Joel Wentz's Reviews > Teach Us to Want: Longing, Ambition and the Life of Faith

A beautiful combination of personal memoir and careful theological reflection on the nature of human desire. Reminiscent of the work of James K.A. Smith (someone cited multiple times in the book), but much more raw and personal (whereas Smith tends to be more philosophical and academic).

I found the memoir aspects to be the most emotionally resonant and memorable, though the reflections on scripture are much deeper and thoughtful than the lighter, devotional-type reading that one tends to find in similar books. The theological-exegetical work is firmly in the Reformed stream of thinking - though much more the Kuyperian stream (a la Keller and James Smith) than the hyper-Calvinist, Neo-Reformed stream, for which I am thankful! But "Teach" is not a theological treatise at its core, rather, it's a poetic-meditative work that is soaked in both scripture and theology. Personally, the chapters on grace, the Kingdom, and prayer were the most impactful for me.

Finally, it's important to point out that the writing is simply beautiful. Almost every chapter contained a sentence or paragraph that stopped me in my tracks, and demanded re-reading, just because of the beauty of the prose. This is an easy recommendation for anyone who is wrestling with understanding their own desires, especially within the conservative-Evangelical tradition, but who may not be looking for an intense, academic, philosophical tome. "Teach" is approachable, but thought-provoking, while remaining emotionally engaging.