Mode of Program Participation
Academic Scholarship
Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
“Hit’s the fullness of time”: An Approach to Denise Giardina’s Kingdom Theology
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
At the conclusion of one of the most significant and moving scenes in Denise Giardina’s Storming Heaven, protagonist Rondal Lloyd, a United Mine Workers field agent, ponders why his years of organizing are at last bearing fruit. The minister whose pulpit he has borrowed for the evening’s recruitment speech offers this answer: “Hit’s the fullness of time.” And Rondal reflects, “I loved that phrase. . . for I sensed I was living in it, right then. Nothing afterward would be so important. . . .” (181). This once-weighty Biblical expression, “the fullness of time,” has passed into common usage and may now be understood in various ways; just how a particular reader understands it will likely depend upon her religious background or lack thereof. For most it may mean only, “If you wait long enough, something will happen”—and that’s possible. Given the sophistication and acuity, however, of Giardina’s other theological work in the novel, a closer examination of the phrase seems warranted. My paper will sketch out some of the possible meanings, then demonstrate how, when rightly understood, "the fullness of time" can become one key to entering a fuller understanding of Giardina’s theology: in particular, her socially relevant eschatology.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
A native of Magnetic Springs, Ohio, William Jolliff is currently Professor of English at George Fox University in Oregon. His ASA paper is part of a longer work-in-progress exploring the theological implications of Giardina's fiction.
“Hit’s the fullness of time”: An Approach to Denise Giardina’s Kingdom Theology
At the conclusion of one of the most significant and moving scenes in Denise Giardina’s Storming Heaven, protagonist Rondal Lloyd, a United Mine Workers field agent, ponders why his years of organizing are at last bearing fruit. The minister whose pulpit he has borrowed for the evening’s recruitment speech offers this answer: “Hit’s the fullness of time.” And Rondal reflects, “I loved that phrase. . . for I sensed I was living in it, right then. Nothing afterward would be so important. . . .” (181). This once-weighty Biblical expression, “the fullness of time,” has passed into common usage and may now be understood in various ways; just how a particular reader understands it will likely depend upon her religious background or lack thereof. For most it may mean only, “If you wait long enough, something will happen”—and that’s possible. Given the sophistication and acuity, however, of Giardina’s other theological work in the novel, a closer examination of the phrase seems warranted. My paper will sketch out some of the possible meanings, then demonstrate how, when rightly understood, "the fullness of time" can become one key to entering a fuller understanding of Giardina’s theology: in particular, her socially relevant eschatology.
