About Life Under the Word

Life Under the Word is a theology blog by Keanu Heydari, a historian and a deacon in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I am completing a Ph.D. at the University of Michigan on Iranian student activism in postwar France.

On this site, I write on Karl Barth and apocalyptic readings of Paul, with sustained attention to the Reformed confessional tradition and to the church’s life under the Word. I am interested in how doctrine governs speech and how ecclesial practices form a credible witness in the modern world.

My historical work presses questions about exile, belonging, power, and human dignity. Those questions also shape how I read scripture and the theologians who have taught me to read it with seriousness, including Karl Barth, J. Louis Martyn, Beverly Gaventa, and Douglas Campbell.

My guiding conviction is that theology begins in encounter with God’s self-revelation and becomes responsible speech within the church. God’s Word meets ordinary life, calls communities into being, and requires response. You will find essays and sermons here, along with working notes that aim for conceptual precision and practical usefulness.

If you want new posts by email, you can subscribe. Most writing is free. Paid subscriptions support the work and help keep it sustainable. If you are new here, start with tags to find your way around: read my essays, sermons, devotionals, liturgies, and translations.