KILLINGER, John 1933-

PERSONAL: Born June 12, 1933, in Germantown, KY; son of John Raymond and Jessie Frances Killinger; married Anne Katherine Waddle (a composer), June 12, 1952; children: John Eric, Paul Krister. Education: Baylor University, A.B., 1953; University of Kentucky, M.A., 1954, Ph.D., 1957; Harvard University, S.T.B., 1959; Princeton Theological Seminary, Th.D., 1963. Politics: Democrat. Hobbies and other interests: Art, theater.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, Abingdon Press, 201 8th Ave. S., P.O. Box 801, Nashville, TN 37202-0801.

CAREER: Ordained Baptist minister, 1952; pastor of Baptist church in North Reading, MA, 1957-59; Georgetown College, Georgetown, KY, associate professor English, 1959-61; Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, NJ, instructor in homiletics, 1961-63; Kentucky Southern College, Louisville, academic dean, 1963-65; Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, professor of preaching, worship, and literature, beginning 1965. University of Chicago, visiting professor, 1965. American Church in Paris, theologian in residence, 1967-68; also served as Presbyterian minister. Ecumenical Council on Drama and the Other Arts, member, vice president, 1976-77.

MEMBER: American Academy of Religion, American Academy of Homiletics, Societas Liturgica.

WRITINGS:

Hemingway and the Dead Gods, University Press of Kentucky (Lexington, KY), 1960.

The Failure of Theology in Modern Literature, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1963.

The Thickness of Glory, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1965.

The Word Not Bound: A One-Act Play, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1968.

The Centrality of Preaching in the Total Task of the Ministry, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1969.

For God's Sake, Be Human, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1970.

Leave It to the Spirit, Harper (New York, NY), 1971.

World in Collapse: The Vision of Absurd Drama, Dell (New York, NY), 1971.

The Salvation Tree, Harper (New York, NY), 1973.

The Fragile Presence: Transcendence in Modern Literature, Fortress Press (Philadelphia, PA), 1973.

(Editor) Experimental Preaching, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1973.

All You Lonely People, All You Lonely People, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1973.

The Second Coming of the Church, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1974.

(Editor) The Eleven o'Clock News and Other Sermons, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1975.

Bread for the Wilderness, Wine for the Journey, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1976.

A Sense of His Presence, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1977, published in A Devotional Guide to the Gospels: 336 Meditations, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1984.

His Power in You, Doubleday (New York, NY), 1978, published in A Devotional Guide to the Gospels: 336 Meditations, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1984.

A Little Primer on Prayer, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1979.

A Devotional Guide to Luke: The Gospel of Contagious Joy, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1980, published in A Devotional Guide to the Gospels: 336 Meditations, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1984.

The Loneliness of Children, Vanguard Press (New York, NY), 1980.

A Devotional Guide to John: The Gospel of Eternal Life, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1981, published in A Devotional Guide to the Gospels: 336 Meditations, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1984.

Prayer, the Act of Being with God, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1981, published as Beginning Prayer, Upper Room Books (Nashville, TN), 1993.

Christ in the Seasons of Ministry, Word Books (Waco, TX), 1983.

The Cup and the Waterfall: The Adventure of Living in the Present Moment, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1983.

A Devotional Guide to the Gospels: 336 Meditations (contains A Sense of His Presence, His Power in You, A Devotional Guide to Luke: The Gospel of Contagious Joy, and A Devotional Guide to John: The Gospel of Eternal Life), Word Books (Waco, TX), 1984.

Fundamentals of Preaching, Fortress Press (Philadelphia, PA), 1985.

Parables for Christmas, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1985.

Sea Breezes: Thoughts of God from a Summer Beach, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1985.

The Tender Shepherd, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1985.

Contemporary Wedding Services, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1986.

Christ and the Seasons of Marriage, Broadman Press (Nashville, TN), 1987.

The God Named Hallowed: The Lord's Prayer for Today, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1988.

To My People with Love: The Ten Commandments for Today, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1988.

Christmas Spoken Here, Broadman Press (Nashville, TN), 1989.

(With Jack Hayford and Howard Stevenson) Mastering Worship, Multnomah Press (Portland, OR), 1990.

You Are What You Believe: The Apostles' Creed for Today, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1990.

Letting God Bless You: The Beatitudes for Today, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1992.

The Greatest Teachings of Jesus, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1993.

Jessie (novel), McCracken Press, 1993.

Day by Day with Jesus: 365 Meditations on the Gospels, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1994.

Preaching to a Church in Crisis: A Homiletic for the Last Days of the Mainline Church, CSS (Lima, OH), 1995.

Fundamentals of Preaching, Fortress Press (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Raising Your Spiritual Awareness through 365 Simple Gifts from God, Dimensions for Living (Nashville, TN), 1998.

Preaching the New Millennium, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 1999.

Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise: Prayers for Christian Worship, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 2001.

God, the Devil, and Harry Potter: A Christian Minister's Defense of the Beloved Novels, Thomas Dunne Books (New York, NY), 2002.

Ten Things I Learned Wrong from a Conservative Church, Crossroad Publishing (New York, NY), 2002.

Enter Every Trembling Heart: Prayers for Christian Worship, Abingdon Press (Nashville, TN), 2003.

Also author of Jesus, the Greatest Teacher in the World.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

America, June 12, 1982, A. Robert Casey, review of Prayer, the Act of Being with God, p. 465.

Best Sellers, July, 1980, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 144.

Booklist, September 1, 1980, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 8.

Childhood Education, May, 1981, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 308.

Choice, April, 1981, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 1165.

Christian Century, March 11, 1981, David J. Ernsberger, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 274; May 21, 1985, David B. Watermulder, review of A Devotional Guide to the Gospels: 336 Meditations and Fundamentals of Preaching, p. 527.

Christian Herald, December, 1985, David Kucharsky, review of Parables for Christmas, p. 61.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 1980, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 819.

Library Journal, July, 1980, Susan B. Hagloch, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 1524; November 1, 1993, Joanna M. Thompson, review of Jessie, p. 148; January, 2003, Graham Christian, review of God, the Devil, and Harry Potter: A Christian Minister's Defense of the Beloved Novels, p. 122.

Publishers Weekly, June 27, 1980, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 72; October 4, 1993, review of Jessie, p. 66; November 11, 2002, review of God, the Devil, and Harry Potter, p. 58.

Science Books and Films, September, 1981, review of The Loneliness of Children, p. 3.

Theology Today, January, 1986, review of Fundamentals of Preaching, p. 562.*