| Religious |
Summary
Summary
Flourishing people are strong and weak. Two common temptations lure us away from abundant living? Withdrawing into safety or grasping for power. True flourishing, says Andy Crouch, travels down an unexpected path?being both strong and weak. We see this unlikely mixture in the best leaders? People who use their authority for the benefit of others, while also showing extraordinary willingness to face and embrace suffering. We see it in Jesus, who wielded tremendous power yet also exposed himself to hunger, ridicule, torture and death. Rather than being opposites, strength and weakness are actually meant to be combined in every human life and community. Only when they come together do we find the flourishing for which we were made. With the characteristic insight, memorable stories and hopeful realism he is known for, Andy Crouch shows us how to walk this path so that the image of God can shine through us. Not just for our own good, but for the sake of others. If you want to become the kind of person whose influence leads to healthy communities, someone with the strength to be compassionate and generous, this is the book for you. Regardless of your stage or role in life, whether or not you have a position of leadership, here is a way of love and risk so that we all, even the most vulnerable, can flourish.
Author Notes
Andy Crouch (MDiv, Boston University School of Theology) is executive editor of Christianity Today and the author of books such as Culture Making and Playing God . Andy serves on the governing boards of Fuller Theological Seminary and Equitas Group, a philanthropic organization focused on ending child exploitation in Haiti and Southeast Asia. He is also a senior fellow of the International Justice Mission's IJM Institute. His writing has appeared in Time , The Wall Street Journal and several editions of Best Christian Writing and Best Spiritual Writing . Crouch served as executive producer for the documentary films Where Faith and Culture Meet and Round Trip , as well as the multi-year project This Is Our City, which featured documentary video, reporting and essays about Christians seeking the flourishing of their cities. He also sits on the editorial board for Books & Culture and was editor-in-chief of re:generation quarterly . He also spent ten years as a campus minister with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Harvard University. A classically trained musician who draws on pop, folk, rock, jazz and gospel, Crouch has led musical worship for congregations of five to twenty thousand. He lives with his family in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Reviews (1)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Crouch (Culture Making and Playing God), executive editor of Christianity Today, follows his previous studies with an eloquent and accessible study on the meaning of human flourishing. From a Christian point of view, he asks "What does it mean for human beings to be fully alive?" For Crouch, the answer lies in "the paradox of flourishing," the idea that being fully alive-and, indeed, fully human-depends upon our being able to hold together the apparently opposed qualities of strength and weakness as well as authority and vulnerability, which, he demonstrates, are all exemplified in the life of Christ. Timely, well-chosen stories-incidents of racism, tales of a family's suffering, thoughts on the phenomenon of faux vulnerability- illustrate his thesis. This brief book examines how vulnerability without authority and authority without vulnerability limit and distort human flourishing and connection, and offers both sophisticated theory and practical thoughts on ways that individual Christians can live spiritually balanced lives by embracing both strength and weakness. Agent: Kathryn Helmers, Creative Trust. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
