For the Life of the World
Theology That Makes a Difference
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Christianity Today 2020 Book Award (Award of Merit, Theology/Ethics)
Outreach 2020 Recommended Resource of the Year (Theology and Biblical Studies)
The question of what makes life worth living is more vital now than ever. In today's pluralistic, postsecular world, universal values are dismissed as mere matters of private opinion, and the question of what constitutes flourishing life--for ourselves, our neighbors, and the planet as a whole--is neglected in our universities, our churches, and our culture at large. Although we increasingly have technology to do almost anything, we have little sense of what is truly worth accomplishing.
In this provocative new contribution to public theology, world-renowned theologian Miroslav Volf (named "America's New Public Intellectual" by Scot McKnight on his Jesus Creed blog) and Matthew Croasmun explain that the intellectual tools needed to rescue us from our present malaise and meet our new cultural challenge are the tools of theology. A renewal of theology is crucial to help us articulate compelling visions of the good life, find our way through the maze of contested questions of value, and answer the fundamental question of what makes life worth living.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Volf (Public Faith in Action), theology professor at Yale, and Croasmun (The Emergence of Sin), director of Yale's Life Worth Living program, assert that the contemporary discipline of theology is in crisis. The authors believe theological study has veered far from its essential purpose of promoting "true life in the presence of God" and label their book "a manifesto" that challenges readers to adapt their practice of theology, which addresses "the grand goal of God: fashioning each human and the entire world into God's home and our true home as well." The authors suggest that colleges, universities, and religious institutions now focus on equipping people to generate resources rather than undertake the search for truth and meaning, but they also insist that the world still requires a compelling theology "to discern, articulate and commend a vision of flourishing life." Though this work of erudite scholarship may prove challenging for the amateur theologian to navigate, Volf and Croasmun persuasively argue that faithfully practiced Christian theology can engage the challenges posed by scientific inquiry and other religious worldviews. For Bible scholars and theological historians, this fervent book will be sure to inspire conversations about the purpose of academic pursuits in theology.
