Easter: The Season of the Resurrection of Jesus

Hill (New Testament, Wesley Theological Seminary; The Lord’s Prayer: A Guide to Praying to Our Father; Spiritual Friendship: Finding Love in the Church as a Celibate Gay Christian) pens personal devotionals that represent theological reflections using the church calendar as the framework for spiritual formation. In particular, this effort is directed towards believers as a contemplation on Easter, the springtime celebration of resurrection and eternal life. The brevity of this work—116 pages of text plus eight pages of footnotes, coupled with Hill’s scholarly erudition—results in a work that offers a pastiche of church history, spirituality, and biblical resonance. Along the way, Hill finds time to scold moral liberals and people who reduce Jesus to a divine moral example rather than messianic fulfillment. His book is liberally peppered with so many references and quotes from others that very little of Hill’s personal devotional life comes through. For example, one 13-page chapter contains quotes or references to Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann, Old Testament scholar Jon Levenson, Martin Luther, The Book of Common Prayer, and John Calvin’s Institutes, among others.