Ebook
The Avett Brothers sing of a spiritual yearning present in modern culture. Without being overtly religious, theological underpinnings are prevalent in their music. The contributors in this book delve into the Avett Brother's explicit and implicit theology with an eye on how they help make sense of our secular age. Theology and the Avett Brothers offers a rich contemplation on how these brothers from North Carolina help listeners navigate the religious consciousness of today's world, exploring themes like the good life, virtue formation, empathy, ministry models, and dying.
Foreword
James K.A. Smith
Introduction
Alex Sosler
1. May It Flourish: The Good Life According to the Avett Brothers
Jeffrey Tabone
2. The Avett Brothers and the Interior Life
Gayle Doornbos
3. Vanity or Virtue: What do You See in the Fire? The Explicit and Implicit Ethics of the Avett Brothers
Brandon K. Watson
4. The Empathetic Imagination of the Avett Brothers: A Theological Investigation of Music, Emotion, and Christian Practice
Jennifer Allen Craft
5. From Boatloads of Shame to Closer than Together: Scott and Seth Avett as Models of Confession and Reunification
Austin Rehbein
6. Homesickness and a Hunger for the Higher in the Avett Brothers’ Journey
Casey S. Lute
7. Reimaging God’s Agency in the Neighborhood: What the Church Might Learn from the Avett Brothers’ Love of Place and Story
Austin Ashenbrenner
8. Me and God Don’t Need a Middleman: A Richer Understanding of the Nones
Jeffery Porter
9. Head Full of Doubt, Road Full of Promise: The Avett Brothers and the Experience of Those Who Love Them
Kevin Auman
10. Memento Mori: Living and Dying with the Avett Brothers
Alex Sosler
Afterword
Bob Crawford
Not a lot of music makes me want to be a better human being. The Avett Brothers do, without moralistic nattering, but rather by being outrageously fun. These essays will help you savor the songs you stomp along to.
Alex Sosler is assistant professor of bible and ministry at Montreat College and assisting priest at Redeemer Anglican Church in Asheville, NC.