Theology and the Avett Brothers

Theology and the Avett Brothers features contributions that offer a rich contemplation on how these brothers from North Carolina help listeners navigate the religious consciousness of today's world.

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