By Brian Nixon —
During a recent office move, a young pastor, Nick, was helping pack my books. A particular volume caught his eyes: Mad Morality: Or the Ten Commandments Revisited by Vernard Eller. Written in 1970, the book was an assessment of MAD Magazine’s ethical stance, and as the subtitle states, comparing MAD’s ethics to the Ten Commandments.
As a professor of philosophy and religion at the University of La Verne, and a long-time minister within the Church of the Brethren, the book was Eller’s most noted work.
As one can imagine—some secularist didn’t care for the book. One Goodreads reader comments, “I have no idea why I bought this book when I was young – why MAD would publish the religious musings of a minister is beyond me. More amazing is the fact I have kept this book for almost 40 years…”
Another writes, “Honestly, this book made me think far more about the Ten Commandments, far more than I would regularly…”
For these two readers, Eller accomplished what he set out to do: cause them to think. And though the first reader didn’t understand the book, he’s kept it for 40 years! Telling.
Secularist aside, Christians enjoyed the work, though some were suspicious of Eller’s use of a politically charged, and often racy, magazine. Upon Eller’s death in 2007, Christianity Today magazine used the book as their headline, “The Mad Theologian.”
For his part, the young pastor, Nick, ordered a copy and stated, “Crazy how well this has aged.”
Meaning, the topics Eller covered in MAD Morality: Or the Ten Commandments Revisited still resonate.
Being July would’ve been Eller’s 98th birthday, a little word on his continued importance.
Radical Discipleship. As a member of a Pietistic-Anabaptist denomination, Eller was serious about following Jesus, not just in word, but deed. As his books Kierkegaard and Radical Discipleship, His End Up, The Promise: Ethics in the Kingdom of God, The Simple Life, and Proclaim Good Tidings: Evangelism for the Faith Community demonstrate.
Biblical Clarity. With the onslaught of various internal debates within the Church (including in his own denomination), Eller was not afraid to take a stand on various Biblical topics as Towering Bable: God’s People without God’s Word, the Language of Canaan and the Grammar of Feminism, and Cleaning up the Christian Vocabulary attest.
War and Peace. As a minister within a historic peace Church, Eller would call out the broader church for its quick participation in violent acts, be it political or practical. His noted works in this area include King Jesus’s Manual of Arms for the Armless: War and Pece from Genesis to Revelation and Christian Anarchy.
Theologian. Though Christianity Today categorized him as the “Mad Theologian,” his theological works were witty, winsome, and thought-provoking, far from irrational. They include The Most Revealing Book of the Bible: Making Sense out of Revelation, The Outward Bound: Caravanning as the Style of the Church, The Place of Sacraments, The Sex Manual for Puritans, and The Beloved Disciple: Two Studies from the Gospel of John.
Theopoet. The Church of the Brethren has a long lineage of poets (think Alexander Mack, Jr. and William Stafford) artists (particularly Fraktur artists and mural artist Medford D. Neher), and musicians (think George Holsinger and Kenneth Morse) within its history. Eller fits well within this mold with his two artistic works, the drama, The Time So Urgent, and his commentary on the poem, the Pearl, Pearl of Christian Counsel for the Brokenhearted.
Eller has other works and articles, many of them collected at House Church Central, but I’ll leave you with this: Rather than “Mad Theologian” as the description for Eller, I prefer the “Rad Theologian,” a Christian philosopher that calls us to radical discipleship, deep thought, and unique philosophical musings.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Eller!
