The Devil Reads Derrida
James K.A. Smith
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009, 163 pp., $18.00, Eerdmans.com
First, the title is poorly chosen and mostly inaccurate. Smith, a leading Christian academic, strives to reach a non-academic audience with this book, a series of essays that address–from a scholar’s perspective–what he calls “on-the-ground” matters. Only one essay concerns Derrida. A book attempting to reach the “everyday” Christian should not allude in its title to what would be (to the reader) an obscure French philosopher: It’s clever, but ultimately deceiving and potentially alienating.
Despite this, it remains an excellent book. His is an intelligent voice that speaks to all of us, not just the elite. Notwithstanding an occasional essay on Constantinianism (something we all lose sleep over, I’m sure), there are smart, relevant articles on the Sabbath, worship, campus ministry, Harry Potter and Christian masculinity, among others. Expect to be challenged and appropriately rewarded by this book.
