Donald Barnes Memorial Lecture

"Navigating Our Way in
an Age of Anxiety"

by Robert Atwell

Followed by the launch of 

BEWILDERMENT

Robert Atwell's new book explores
how the story of Jonah offers insight
and hope for an anxious generation

In our bewildering age when the mental health of so many is fragile
and people feel adrift and uncertain, an unlikely hero can offer surprising
and much needed wisdom. We think of prophets as strong and confident figures,
but the prophet Jonah is neither of these. In fact he’s barely taken seriously at all
and is crowded out of his own story by the whale that swallowed him up.
Robert Atwell uncovers how the book of Jonah offers a strikingly relevant theology
for our time - one that grapples with isolation, protest, anger, fear, and depression,
all under the shadow of divine presence in the midst of personal turmoil.
For those who feel unmoored, Jonah's story becomes a surprising source
of consolation. Ultimately, it maps the contours of grace - a grace that feels
especially absent in today’s world. Alone among the prophets,
Jonah is named by Jesus and described as a ‘sign’.
In this short, deeply comforting book, Atwell explores how Jonah still speaks to us,
offering insight and hope to a restless generation.