Good stuff. Dense and succinct, but good.

You can read my fuller review at Spoiled Milks (9/16/19).

What matters most in life? People and theologians from all stripes try to answer this question, but Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun think that what really matters is “the true life in the presence of God,” and that western academic theology has lost its way (1). They writes, “Theologians seem to have lost theological eros, our sense of divine calling to grapple with the ultimate question of human existence and of the world’s destiny” (3). Theology fought to be seen as a legitimate discipline, standing alongside the humanities and sciences. Yet to do so, it had to answer the questions posed by the sciences rather than “the most profound and important questions of human existence, which the sciences, by the very nature of their methodologies, are unable even to take up, let alone to answer” (4).

Genesis and Exodus show us the story from creation, to sin and decreation, to Israel’s slavery in Egypt, to God’s rescue of Israel, covenant with Israel, and his dwelling with Israel. The New Testament redraws that story to include the world, and when God makes “all things new” heaven will come down to earth. The authors believe that theological education (whether that be done in seminaries or in Sunday schools) should have the goal of “forming human beings according to the pattern of Christ, such that each person and community is able to improvise the way of Christ in the flow of time in anticipation of becoming, along with the entire creation, the home of God” (9).

Recommended?
I didn’t think chapter four gave enough reasons on how to live in pluralistic societies as Christians amidst the cultural climate of certain controversies, such as the LGBTQIA movement. Also, since a large part of the book is focused on academic theologians, non-academics may find those sections irrelevant to them. In fact, the book wasn’t what I thought it would be. That’s partly my fault for not reading the excerpt ahead of time, but the two paragraph summary on Amazon makes no mention of academic theologians. Rather, it sounds like this book is aimed at all people everywhere. 

I don’t really know who to recommend this book to. It’s aimed first at academic theologians, how they should live and articulate theology. Because of that, this isn’t entry-level information. Some non-seminarians might get a kick out of this, but many in the church may have a hard time getting through it. But since the book concerns itself with Christian theology, it ultimately deals with everyone. So if you do pick it up, you will find a lot of benefit here. 

This book is required reading on a syllabus for a course that I “inherited” from another professor, so I’ve been reading it at the same time as my students (and hoping that it really was worthwhile!). I’ve just finished it, and I think it’s absolutely fantastic—one of the best theology books I’ve read, and a book that many Christians should check out. (I mean, it’s a theology book that features a detail from a Makoto Fujimura painting on the cover, so it was almost certain I’d like it.)

Though the book is very useful for all Christians, the primary motivation for Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun to write it was a concern that theology has lost its way. In seeking to align itself with modernist “scientific” methodologies, theology has lost its distinctiveness and become confusing in the academy and to the general public. Jobs are scarce, and the public assumes that theology is outdated or lost in ivory-tower theorizing that doesn’t have anything to contribute to real life.

In response to this crisis, the authors propose that the purpose of theology is “to discern, articulate, and commend visions of and paths to flourishing life in light of the self-revelation of God in the life, death, resurrection, exaltation, and coming in glory of Jesus Christ, with this entire story, its lows and its highs, bearing witness to a truly flourishing life” (61). An important aspect of this statement is that it presents a positive vision of the path to “the good life.” Theologians today, under the influence of a “scientific” academic approach to all subjects, too often engage in “critiquiness”—knocking down, griping, pointing out flaws. And there’s a place for analysis and critique; but theology has to present a positive vision of flourishing life, or the discipline will become insular and unhelpful.

The authors clarify what “the flourishing life” is through a three-part framework: life led well; life going well; life feeling well. These three aspects of the good life influence one another as indicators of flourishing. Connecting this framework to what it looks like in real life brings a strong sense of “now and not yet” in how the authors explain the flourishing life. The final chapter focuses on Paul’s concept of the flourishing life, suggesting that Paul’s statement in Romans 14:17 (“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”) shows the ideal state of the three-part framework: life led well = righteousness (or love, as the authors explain); life going well = peace; life feeling well = joy. The authors emphasize that in this world, we ought to live in a state of striving toward a life that is loving/righteous, peaceful, and joyful—but because we live in conditions that are not entirely conducive to the perfect realization of this ideal, we experience the flourishing life in the presence of suffering and incompleteness. Our life on any given day might be full of joy, but even in the midst of that glimpse of the perfect flourishing life, we also mourn those who are not at all joyful. This isn’t because the joy is false or fleeting, but simply because we are still in the “not yet.”

This is such a brief and inadequate overview, and the book discusses a number of other topics (including whether religion is inherently violent; ways Christianity can claim universality and yet also peacefully coexist with other very different worldviews; and how the lives of theologians ought to strive to model the kind of flourishing life their theology articulates). It’s too much to summarize, but it’s all really good. For the Life of the World is a book I look forward to returning to regularly, and I’m also excited to read more by Miroslav Wolf.

To many theology is a rather irrelevant and esoteric exercise with no real world application. As one who is trained as a theologian (historical theology), I would beg to differ. Despite my protests, I expect most would continue with prior assumptions. Miroslav Volf and Matthew Croasmun have written a powerful response to those who suggest that theology has little to offer the modern world. In doing so, they recognize that the study of theology is a moment of deep crisis. Seminaries are in decline, making it more difficult for those trained in theology to get positions. Seminaries are in decline because the churches that relate to them are in decline. As a result we either long for a lost era of importance or settle in and teach classes and go about our business, but is this the way it should be?

"For the Life of the World" is written as a manifesto by theologians who believe that theology should and can make a difference in the world. While theology is, at one level, about God, and theology is engaged in for the sake of God, it is not for God's benefit that we do this, as God does not need theology. Theology, done for God's sake, leads, in their estimation to the flourishing life. In other words, this is an extension of Volf's earlier work [b:Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World|25246846|Flourishing Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World|Miroslav Volf|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427756222s/25246846.jpg|44966718]. While this isn't a popularization of the earlier book, it is geared differently, in that the focus is on the value of Christian theology and not religion in general to a life that is good or lived well.

The authors begin in chapter 1 with the premise that "Christian theology has lost its way because it has neglected its purpose." That purpose is "to discern, articulate, and commend visions of flourishing life in the light of God's self-revelation in Jesus Christ" (p. 11). This God's primary concern, and thus it should be true of theologians. As laid out in chapter 1, the "human quest" is for the flourishing life, that is abundant life or the good life, a life that is worth living. Theology done right helps orient us toward that form of life as is understood in light of Jesus. This is something the church could engage in, but rarely does.

The question of the human quest leads in chapter 2 to "the crisis of theology." The crisis is related to the way in which theology is pursued, largely in academic contexts, where theologians essentially write for colleagues. By theology, Volf includes the broader theological faculty, including biblical studies, church history, ethics, ministerial arts, not just systematics. Part of the problem is the job market, which is shrinking, and thus those with positions must focus on keeping them, while those without jobs must focus on gaining credentials to get that job. As noted earlier, seminaries are shrinking, because the services of their students are finding it difficult to find work (shrinking churches). I understand all of this well, having trained for the academy, but have spent my life in the church (not that I'm complaining, but it wasn't my original intention). While all of this is an external crisis, there is the internal one, the loss of vision and forgotten purpose. The authors go into some detail as to the reasons for this, which I found compelling and worth looking at closely. In the end, they note the cost of being a theologian -- both in training and in actually engaging in the work. So why bother?

The remainder of the book is a response, an argument for why theology matters. Remember this is a manifesto. It is a call for the renewal of theology by rediscovering the purpose of theology, which is the flourishing life. They make a bold declaration, which will get pushback. That is, "Christian theology shouldn't be mainly about God because the mission of God isn't mainly about God" (p. 64). It's not primarily about redemption either, whether we mean forgiveness of sins or freedom from oppression. Those might be central to the quest, but they are not the goal. You might say that the goal is the realm or kingdom of God, that is, finding our home in God. As Augustine reminds us, we are restless until we rest in God. That would be the focus of theology.

If the work of theology is to understand and live into the life of flourishing, a life that is fully rooted in our relationship with God as revealed in Christ Jesus, that raises a problem. That problem, as outlined in chapter four is "The Challenge of Universality." If we affirm the premise that there is one God, who is revealed in the incarnation, then what of other faith traditions? It's not so much a matter here of exclusivism, as it is of inclusivism. What they note in this chapter is that universalisms are contested visions. With that as a starting point, they believe that it is possible to advocate for this vision while peacefully coexisting and working with those having different visions of the divine reality. They also understand that even within Christianity there is the matter of particularity. I found this to be an important chapter, that helps me think through how I as a committed Christian and follower of Jesus can engage with partners in life's work who come from other faith traditions. Central here is the recognition, as the authors note, that there can be no absoluteness in our claims. The particularities of our claims rules out such absolutes. Theology, therefore must, if it is to contribute to the quest for the flourishing life, take into consideration the pluralism of our realities.

Remembering that this is a manifesto for the renewal of theology by reengaging with its purpose (not simply as an academic institution), the authors remind us that theology needs to be connected to life. It is a way of living, that involves faith seeking understanding, but more than this. They put this task this way: execution of the central theological task requires a certain kind of affinity between the life the theologian seeks to articulate and the life of the prophet seeks to lead" (p. 118). They go into some detail as to what this means. Again, it relates to a flourishing life.

The final chapter offers a "vision of flourishing life." That vision is finding our home in Christ, who is the dwelling place of God, so that we might be part of the church which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. They speak of form and content. They do so in conversation with Paul. The focus here is on the "teleios," the perfect as it's often translated in 1 Corinthians 13. The kingdom is the form, while the content is defined in terms of love, peace, and joy, or in terms of the "life led well" (righteousness, which is love); the "life going well" (peace -- right relationships), and finally "life feeling as it should (joy). Peace and joy are not fully experienced in this life, but love is always to be pursued as the foundation of peace and joy. All are understood to be the gift of the Holy Spirit.

As a theologian, I find this manifesto to be compelling and encouraging. The crisis we find ourselves in won't end soon. The traditional centers of theology will continue to struggle, and yet if we will take hold of this vision we may reclaim its value. Theology in other words is more than a science or a means of study, it is a vision of flourishing. That is worth engaging in. The book is accessible though not easy to read. This is not popular religion, and so it will take committed effort, but it is more than worth the effort.

A word about the title, the authors acknowledge that they borrowed it from Orthodox Alexander Schmemann, because, in their words, "in our own way, we share both Schmemann's sacramental vision of the word as the site of communion with God and his opposition to either seeking refuge from the world in God alone or to employing God as tool to improve the world according to our own preset plan" (p. 190). That is a good summation of their vision.

Read for Systematic Theology taught by Prof. Volf, Spring 2020 at Yale Divinity School. I enjoyed this introduction to Volf's theology of a flourishing life. My only concern is whether it places Christianity as the only path toward flourishing life. I didn't feel like that was regularly enough addressed.