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A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good
Debates rage today about the role of religions in public life. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, various religions come to inhabit the same space. But how do they live together, especially when each wants to shape the public realm according to the dictates of its own sacred texts and traditions? How does the Christian faith relate in the religious pluralism...more
Hardcover, 174 pages
Published
August 1st 2011
by Brazos Press
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Miroslav Volf thinks about and teaches deep things. But they're all rooted in his understanding of God's graciousness, generosity, and gifts. That understanding is applied to the public sphere and our multicultural (multireligious) world. Volf makes a strong argument for recognizing and honoring the diversity of religions and their perspectives, while not necessarily giving up one's own deeply rooted way of being in the world. He's speaking to a non-violent pluralist way of faithing as integral...more
Miroslav Volf believes it is possible to be unapologetically Christian, or otherwise religious, in a pluralistic world without resorting to violence or, alternatively, isolating yourself into a cultural ghetto. He argues that Christians can choose a third way of seeking the public good while remaining faithful to the core values of their faith--the dignity of humans in the image of God, the servant way of Christ, the care of creation. Along the way, Volf also discusses why believing people have...more
I did lots of underlining in the first couple of chapters and much less toward the end as he worked out his thesis in practice. With the emergence of Rick Perry, Michelle Bachman, and Sarah Palin, with the ongoing legacy of Reed's Christian Coalition, Dobson's Focus on the Family and Pat Robertson, with 9/11 and the spread of militant Islam, I wondered what space a public faith could rightly occupy. Volf creates that space and challenges those who say religion should be privately held, that deci...more
"One way to make my point would be to say that accommodation happens whether you intend it or not; it is a given. Difference, as I understand it here, is an achievement, a conscious exercise in defining one's identity around the center of faith in dynamic give-and-take with surrounding cultures by practicing the love of God and love of neighbor. The positive result of both de facto accommodation and conscious drawing of permeable boundaries is inculturation—an expression of the Christian faith i...more
Volf provides a tour of Christian social ethics that walks a middle path among the various schools of thought. While brief and written in a plain, almost casual style, there is much here to mull over. His basic message is captured in the "Two Noes and One Yes" section on pp. 93-97. After arguing that the way Christians confront society is via their personal difference from the mainstream of society (the Christian is always different than a culture without being completely separate from it), he s...more
Needed contribution from a careful thinker on the interplay of faith's relationship to culture.
Much of the literature on this topic is overdrawn and lacks nuance. Not so with Volf. He refuses to be pinned down by any of Niebuhr's categories of Christ and Culture. (In fact Volf's lack of reference at all to such formal categories is a dismissal of such a rubric.) He refuses to be carried away either by the Eeyore-like pessimism of the isolationists or the pollyanish optimism of the transformati...more
Much of the literature on this topic is overdrawn and lacks nuance. Not so with Volf. He refuses to be pinned down by any of Niebuhr's categories of Christ and Culture. (In fact Volf's lack of reference at all to such formal categories is a dismissal of such a rubric.) He refuses to be carried away either by the Eeyore-like pessimism of the isolationists or the pollyanish optimism of the transformati...more
Miroslav Volf's latest book A Public Faith is a necessary read for Christians wishing to be present in public. Volf speaks to Christians, encouraging them to be present in public, serving the common good. There are, he says two poles to avoid, a private, idling faith, that is focused on what happens inside the person or the religious edifice, and one that is coercive -- seeking to impose its vision on the broader public. As to the latter he uses the figure of Sayyid Gutb, whose philosophy underg...more
Volf at his best. He wants to make Christian communities more comfortable with being just one of many players in a pluralist societies. That means being hospitable to other religious voices as well as secular ones, not backing off on our own convictions but respecting other points of view and looking for common ground when there are disputes. He calls it learning to share religious wisdom well. This man should be our teacher.
A crisply reasoned book which demonstrates some very deep thinking on the part of Volf. The book is philosophical rather than applied but provides a clear overarching framework for integrating Christian faith into public life. Volf addresses objections and pitfalls in doing this and shows how when properly understood and applied Christianity offers a multi-level vision for human flourishing to society.
American Muslims are really good guys because they are much more democratic (and American) in their beliefs than their crazy kin over in Afghanistan. "Serving the common good" for Volf basically means make Christ subservient to the gods of the common good. This book was pretty much an argument for political polytheism and polytheistic pluralism wrapped in a Christian cover.
Mildly disappointing but still helpful in many places. Chapters 1-3, and 7 were best. Chapters 4 and 6 were weak.
Some smarmy liberal comments here. I like Volf but he can't get away from his previous book, Allah, in this one.
Generally agree with his take on culture; but prefer Hunter.
Some smarmy liberal comments here. I like Volf but he can't get away from his previous book, Allah, in this one.
Generally agree with his take on culture; but prefer Hunter.
A wonderful reflection on the theological and existential significance of work. I used it for a lecture that I am giving as part of the University of Stellenbosch Winter school.
I liked the way this book helped me to articulate what it means to be a person of faith in the public sphere.
Volf makes compelling statements about the Christian aims for the world we live in. I had lots of underlining and was both challenged and encouraged by this book. Good, thoughtful read.
Great book on the interaction of faith and society, and on religious pluralism.
Volf writes a challenging work on taking the Gospel into the public square.
A wonderful introduction to thinking about the intersection of faith and life.
Remarkable and deep--it will require more than one reading. I thought the message would be about politics and religion--instead it was about forgiveness and repentance.
The first chapter alone was helpful, but this is a good series of reflections by someone who cares for and appreciates America, but retains an international and outside perspective.
Read about half in Apr 2012.
Dec 26, 2012
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Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. “One of the most celebrated theologians of our time,” (Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury), Volf is a leading expert on religion and conflict. His recent books include Against the Tide: Love in a Time of Petty Dreams and Persisting Enmities,...more
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Apr 30, 2012 04:38pm