad “Bible Man” (a superhero who hands out Scripture verses to those in crisis), or the Lutherans who turn into werewolves at the full moon and end up in the traps of Baptists.

Other pieces are more serious: He revisits the anonymous 16th-century hymn “Old 100th” and recasts a slice of C. S. Lewis’s famous The Screwtape Letters. A few essays poke fun at contemporary culture, including a politically correct version of John 7:538:12 and “Frying Rabbits,” about the secularization of Easter.

As enjoyable as these pieces are, one wonders about the inclusion of some others (about half of the book was previously published as An Owner’s Manual for the Unfinished Soul). But, as Miller suggests, “Don’t read this book to see how to do anything. Just sit with me and wonder at how closely our pilgrimages have passed.”

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

The Unfinished Soul is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

More information is available from the publisher.

Calvin Miller’s bio is available from the Beeson Divinity School’s faculty page.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

Wooing the Faithful

Cover Story

John Kerry's Open Mind

Salt-and-Pepper Politics

Jon Warren: Eyewitness to Suffering

Land of Warlords

Living with Fundamentalists

Mei-Chun Jau: Community Journalism

Not Far from the Brahmin Tree

Ordinary Terrorists

Pick Your Shibboleths Wisely

News

Quotation Marks

Sin and Evil

John H. White: Mercy Over Justice

Second-Best Kid Lit Ever

Senate's Top Democrat in the Cross Hairs

Smuggling Cats for a Gay Celebrity

The Ecstatic Heresy

The Moral Home Front

The Nightmare of North Korea

Why Commitment Matters

Wind of Terror, Wind of Glory

Wind of Terror, Wind of Glory

A Heartless Homeland

News

<em>Christianity Today</em> News Briefs

News

Passages

Wire Story

Charley's No Angel

LDS and DNA

Operation Human Rights

Building Alliances to Save Lives

Fighting Flight

Church Militant

'Termites to National Security'

A Stopped Pulse

Ordinary Terrorists

News

Go Figure

Blogging for Jesus

California's Prop. 71 Stem-Cell 'Scam'

Changed by the Unchanging

From Sex Pistols to <em>Shadowmancer</em>

Vegetarians in Paradise

Greg Schneider: God's Personal PR Firm

Editorial

Heat Stroke

Good Shooters

Editorial

It's Not About Stem Cells

Joanna Pinneo: Intimate Storyteller

View issue

Our Latest

High Time for an Honest Conversation about THC

Legal cannabis may be here to stay, but the Christian conversation is just getting started.

The National Guard Debate Needs a Dose of Honesty

Criticizing federal overreach while remaining silent about local failures does not serve the cause of justice.

News

Saudi Arabian Prison Frees Kenyan After ‘Blood Money’ Payout

A Christian mother relied on the Muslim practice of “diyat” to bring her son home alive.

Why Fans Trust Forrest Frank

The enormously popular Christian artist says he experienced miraculous healing. His parasocial friends say “amen.”

How a Missionary Family in Lebanon Produced an American Hero

Bill Eddy’s Arabic acumen served US interests and forged Middle East ties.

Eight Divine Names in One Glorious Passage

Hebrew terms for God appear across the Old Testament. The prophet Isaiah brings them all together.

The Bulletin

Venezuelan Boat Attack, Payday Loans, and USAID Fire Sale

The Bulletin discusses the attack on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, predatory lending, and the destruction of items from cancelled USAID projects.

Why an Early American Missionary Family Was Beloved in Lebanon

Over five decades of multigenerational ministry, the Eddys pioneered health and educational outreach.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube