use of himself as his subject', and that, 'in many ways, from this point on, his career will be defined by using his interior life as his theme.' Munroe also suggests that the work is an early demonstration of Buechner's synthesis of his own thought with that of Paul Tillich, and that, more generally, 'the process of writing The Alphabet of Grace helps [Buechner] articulate what becomes his core philosophy'. That 'core philosophy' is the central theme of the work, which is concerned with the interaction of the extraordinary with the ordinary, and the presence of God in the mundane. Reflecting on The Alphabet of Grace in Now and Then, Buechner offers the following famous summary of the message at the heart of the work: [I]f I were called upon to state in a few words the essence of everything I was trying to say both as a novelist and as a preacher, it would be something like this: Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitements and the gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace. References American anthologies American essay collections Books about Christianity 1970 non-fiction books Alphabet