November 12, 2024

Re: Bob Dylan, Religion, and Kierkegaard's Existential "Spheres"

Longtime readers of Just FYI know that I’m a big fan of American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan (1941-). Indeed, not only does Dylan occasionally turn up on this platform, but, most notably, I published a book on Dylan in 2023. Entitled Bob Dylan and the Spheres of Existence, this work is an attempt to use the philosophy of Søren Kierkegaard (1813-55) to unpack the significance of Dylan’s songwriting.

If you haven’t had a chance to read Bob Dylan and the Spheres of Existence, I’m happy to announce that I’ve just published an introduction to the book in Church Life Journal—a popular journal put out by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame. This introductory essay is entitled “‘I’m a Religious Person’: Deciphering the Role of Religion in Bob Dylan’s Life and Work.” Give it a look! I hope this short piece will encourage readers to peruse the whole book, which, as I’ve told many friends and colleagues, was written primarily (and therapeutically) during the pandemic, with my Bob Dylan playlist blaring and two fingers of Heaven’s Door at my side. It may be a work of scholarship, but, make no mistake, it was written from both heart and soul!