A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good

I've been meaning to review this book for quite some time now, but it took longer to read it than I thought it would. At just over one hundred fifty pages (not counting the notes section), it is not that long of a read. The point of it taking me longer to read than anticipated was my feeling "over my head" quite often. There are over two-hundred references noted in the book and most of them unknown or unread by me. It was necessary for me to put the book down on more than a few occasions to reflect and research on what I had read. I must say it was worth my time and worth every minute of my effort. I appreciate the challenge the book was for me to read and I appreciate the challenge to me personally with the call to exercise and integrate my faith in ways and in places I might not have been so eager to enter previous to reading Volf's thesis in A Public Faith.Volf relates the sum of the premise for this volume in his introduction stating; "My contention in this book is that there is no single way in which Christian faith relates and ought to relate to culture as a whole. The relation between faith and culture is too complex for that. Faith stands in opposition to some elements of culture and is detached from others. In some aspects faith is identical with elements of culture, and it seeks to transform in diverse ways yet many more. Moreover, faith's stance toward culture changes over time as culture changes. How, then, is the stance of faith toward culture defined? It is--or it ought to be--defined by the center of the faith itself, by its relation to Christ as the divine Word incarnate in the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." It is with this contention that Volf seeks to explore three questions he poses within the pages of A Public Faith. The questions follow:1. In what ways does the Christian faith malfunction in the contemporary world, and how should we counter these malfunctions (chapter1-3)?2. What should be the main concern of Christ's followers when it comes to living well in the world today (chapter 4)?3. How should Christ's followers go about realizing their vision of living well in today's world in relation to other faiths and together with diverse people with whom they live under the roof of a single state (chapters 5-7)?Personally, I found chapter one, Malfunctions of Faith, fascinating. Volf frames this piece in a framework he calls "ascent and return" malfunctions and bases the discussion on the prophetic illustrations of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. To quote Volf's definition of these points, he describes ascent malfunctions as "the result from breakdowns in the prophet's encounter with the divine and reception of the message." He goes on to say, "Every ascent malfunction is at the same time a return malfunction." If my paraphrase is correct, the return malfunction further compromises the message or word of God by transforming it in their own name or in the name of some alien god... or god of their own making. This chapter is full of brilliant thinking I had previously been unexposed to; for instance, he describes the concept of idolatric substitution as one of the ascent malfunctions using the golden calf story from the Exodus narrative. It is introduction to some of these (for me) new concepts using stories I understand or am familiar with that was helpful in preparing me for the next chapters of the book. I will say again, this first chapter was fascinating to me.Chapter two continue with greater detail and explanation describing practical malfunctions of faith. Specifically, chapter two addresses the malfunction of idleness as it regards faith. Volf shares three main reasons for faith's idling: (1) for some people, the faith they embrace demands too much, so they pick and choose, as in a cafeteria, filling up their tray with sweets but leaving aside the broccoli and fish. (2) Believers find themselves constrained by large and small systems in which they live and work; to thrive, or even to survive, they feel that they must obey the logic of those systems, not the demands of faith they embrace. (3) Concerning the faith itself, the faith either is not applied to new circumstances or does not seem relevant to contemporary issues. Volf goes on to provide counters to idleness with suggestions on how we might understand and practice an active faith through blessing, deliverance, guidance, and meaning.I must admit I got a little bit bogged down in chapters three and four having to stop several times, put the book down, and really thing through what I was reading. I was relieved when Volf neared the end of chapter four with this summary recap of part one of the book:"Most malfunctions of faith are rooted in a failure to love the God of love or a failure to love the neighbor. Ascent malfunctions happen when we don't love God as we should. We either love our interests, purposes, and projects, and then employ language about God to realize them (we may call this "functional reduction"), or we love the wrong God (we may call this "idolatric substitution"). Return malfunctions happen when we love enither our neighbor nor ourselves properly--when faith either merely energizes or heals us but does not shape our lives so that we live them to our own and our neighbors' benefit, or when we impose our faith on our neighbors irrespective of their wishes.The challenge facing Christians is ultimately very simple: love God and neighbor rightly so that we may both avoid malfunctions of faith and relate God positively to human flourishing. And yet, the challenge is also complex and difficult..." (p.73)Amen. Complex and difficult indeed.Chapters five and six are two more extraordinary discourses on very practical applications of living the Christian faith in a pluralistic society. Chapter five, Identity and Difference, addresses the identity of the Christian within the context of a society or community. The context being realized as having an identity that is different from the mainstream of the community...remaining unique, being seen as different, but not being separate... able to contribute without being completely absorbed: This is my paraphrase. Volf summarizes his thoughts as follows; "To become a Christian means to divert without leaving. To live as a Christian means to keep inserting a difference into a given culture without ever stepping outside that culture to do so."Chapter six is titled Sharing Wisdom and also ranks as one of my favorite chapters of the book. Volf's ideas about sharing wisdom was affirming and convicting at the same time for me. The past few years has taught me much in the vein of what is shared in this chapter. I continue to be stretched in my faith and my learning to be Christ-like with teaching like I have found in this chapter. I think anyone reading this book will be stretched similarly if they can maintain an openness to hear what is shared in it.I think this is an important book; timely in nature, sobering and challenging in its message, and hopeful with its suggestions for correction. I pray it falls into right hands, leaders who are humble, intelligent, vocal, and confident about what God is doing in the world. I'll close my review with a final quote from Volf on "sharing wisdom.""Sharing religious wisdom makes sense only if that wisdom is allowed to counter the multiple manifestations of self-absorption by givers and receivers alike and to connect them with what ultimately matters--God, whom we should love with all our being, and neighbors, whom we should love as ourselves." (p.117)A great book; it may not appeal to a broad demographic, but for those who are willing to endure the challenges it presents, there is "much gold to be mined."

Volf's A Public Faith is a well-written and concise argument for what I will simplify (for purposes of this brief review) into two interrelated theses.The first is that the Christian faith, rightly understood and properly practiced, tends inherently towards peace and the public good. In arguing for this he must counter two tendencies: "malfunctions of faith" which produce a Christianity that does not work towards the public good, and those who believe that Christianity in particular or all religions tend inherently toward violence. Since he is specifically writing to Christians, he cannot necessarily lay out the sort of decisive and comprehensive case that could be made toward establishing that Christianity tends toward peace rather than violence (and he is not arguing that it has not historically been used violently), but I do not think anyone could reach the end of his book without at least being convinced that there are many Christians whose faith remains distinctly Christian while also inherently fostering peace and public well-being.The second thesis is that there is a middle way for religions to work together (in modern, pluralistic societies) toward the public good and mutual dialogue; this middle way excludes both of the following alternatives: emphasizing the distinctives of one's religion such that other contributions and ways of life are excluded, or emphasizing commonality to the extent that a religion's unique contributions are downplayed or forgotten, sometimes as a result of a theory of pluralism according to which all religions are merely husks of some more transcendentally shared religious truth. Volf's middle way is difficult to simplify (since, as he points out, it is often difficult to predict exactly how it will be practiced in given concrete situations), but in the case of Christians it involves believers practicing a "thick" faith, conscious of our specific truth and knowledge claims, but doing so in a way that is open, generous and loving towards other religious actors, and in a way that is ready to acknowledge and celebrate areas of overlapping commitment that will foster peace and the public good. Such an approach avoids both the Scylla and Charybdis of emphasizing distinctives to the exclusion of others or abandoning distinctives altogether.While he writes specifically for Christians, those familiar with Volf's work will recognize that he is intensely interested in interreligious dialogue and interfaith action for the public good, and he has written this partially (I think) so that non-Christians might be able to look in on how Christians think biblically about pluralism and the public good. If you are such a person, I think that you will walk away from this book encouraged that many who abuse the Bible publicly (such as Harold Camping or extreme fundamentalists) do not represent the last word on what it means to apply the Bible to contemporary situations. Volf's extensive footnotes help in this regard as well, if there are readers interested in seeing other thoughtful treatments of Scripture.Some believers may walk away from this book with the nagging feeling that Volf has not emphasized Christianity's distinctives enough, specifically with regards to the idea that salvation is exclusively made available through Jesus. He discusses this in the section on witnessing and sharing wisdom with the world, and it is clear that Volf understands Christianity to present itself as definitive wisdom over and against competing systems of thought; he does not apologize for this. But he is writing specifically for those interested in working towards the public good, advancing the thesis that Christianity's claims to truth lead to the practice of public pluralism and tolerance rather than totalitarianism. I think he is right, and I think his vision for the public practice of the Christian faith would both help clarify what it means to live Christianly (in a society in which that identity can increasingly mean whatever one desires it to mean) and help Christians in pluralistic societies navigate the fraught waters of relationships, love, and interfaith dialogue - so that we, like Christ, might truly become incarnate in the situations in which we find ourselves.This book is not long, but it is tightly written and fosters a great deal of reflection and dialogue. I highly recommend it.

This is a challenging read for all Christians - trouble is, those who need to read it maybe wont! If you think it's all about attending church on a Sunday - allow this book to change your mind - and your way of life!!

A thoughtful voice from orthodox but still innovative Christian theology. Serious about Christian's social responsibility.

No problems!!

It is the conclusion of this book that has been with me since reading it a few weeks ago. In this conclusion Volf discusses the speech President Obama gave in Egypt on June 4, 2009. In this speech Obama showed how his own faith was inspired and molded by the cultural and religious context he grew up in and - most importantly - did not loose its core meaning: his faith is still about Christ. Obama's faith, according to Volf, contains an appreciation for the religion of others and it even contains some of the heritage of the other religions he got in contact with.For me, that is the message of this book: it is perfectly possible to be a professing Christian and to love God with all your heart on the one hand, and be inspired and formed through discussions and debates (in all kinds of ways) with non-Christians on the other hand. Only by doing this will I be able to live with them in one and the same society, without judging those other people because they are different.In the chapters before the conclusion Volf tries to show why many followers of the Christian faith malfunction in a non-Christian culture. Although his findings are recognizable, they seem to be based on anecdotal evidence. The theological answers he offers in response to his findings are sound and thorough (albeit a bit short and thus condensed).He also discusses the question of what a Christian's main concern in the world ought to be: interestingly he does not propose that Christians ought to be evangelizing in the traditional sense of the word, instead he believes - and of course he gives some biblical arguments for this as well - that they should be working towards human flourishing, because in that way the good things of God come to us.In the last chapters before the conclusion Volf discusses an engaged faith. In these chapters he shows in a balanced way what it means for Christians to be a Christian in this culture and in this world. Fortunately, he does not only talk about how Christians ought to live in relation to non-Christians, but he also discusses what they ought to do in relation to their self. That, this piece of self-critique, is sorely missing in many other pieces on the role of Christians as Christians in society.All in all, Volf has written an interesting and thought-provoking book--hopefully, it also provokes some acts. At times the book is a bit short on arguments and embeddedness in well-researched examples, but in the light of the good ideas that are presented in it, that is not really a big problem.

Un texto bastante compacto, puntual, directo y claro, que muestra el camino para practicar la fe cristiana en el mundo actual, dejando fundamentalismos y abriendo el diálogo a la pluralidad, basado en el mensaje bíblico.