Miroslav VolfKirja-arvosteluja

The book is written by three Christians who teach a course at Yale on what matters most. If I were attending Yale, I would definitely not waste my time with this course. The authors give lip service to other ideas and philosophical views but actually seem to be justifying their preference for the Christian faith. I was disappointed by the biased viewpoint and the lack of any meaningful information.

Given to Matthew Hayes - 05/11/2023

Given to Matthew Hayes - 05/04/2023

Deeply thoughtful.½

Begins with careful explanation of giving, to others and where God fits in, then moves on to forgiving, and being forgiven. The writing is methodical but this makes it too long to be of wide appeal but if you persist there is a very good explanation of satisfaction atonement and unity with Christ. Good interaction with modern literature and films, final chapter addressed, (a bit late), to a sceptic about the very idea of God. Ends up recommending Paul and especially Luther's understanding of him.

In this work, Volf continues the project begun in “Exclusion and Embrace” and “Free of Charge,” which is to offer a theological account of the idea of Christian forgiveness as it relates to contemporary culture. His specific goal in this work is to discuss the place of the memory of wrongs in the context of forgiveness. Perhaps the simplest way to summarize the argument is as an explanation and defense of the old saw, “forgive and forget,” as an accurate picture of Christian forgiveness.
For Volf, the problem to be solved is the fact that, if it means anything, the Cross of Christ means that BOTH victims AND perpetrators can find forgiveness and reconciliation…not just with God, but with one another. This, of course, requires that the wrongs that exist between them must be “done away with.” Volf sets himself to explain, in detail, how this process works in a way that does not violate morality (by gutting the action of its “wrongness”) or justice (by letting the action go unpunished). As one would expect, theologically and ethically, this is a rather involved question.
One move that Volf makes at the beginning is to ground the whole discussion in traumatizing experience he had in the Yugoslavian army of being interrogated by a captain in the security service (known throughout the book as “Captain G”) for anti-Communist sympathies. The accusations were eventually dropped, but the wounds from that experience remained. This book, then, is not some sterile “thought experiment” but a sort of testimony to the way in which Volf has worked through his own status as victim to come to forgive and reconcile with his victimizer. Volf’s honesty about his own struggles provides the work some very necessary “groundedness” to make the discussion relatable and the argument compelling.
Two interrelated points about forgiveness/reconciliation seem to ground the entire work:
1) That forgiveness requires, first of all, full admission of the wrong action on the part of the perpetrator. “Forgive & forget” is often a code-phrase for repression of painful memories which is the precise OPPOSITE of what Christian forgiveness requires. For forgiveness and reconciliation to occur, evil must be fully exposed to light.
2) That forgiveness is a lengthy process that cannot be fully completed until the Final Reconciliation (Volf’s term for the end of human history that encompasses both the “Last Judgment” so popular in Christian eschatology and Volf’s proposed “Final Embrace”).
Within that broad framework, Volf makes a number of other significant points about the forgotten aspects of forgiveness such as, for example, the victim’s tendency to elide their own shortcomings/wrongdoings in their attempt to vilify the perpetrator or the perpetrator’s tendency to avoid confessing the evil of their actions by contextualization. All in all, Volf demonstrates the multitude of ways in which human sinfulness can “derail” the conciliatory process and how the Cross of Christ, when fully understood disallows these shortcuts.
There were a couple elements that caught me by surprise. One was Volf’s approach to the question of “universalism.” Fair warning: there’s a better than fair chance Volf is a universalist. But he attempts to artfully dodge the question by referencing Hans Urs von Balthasar’s “Dare We Hope that All Men Be Saved?” I could wish he would have staked out that ground more clearly, even if, in the end, I would have been forced to disagree with his conclusion. Another surprise was the way in which he demonstrated how the contemporary focus on the need for permanence of memory related to Modernity’s “anthropological” shift. In brief: if identity is found “within” (provided by an individualized sense of purpose) rather than “without” (provided by the communities with which one is associated), then memory becomes identity’s essence—to forget a wrong, then, is to become a “shrunken self” (Volf’s phrase). But the claim of Christianity is that our identity is not found within US but within CHRIST…which is what makes it possible to forgive—and ultimately forget—evils and wrongs.
Volf, as always is remarkably clear, remarkably well- and widely-read, and remarkably practical while not sacrificing theological depth or logical rigor. It is a work both inspiring and convicting, challenging us with a grand vision of the hope of reconciliation that must once again grasp our hearts, if we are to truly see the coming of God’s Kingdom in this broken and violent world.

An academic work for theologians in academia to consider their craft and its relationship to the world.

The work is a collaboration between two theologians, one of whom is very prominent in the discipline. They explore how one can evaluate the value of a person who goes through the experience of getting a Ph.D in theology and then works in the field, and displays why it does not make good financial sense according to the metrics of the modern economy or valuation of knowledge resources. The authors exhort theologians to consider how they can provide substantive value, and they encourage them to find such value in focusing on what it means to embody flourishing life.

The rest of the work is consumed with the exploration of what the flourishing life in Christian theology looks like, rooted in what God has accomplished in Christ and in which His followers should participate. They exhort theologians to embody the life of the Christian themselves, pushing back against the modern distinction between the character of the teacher and the substance of what is taught. They find the flourishing life in Christ rooted in Paul's description of what the Kingdom ought to be like in Romans 14: righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, and thoroughly exegete how this is so.

How revolutionary one finds this work will depend on how much one is saturated in the ivory tower of academia vs. the lived experience of Christian ministry. As one who seeks to proclaim Jesus the Lord of lords and King of kings while remaining conversant in theology, I found much to agree with but not much that would be "earth shaking." It might be more so for those who have imbibed more of the spirit of the modern academy.

The work is also heavy with theological and academic jargon, which is understandable in light of its primary audience, but a hindrance for those not conversant with such terminology. But for its primary audience, according to its primary purpose, a powerful and important work.

**--galley received as part of early review program

Summary: Contends that for theology to make a difference it must address what it means for human beings to flourish in the world "in light of God's self-revelation in Jesus Christ."

Miroslav Volf grew up in Tito's Yugoslavia. Matthew Croasmun cut his teeth in ministry in planting a church. For both, a lived theology was vital, and remains so in their current work with the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Their contention in this book is that "the purpose of theology is to discern, articulate, and commend visions of flourishing life in light of God's self revelation in Jesus Christ" (p. 11). They argue for an emphasis of the flourishing life as a fundamental human quest. In so doing they propose a tri-partite definition of the flourishing life: life led well (agential), life going well (circumstantial), and life feeling as it should (affective). Furthermore, they argue that this is a quest that has been neglected in the universities, in the church, and in the theological world.

Addressing this last, they make the case that theology, at least as it is done in the West, is in a state of crisis. It is facing a shrinking job market and a shrinking audience. Most theological books mainly are read by other theologians, and purchased by seminary libraries. It is also in crisis because of how it has conceived of itself, either as a "science" engaged in description (e.g.. religious studies) or as advocacy (either for historic orthodoxy or progressive causes) rather than engaged in "descriptive work in service of a normative vision of human flourishing" (p. 56).

But why human flourishing? Isn't theology about God, or about God's redemptive work in Christ? The authors do not dismiss these ideas but show how a theology of human flourishing encompasses these concerns. Yes, theology is about a God who created a world as his home where his creatures flourish, and who is working to consummate that purpose even though the world has been marred by sin and oppression. Redemption is vital in this process not as an end, but rather because it crucially begins the process that leads to the consummation of that process of God restoring a world where humanity flourishes in God's home.

One of the challenges that a theology for the life of the world faces is that of universality. It is a vision for not only individuals but for the world. The authors admit this and that such a vision will be contest by other visions. However, they argue the perspective inherent in the Christian vision allows for peaceful coexistence, collaboration, and learning from those who advocate other visions. Finally, they argue for room for a variety of particularities, for a kind of bounded improvisation within a normative vision.

Perhaps the richest part of this work was a chapter co-written with Justin Crisp on the life of the theologian, arguing for a fundamental alignment between thought and life. This means the life of a pilgrim marked by prolepsis, a striving toward a goal not yet fully realized in one's life, and ecstasis in the sense that the life they lead is in and through another, Christ, rather than belonging to them. The example of Luther is commended in a life lived in the tension of a theology of glory and a theology of the cross. The chapter concludes in naming the intellectual dispositions of a theologian: a love of knowledge, God, and the world; a love for our interlocutors; courage; gratitude and humility; and firmness--with a soft touch.

The authors conclude with their own vision of a flourishing life--not a full-fledged theology--but the contours one might look for. They focus on Paul's statement about the kingdom in Romans 14:17: For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. (NRSV). Harking back to their tripartite definition of human flourishing, they propose that righteousness (or love) characterizes the life well led; peace characterizes the life going well; and joy characterizes the life feeling as it should. This is the content of the life lived in an already/not yet kingdom--a life that calls and allows for improvisation. It is a life that affirms the created goodness of our life in the flesh, even while we long for the consummation of the resurrection and the new creation.

The authors address a concern I've long had that theology is for the world, and not meant to be confined to seminaries. I review many theological books that I hope people outside the seminary world will read. I believe good theology books help God's people flourish in his world, not because they contain a highfalutin version of "how to have your best life now" but because we desperately need to understand the story, the reality in which we live. Sadly, some, not all, of it is written primarily for other academics, even though the ideas are often important for the church and the world. I applaud the authors for naming this challenge and describing the attributes of those who pursue the noble work of doing theology "for the life of the world."

One concern I have about this work is that it doesn't address the vital need for a theology for the life of the world to be done by the theologians of the world. The discussion of the well-lived life is grounded in Western philosophy and has an individualistic feel even though the authors draw communal and societal implications. It would be intriguing to explore what Asian, African, Latino, and other theologians of color might contribute to an articulation of the contours of a theology of human flourishing.

The authors also talk about the tremendous cost of theological education in terms of graduate education and faculty salaries, wondering if it is worth it. The answer seems to be, "yes," if done for the world. But I wonder if this is possible given the structural factors that isolate the seminary both from the church and the rest of the academic world. Volf and Croasmun's work at Yale bridges a divide between seminary and academy. A growing movement advocating the importance of "pastor theologians" bridges the seminary-church divide. But how might the three come together to do what might be called "public theology" on the order of what figures like Paul Tillich and Reinhold Niebuhr engaged in during the 1950's?

The vision of flourishing life in God's home has the potential to take theology out of esoteric discussions to talk about ordinary life in the world--work, family, society, the physical environment and its care, concerns for justice, political life. It allows Christians to engage in public discussions about shared concerns for flourishing, and the distinctive contribution of that faith. Most of all, this work offers a searching challenge to all engaged in "academic theology" to consider toward what end they are working, and whether in the end their work addresses the fundamental human quest.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

What does theology have to do with the so-called real life? Are theologians doing anything other than splitting hairs? Volf and Bass, along with all the contributors to this volume argue that theology is intimately connected with life. This connection is discerned through the concept of practice.

"In general use, a practice is a dense cluster of ideas and activities that are related to a specific goal and shared by a social group over time. . . . Christian practices are patterns of cooperative human activity in and through which life together takes shape over time in response to and in the light of God known in Jesus Christ" (3).

By engaging in theological reflection on Christian practice, the contributors to this volume—all academic theologians—demonstrate how important theology is for living faithfully in a changing world.

The various essays in this volume reflect on a diverse range of practice including healing, hospitality, theological education, and worship. Tammy Williams is particularly insightful in her essay, “Is There a Doctor in the House? Reflections on the Practice of Healing in African American Churches.” By examining the practice of African American churches, she uncovers three models of healing: care, cure, and holism.

Volf closes the book by arguing that while “Christian beliefs normatively shape Christian practices, and engaging in practices can lead to acceptance and deeper understanding of these beliefs,” beliefs take logical priority.

"Since we identify who God is through beliefs—primarily through the canonical witness to divine self-revelation—adequate beliefs about God cannot be ultimately grounded in a way of life; a way of life must be grounded in adequate beliefs about God" (260).

Practicing Theology functions on two levels. On the ground level, each article has something insightful to say about Christian practice. On a higher level, the book shows that theology is not a withdrawal from the world but a way to engage the life and practices of the Christian community more deeply.

"Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.' And they cast lots to divide his clothing" (Luke 23:34 NRSV).

We all know that we should forgive each other. We even know how often—seventy times seven (i.e. unending forgiveness). The problem comes not with the knowing, but with the doing.

Miroslav Volf hit this crisis between knowing and doing after at the end of a lecture when Jürgen Moltmann stood and asked, "But can you embrace a cětnik" (9)? These Serbian fighters had been terrorizing and destroying Croatia, Volf's country. He was torn between "the blood of the innocent crying out to God and by the blood of God's Lamb offered for the guilty" (9). This question drove him to research and write Exclusion and Embrace.

Exclusion and Embrace is the best book on forgiveness that exists. Period. Volf used the image of the crucified God, arms outstretched with side pierced, to show how those who are offended can make space within themselves to embrace the other. This does not mean that the embraced are exonerated—they can be embraced "even when they are perceived as wrongdoers" (85). This, of course, is precisely how Jesus receives us.

Although written in 1996, this book feels tailored for today. In our culture of "truthiness," Volf writes of "Deception and Truth." As geopolitical tensions flair, Volf writes of "Oppression and Justice," "Violence and Peace." Even gender identity receives a chapter. It is stunning to see just how broad the theme of forgiveness reaches.

Every paragraph of Exclusion and Embrace is rich. Volf's writing is a dense and insightful mixture of philosophical acuity, psychological wisdom, and theological insight. Our world needs this book more now than ever.

A wide-ranging discussion of the author's viewpoints regarding various public policy issues and what he believes the Christian response should be.

The author seems at home in mainline Protestantism and his answers are shaped accordingly; one would expect some different answers from someone on the more conservative end of the spectrum. Such might call into question the entire enterprise; while the author does often grant "room for debate" in many of the issues, others would want to have that "debate" area a bit wider and to include some of the matters regarding which the author proves dogmatic. Thus, while it is certainly one professing Christian's view of where Christians should stand in terms of public policy, is it really something regarding which everyone can assent?

An interesting exploration based on the author's viewpoint. It will be likewise interesting to see how it ages.

Volf explores how it may be possible to embrace our enemy, speaking into the hatred, violence, and exclusion in the world today. His exploration arose out of the suffering of his people in the Balkans, and his own need to find answers...a path to something better. This was not an easy read as Volf is committed to the logic of his thought, and he has deep and widely-informed thoughts. It is the most worthwhile book I have read in a long time.

Excellent read. Scholarly, but with good information and not complicated. Relevant to me right now.

I've worked my way through this book in fits and starts over the past several months which hinders the task of "reviewing" a work. For those who want a brief synopsis of the text, Volf's afterword gives a great 4-point summation of the book's intentions:
> To present a "case for Christianity"
> To present a particular reading of the Apostle Paul
> To present a particular reading (in the Finnish tradition) of Martin Luther
> To do so in a way that bends and blends the categories of "theological" and "spiritual" writing

That's a good summation of what Volf accomplishes here, and the accomplishment is brilliant: He achieves that elusive point of being utterly convincing that he's broadly read and deeply studied...that he has truly mastered the content about which he writes (and since that content is the writings of Paul and Martin Luther, that is no small feat)...WITHOUT falling over into the over-explanation and "and furthermores..." that are the bane of most theologians.

This is a book that ANYONE can read with profit, including scholars of Paul and Luther. It is a gift from a master theologian with a fine sense of how to speak to the true issues of our day.

Miroslav Volf perceives the world on a deeper level than most. He has given time and thought to the theological lens through which he understands existence—something self-evident in all of his works.

Captive to the Word of God demonstrates this depth of perception. After an original essay which explains his method ("Reading the Bible Theologically"), this volume collects five essays written over the course of sixteen years. Each essay demonstrates a life and thought process infused with an understanding of God's Word.

Two essays stood out. In "Peculiar Politics: John's Gospel, Dualism, and Contemporary Pluralism," Volf undermines the so-called dualisms implicit in John's Gospel (dark/light, death/life, etc.) and demonstrates the various shades of grey. For example, What is the salvific status of Nicodemus? How can we hate the world if God loves the world? Volf then applies his understanding of the Gospel of John to our contemporary pluralistic-leaning society with penetrating observations and insight.

"Hunger for Infinity: Christian Faith and the Dynamics of Economic Progress" is another gem. Using the book of Ecclesiastes, Volf torpedoes the myth of process and reveals how our understanding of God has been co-opted to serve the "hamster wheel" of desire:

"Masters of subtle religious ideological manipulation engineered a gradual metamorphosis of the God of Jesus Christ into the god of this world. They were shrewd enough not to overdo it, however, The mask of the old God was retained; appearances must be kept up, you know." (170).

Volf is never easy reading, but a deliberate and careful reading pays dividends with this short collection of essays.

How are we going to live eternally with those we can't stand now?"

Couldn't finish this one. Easy to read, lots of thoughtful points and ideas made, interesting topic and I believe an important topic. But too much philosophizing going on to keep me engaged.

I want to believe him—I tried to believe him. In the end, Volf himself offered the argument (in order to refute it) that convinced me.

Let me rewind. My friend Brian Lachine pointed out that Volf always tells you precisely what he’s going to argue before he begins to write. This book is no different. In the introduction he laid out the main planks of his argument. Volf believes that although there are major differences in the way Christians and Muslims understand their monotheistic deity, there is sufficient overlap in their views to state that they worship the same God. This allows for a much healthier and respectful dialogue moving forward, especially as Muslims and Christians increasingly live together in the same countries.

Here are the areas of overlap between the Christian and Muslim views of God:

There is only one God
God created everything that exists
God is good
God calls us to love him
God calls us to love our neighbours

In addition to these points of unity, Volf wrote in depth on divisive issues like the Trinity and the Christian claim that God is love. His broad argument here is that anything most Muslims would deny about the Trinity would also be denied by orthodox Christians. He goes to the Sufi masters to show how there is a strong movement within Islam to describe their deity as merciful, if not love personified.

Here’s my problem: the main points of overlap Volf describes are areas that Judaism and Islam have in common. To be sure, Christians worship the same God as the Jewish people, but none of what makes Christianity distinct is covered by the Muslim view of God.

Christianity is centred on Jesus the Messiah, who made God the Father visible. Jesus identified with his creation and died for them. All this—what I understand as more central to the faith than more abstract dogma—is anathema to Muslims.

I respect what Volf’s doing. In an era defined by suspicion and news-worthy religious extremism, we need to learn how to love each other and to live together in a civil society. Furthermore, I learned a tremendous amount of history and theology from his book. Unfortunately, I remain unconvinced that Christians worship the same God as Muslims by the criteria Volf himself sets: sufficient overlap of beliefs and practice.½

Why Do We Hate Work?

Do you like your job? For most, the answer to that question is an unequivocal, “no”. What does it mean to work? Is it merely a means to an end – the exchange of labor for money? In Work in the Spirit, Miroslav Volf seeks to answer these questions.

In quest of a theological case for work, Volf splits his tome into two sections. In the first portion, Volf discusses current conceptions of work – mainly highlighting the difficulties of the modern employee – and continues by exploring the philosophical undertones of contemporary work through the thought of Adam Smith and Karl Marx.

In the second section, Volf posits a theological significance for work. Theologians throughout history have considered work instrumentally important since it not only provides resources that allow humans to pursue leisurely goods but also offers support for those pursuing vocational work, such as pastoral ministry and caring for the poor.

Pnematology: The Study of the Spirit

Volf, however, argues that work possess more than an instrumental purpose; it carries a pneumatological function. As such, work offers a vocational and intrinsic purpose as an end in itself. Under this rubric, the Spirit of God gifts humans in different ways and through these means, humans find specific callings in the workforce.

Sadly, work for the majority of the human population is classified as toilsome. Structurally, work tends to alienate and exploit. Under these premises, it is easy to see why so many view work as a means rather than an end – who wants to endure toil for its own sake?

The Classic Christian View of Work

Thinkers throughout Christian tradition, however, agree that work possesses useful qualities.

Volf writes,

“The early church fathers affirmed not only the nobility of work but also the obligation to work diligently and not be idle” (72).

Under these conditions, work only maintained instrumental value; it provided opportunities to increase ascetic discipline and it presented Christians with money to sustain the household and assist those in need.

Work through the Lens of the New Creation

Suppose, however, that the eschatological future is not a world annihilated and rebuilt, but a restoration of existing creation.

Volf posits,

“If [creation’s] destiny is eschatological transformation, then, in spite of the lack of explicit exegetical support, we must ascribe to human work inherent value, independent of its relation to the proclamation of the gospel” (93).

If consummation arrives not in destruction but in restoration, the value of human work becomes critical for Christians. The faithful ought not to remain in expectant leisure awaiting God’s return; they are entrusted with the care of creation.

Work, then, is a gift of God that is inherently good; it existed before the fall when God entrusted the garden to Adam and Eve, maintained after the fall, and glorified in the transformation of new creation.

Work in the Spirit

For Volf, a pneumatological view of work is the way in which humans find purposeful work in the transformative new creation. Concerning vocation and the work of the Spirit, He writes:

“We can determine the relationship between calling and charisma in the following way: the general calling to enter the kingdom of God and to live in accordance with this kingdom that comes to a person through the preaching of the gospel becomes for the believer a call to bear the fruit of the Spirit, which should characterize all Christians, and, as they are placed in various situations, the calling to live in accordance with the kingdom branches out in the multiple gifts of the Spirit to each individual” (113).

In other words, the gifts granted by the Spirit orient Christians toward specific vocational work. Under this conception, work, while remaining under the fall, encounters meaning through the Spirit as human beings labor in cooperation with God. By reflecting on the gifts God has given, Christians find more meaning in work and in the community.

The Body Does Not Consist Entirely of Hands

On the whole, I find Volf’s theological reframing of work’s purpose to be convincing. As Paul discusses in Corinthians, the Spirit gifts Christians in specific ways allowing the communal body of Christ to function well.

As such, not every Christian is a hand. If each person tried to fulfill the work of the hand, the community would suffer. Therefore, it is ideal to place people in work scenarios that suite their specific vocational gifts.

Are We Capable of Working in the Spirit?

Nevertheless, trouble arises with Volf’s theological framing of work. Jobs, as they currently stand, are a scarce resource. With the worry of not working, many people accept a poorly-suited job for them because it is better than unemployment.

Additionally, job scarcity denies many people the opportunity to work in the fields that best apply to an individual’s specific Spirit-given gifts. For example, a talented musician, more than likely, will never become a professional musician. The demand for the position far exceeds the supply of jobs.

As such, the awarding of these jobs often result in factors outside of giving the job to the most gifted applicant – for example, politics, nepotism, and the almighty dollar are highly influential externalities in the job market.

Additionally, many people are denied jobs through lack of experience or education. Often times, employers look, first and foremost, at job experience. If an applicant who possesses perfectly-suited talent for the position but has little-to-no experience, he or she will not get the job.

Or, a brilliant person who lacked the economic resources to obtain an education will lose the job to a less-gifted-but-educated person.

While a pneumatological theology of work clearly is the ideal understanding of work, in current practice, work suffers from an imperfect application in a broken world. Ideally, people ought to search for the perfect job that fits with the Spirit-given gifts they possess. In reality, people must often settle for a job because they have the relevant experience and it is better than no job at all.

Despite this problematic question, Work in the Spirit critically discusses the value of work. While many think of it as a means to a leisurely end, Volf argues that a pneumatological understanding of work allows humanity to be liberated to choose jobs that fit specific gifts. I recommend this book.

Originally published at http://wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com/.

An exploration of the questions of how we can find the motivation to give in our increasingly graceless culture and how we can learn to forgive when forgiving seems counterintuitive or futile. Volf draws from popular culture and from a wide variety of literary and theological sources to provide us this compelling invitation to Christian faith as a way of life.

Good stuff! One of these books that are easy to read but then need reread because there is so much in them - Volf is like that.

This book was written out of Volf's experiences and observations in war-torn Croatia. It is both stimulating and challenging.

One of the densest books on my shelf, but it should be. Volf doesn't flinch from the harsh realities of his topic. I'm amazed by the way he can look at the whole of systematic theology and relate it to his topic. Perhaps the most important theological work I've read in years given the situation in which my country (the US) finds itself after September 11.

Engaging treatment of giving and forgiving. Volf shows what theology should be: he draws from Scripture, tradition, history, and his personal life in a playful and sober way while exploring his topics. While the discussion can touch on emotional topics, Volf never employs cheap sentimentalism or manipulation. More accessible than Exclusion and Embrace, though not as hard-hitting.½

Best theological writing I have read in years. I especially recommend it to forward thinking theologians and ministers.½