Hauerwas says, “Theology is not best understood as a system — narrative might have something to do with theology.” (emphasis is mine-p. 63). This book is a narrative you should not overlook.

This book is like a curry…you need to savor what is written here with the taste buds of your mind AND your soul. For Hauerwas, “theology is a discipline whose subject should always put in doubt the very idea that those who practice it know what they are doing.” (p.ix). Anyone who has the honesty to write this in the first paragraph of their memoir is worth reading further. I did — I’m glad I did — and you will too.

Hauerwas is a thinkers writer. He is also a writing thinker. You get the distinct impression the two are inseparable, as evidenced by the following:

“I believe what I write, or rather, by writing I learn to believe. But then I do not put much stock in “believing in God.” The grammar of “belief” invites a far too rationalistic account of what it means to be a Christian. “Belief” implies propositions about which you get to make up your mind before you know the work they are meant to do. Does that mean I do not believe in God? Of course not, but I am far more interested in what a declaration of belief entails for how I live my life” (p. x).

The book provides legitimate glimpses of what it means to be human, a person of faith, thoroughly seasoned with humility. Note the following: “It is not that I lack faith, but that I always have the sense that I am such a beginner when it comes to knowing how to be a Christian.” (pp.x-xi).

The style of the writing truly draws the reader in. You feel like a “friend” of the author as the reader. Near the end of the book, Hauerwas writes: Friendship is a central theme in my “work.” More importantly, friendship is a reality in my life.” (p. 286). You simply cannot tell a story like this one without having lived the truth of the previous statement. This fact permeates this work — provides a heartbeat, a pulse, a face, and a down to earth authenticity that cannot be manufactured. It is a memoir written from the heart.

There is something very central to this book for writers, as illustrated in the following: “My writing is exploratory because I have no idea what I believe until I force myself to say it. For me, writing turns out to be my way of believing. That my writing has taken primarily the form of essays is not only because of the exploratory character of my work, but also because, given my other responsibilities, essays have always seemed “doable.” P. 136. Another testimony about the essence of expression as a fundamental tool in building a meaningful life.

The courage of Hauerwas to write candidly, without unseemly self-loathing populates the text. Frank admissions like, “Thank God, however, that I have never gotten used to being a Christian. I think that is why I cry. I simply cannot get over what a surprising and wonderful life God has given me.” (p. 280).

This is not to suggest that the life of Hauerwas was not inhabited by incredible challenges he faced during his life. The relationship with his first wife Anne who struggled with severe mental health issues during their entire relationship is a shocking reality that is crafted with realism, dignity and love. The effects Hauerwas’s mental illness had on their son are terribly powerful. Hauerwas writes, “I think what is most destructive for living truthful and good lives is not what we do , but the justifications we give for what we do to hide from ourselves what we have done. Too often the result is a life lived in which we cannot acknowledge or recognize who we are.” (p.246) He goes on to note elsewhere, “Learning to live out of control, learning to live without trying to force contingency into conformity because of our desperate need for security, I take to be a resource for discovering alternatives that would otherwise not be present.” P. 137

Hauerwas is truly a Questian (although the term may be unfamiliar to him) as one might imagine from the following:

I wanted to change the questions because I thought these answers were suffocating the church. P. 209.

“When you are trying to change the questions, you have to realize that many people are quite resistant to such a change. They like the answers they have.” P. 208

The following is my absolute favorite excerpt:

When Christianity is assumed to be an “answer” that makes the world intelligible, it reflects an  accommodated church committed to assuring Christians that the way things are is the way things have to be. Such answers cannot help but turn Christianity into an explanation. For me, learning to be a Christian has meant learning to live without answers. Indeed, to learn to live in this way is what makes being a Christian so wonderful. Faith is but a name for learning how to go on without knowing the answers. That is to put the matter too simply, but at least such a claim might suggest why I find that being a Christian, makes life so damned interesting.  Pp. 207-208

His insights into the human condition and the life of faith populate the text throughout, as evidenced by the following tidbits:

You do not get to make Christianity up, and 1 have no desire to be original. If I represent a wholly different Christianity, I do so only because I have found a way to help us recognize as Christians what extraordinary things we say when we worship God. P. 135

Increasingly I have come to believe that “believing in God” is not a description that helps us know much about what it means to be Christian. P. 87.

Intellectually, my greatest strength is that there is nothing in which I am not interested. Intellectually, my greatest weakness is that there is nothing in which I am not interested. P. 12

Clearly demonstrated in this book, Hauerwas has lived a life that is true to the aforementioned excerpt. A marvelous gift to share forthrightly with others through this book.

This book is peppered with insights that will please the palates of a wide variety of literary diners. Hauerwas says he has “made a career of trying to think through the complexities and ambiguities of the relation between thought and behavior. And I can say with complete confidence that we are subtle creatures capable of infinite modes of self-deception.” (p.242).

Of course, how Dr. Hauerwas perceives himself, others and life around him were extremely precious to me. I truly enjoyed this work for a myriad of reasons. It’s a really well written story. The personal/human side of the book is forthrightly and honestly shared with the reader. The insights into the intellectual life, the academic environments of Notre Dame, Duke etc. are  invaluable for anyone considering the rigors of doctoral work in theology or the humanities.

The publisher (release date is May 2010) is William B. Eeerdsman Publishing Company of Grand Rapids, MI and Cambridge, U.K.

Congratulations to ALL! A truly incredible man, a marvelous journey — A testament to the truth that a life dedicated to learning blesses such a tremendous number of people — in ways the theologian has absolutely no comprehension regarding the magnitude of the positive impact.

Thank you Stanley Hauerwas! I am blessed by you and your life.