By now, it's no secret that I'm a fan of world-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf. I discovered Volf because of my life for for Jurgen Moltmann, under whose guidance Volf received two advanced degrees.

If you know me well, you likely know that John Hiatt has long been one of my favorite musical artists. Over many years, Hiatt's music has served as a healer in my life and as a constant companion. In many ways, the same is true for the theological writing of Miroslav Volf.

With "The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse" explores why ambition is at odds with the Christian faith and why the quest for superiority has negative consequences in pretty much all areas of our lives.

Volf has long been recognized as a bridge-building theologian. I first discovered him with "End of Memory" and have devoured his writings ever since. He was a theologian to whom I reached out after a limb loss a few years ago (and he actually responded!). As it was for many, Volf's "Exclusion and Embrace" was a life-changing book.

Here, Volf writes accessibly and in a way I found somewhat convicting about how we can achieve excellence instead of striving for superiority. Furthermore, he dives into how we can end the cycle of feeling inferior to others while also pursuing a humbler way of living. He does a deep dive into how Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul all talk about the cost of ambition and drives hime again and again that seeking to be better than others is at odds with key Christian convictions.

Gently and with tremendous wisdom, Volf guides us toward excellence without that excellence needing to be better or the best. Time and again throughout "The Cost of Ambition," I found myself resonating with Volf's words and reflecting upon those areas of my life where the desire for superiority seems to cause me to surrender less and seek to control more.

I've never experienced a Volf writing that I didn't truly love. The same is true here. A relatively brief writing, "The Cost of Ambition" arrived at a time only weeks after my ordination as a deacon and my occasional overwhelming feeling I should "prove" myself and strive to be "best." Instead, I think Volf would say, I should strive for excellence and serve God with all my heart, mind, body, and soul surrendered to how I am to serve.

As always with Volf, perfect timing for yet another wonderful book from one of my very favorite authors.

A warning against the competitive "up and to the right" mindset that so many of us have adopted. Lots to think about here.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse by Miroslav Volf is an excellent and readable contribution that should hopefully find an audience both among lay parishioners and professional academics. Volf’s basic premise begins with a simple claim that the striving to better ourselves for superiority over another is a moral evil. Volf begins his book by describing the difference between striving for excellence (an exercise that is devoid of value statements) and striving for superiority (in which one strives for excellence so as to be perceived better than others). Volf comes in his introduction to make the claim that the purpose of his book is not so much to just look at how striving for superiority may cause social discord or potential advancement, but rather how it creates moral evils in us. The body of the book then contains 4 self-contained chapters that each examine an academic and their writing on this topic it across several disciplines. Volf begins with Kierkegaard, specifically honing in on his piece The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air. In Volf’s reading of Kierkegaard, he notes all of the ways in which the theme of jealous comparison works in the interaction of the Lily and the Bird. This of course leads t the eventual downfall of the Lily as it succumbs to the fatal wound of jealousy. The third chapter then moves to discussing the role of superiority in Satan and Eve in Milton’s depictions of them in Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained. The last two chapters of the book center in on the Apostle Paul and his writings on superiority in Romans, Philippians, and 1-2 Corinthians. His theological insight here is erudite and well-reasoned. The book then ends with a concluding chapter on the theme of superiority in the Gospels and Hebrew Scriptures and a short list of summative statements.
Volf crafts an engaging and exciting book that left me wanting more. Ultimately, I am not equipped to comment on the quality of his interpretation of Kierkegaard and Milton, but I am able to vouch for the quality of his use of Paul and the Hebrew Scriptures. As I walk away from this book, I am struck by the unadulterated call Volf leaves his reader with to imitate Christ and in kenotic fashion, divest themselves of their innate and sinful need for superiority over one another. Living in Western Capitalism, we have not only made a god to competition and strength, but also made it a necessity. I hope this book will encourage other readers to deeply consider that the call of Christ leads us to divest ourselves for the need of superiority. The need to have more. The need to accomplish more. The need to be seen as better. It all fades in the vision of Christ’s kingdom. Ultimately, The Cost of Ambition is high, according to Volf, but this well-reasoned book has left much food for thought as it brings together three unlikely conversation partners to provide a tentative way forward. I love this book.