Tracker Pixel for Entry

JACQUELINE BUSSIE: ‘OUTLAW CHRISTIAN’

Writer's Block | April 20th, 2016

Today at 6:30 PM, Concordia professor and local author Jacqueline Bussie will debut her new nonfiction book, “Outlaw Christian: Finding Authentic Faith by Breaking the 'Rules'” at Zandbroz Variety. This event will be free and open to the public, with refreshments provided.

Bussie, a professor of religion, also runs Concordia’s interfaith center and is the director of The Forum on Faith and Life, a group that promotes discussion and understanding of differing theologies.

“With the work that I do in the interfaith community, I’ve everywhere,” Bussie says. “I take my students to the mosque in town, to the Hindu temple down in Minneapolis—we do that kind of stuff all the time, and we just learn so much from it.”

The book’s main theme is the unspoken “laws” of religious faith that don’t allow doubt or speculation, and why those rules should be broken. Throughout her career, Bussie has encountered people of different faiths who all have one thing in common: judging themselves for questioning their beliefs.

“I decided I need to write the way I teach, and the way I teach is through storytelling, through engaging the students,” she says. “These are stories I’m telling my students to try to make a point about why doubt is good, or why it’s okay to be angry at the universe, or angry at God. That’s not always bad. Sometimes it’s from compassion.”

“Outlaw Christian” was published by Nelson Books, a subsidiary of HarperCollins that specializes in Christian nonfiction. Their publications range from promoting conservative ideals to breaking ground with new ways to interpret religious principles.

But despite its main focus on Christianity, Bussie intends the book to be accessible to readers of different faiths, or no faith at all.

“I wanted to share things that I’ve learned from other religious traditions, because I teach world religions, and there’s so many rich and amazing things I’ve learned from it. One of the laws that the book says we should break is the idea that Christians don’t have anything to learn from people of other faiths. That’s absurd. There’s so much to learn. These are things I’ve learned that changed my life.”

Bussie’s previous book, “Laughter of the Oppressed: Ethical and Theological Resistance in Wiesel, Morrison, and Endo,” was published by Bloomsbury Academic and intended for a smaller, more scholarly audience. With “Outlaw Christian,” Bussie seeks to reach the general public on their level.

“The thing about academic writing is that I enjoy it and I think it’s really important, but it has a limited readership. I want to be bilingual—I want to be able to speak that academic discourse and be able to do that when I need to, but ultimately I need to speak the language of my students and the language of the people. I need to speak the vernacular.” 

Recently in:

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comNorth Dakotans will take part in a nationwide civil rights rally on Thursday, July 17. Protests, marches, rallies and acts of service are scheduled in Bismarck, Bottineau, Devils Lake,…

Back-to-school season is on the horizon, but there's still plenty of summer left. Check out our favorite August attractions and events in North Dakota and western Minnesota. And if if you missed them, here are a few excellent May…

July 18-19, 25-26 and August 2-3North Dakota Horse Park, 5180 19th Ave. N., FargoLadies and gentlemen, prepare to place your bets — racing season is upon us! Not just horses will be racing this year; word on the street suggests…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.com On July fourth, Nathan's Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest took place at Coney Island. The winners, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo, reigned victorious. Chestnut earned his 17th title by…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comWhy doesn’t the world require politicians to leave office at 60?Most of the leaders of countries, whether gods, fascists, democrats or socialists, are not doing very well these days. David Van…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gion and Simone Wairickgion@gmail.com The Red River Market returned to downtown Fargo on Saturday, July 12. The event will take place every Saturday except July 19. (That date will be moved to Sunday, July 20, due to the…

By Alicia Underlee Nelsonalicia@hpr1.comThe Moorhead Public Library will offer three free, all-ages outdoor concerts featuring regional bands this summer. The series begins on June 12 with the Meat Rabbits, a group that blends…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comPhoto by Sabrina Hornung Wing, North Dakota is a town of 132 located about an hour northwest of Bismarck on Highway 36. There’s a shiny new Cenex on the intersection of the highway and the high…

By Deb Wallworkdwallwork@icloud.comI first met Catherine Mulligan at a party at her house. It was a small gathering, spontaneous, just a few people over for dinner. Directed toward a stack of plates and bowls and a big pot warming…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comPhoto by Yvonne Denault There is something intimate and personal about plays. Even in our age of multimillion dollar Hollywood productions and droves of streaming services, watching actors…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

The drug that keeps re-purposing itselfBy Ellie Liveranieli.liverani.ra@gmail.com There is a drug that is getting a lot of attention nowadays all over the world. It has various commercial names (Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus), but…

By Alicia Underlee NelsonProtests against President Trump’s policies and the cuts made by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are planned across North Dakota and western Minnesota Friday, April 4 and…

By Vern Thompsonvern.thompson@rocketmail.com Working in the Bakken oil fields of the Williston Basin is so different from my home in Fargo. I'm not judging, because the people working and living in western North Dakota are very…