Randy
Harris. Life Work: Confessions of an Everyday Disciple. Abilene, TX: Leafwoord Publishers, 2014. 157 pp.
$13.99.
Ethics
is rarely a fun subject. Regardless of
whether it is at a state university or a seminary, there is something
inherently dreadful about having a discussion with other members of humanity about
living well. This is not simply a matter
of living in a pluralistic or secular society; it is genuinely difficult to
tell someone else how to live. Why? This simple reason: none of us are completely
capable of being ethical 100% of the time.
We break our own rules, not to mention how often we break the ethical
imperatives of scripture.
Randy
Harris, in this final volume of his “work” trilogy (Soul Work, God Work and now Life
Work), lets us in on a little secret about why we dread ethics so much—we get
wrapped up in keeping the rules than focusing on how to life ethically. He says that the problem is that we have made
living ethically too difficult, and his goal in Life Work is to offer “a particular way of doing ethics from
Scripture that makes sense” (p. 13). That
particular way, according to Harris, is pluralistic deontology, which is
basically an approach that says there are some actions that are always right or
always wrong and that we have multiple duties to fulfill. The problem, Harris says, occurs when these “duties
come in conflict with each other” and we “have to decide which of those duties
is going to trump the other one” (p. 31).
However, Harris believes firmly that this approach to ethical living and
Christian practice can be accomplished and lead to a meaningful life.
Harris
sets forth his argument in four units of thought—ethics (chapters 1-4), cruciformity
(chapters 5-9), learning from other Christians (“fellow travelers,” chapters
10-12), and shalom (chapters 13-14). The
chapters in the book, according to Harris, are presentations that have been
reworked for this volume. As such,
Harris’ folksy, humorous speaking style flows through the pages of each
chapter. If you have ever heard him
speak, you can close your eyes and almost see him in his black t-shirt and
black jeans with his pocket Bible in hand speaking with a big smile on his
face. The opening chapters look at
various approaches to ethics, boiling relativism and utilitarianism down to
their base parts and then discarding them in favor of the basic principles of
what Harris calls “a minimally decent ethic.”
He then unpacks his concept of pluralistic deontology in the next
section by focusing on how Christians can live a “cruciformed” (or cross-shaped)
life by practicing the disciplines of not being easily distracted, not
reacting, and dying happy. This section
is followed by a series of examples of both living and dead Christians who have
lived according to these various principles.
I found chapter 12 especially challenging because Harris lays himself
bare for the reader by giving us his personal ethic. The book concludes with a couple of chapters
devoted specifically to developing and implementing the Old Testament concept
of shalom in contemporary
culture. The book is marvelously
engaging at every turn. You may not
always agree with Harris, however you cannot ignore his ardent devotion to his
faith. As a result, you will be enriched
by reading this volume.
As
fine as this volume is, there are, however, a couple of minor flaws that need
to be highlighted. As a reviewer, it is
my responsibility to point on problems, great and small, that I see with the
volume. In some cases, the theological
argument is so flawed it is almost heretical.
In some cases, the research conducted does not justify the author’s
conclusions. In the case of Life Work, my critique comes more on the
technical side. His content, as noted
above, is marvelous engaging. His comments
are challenging and pastoral at the same time, much like his preaching (and I would
imagine his work with college students).
My issue, then, is small yet necessary: there’s no bibliography! There are several places where Harris will
reference an author or a work (without naming the author), tell us how
wonderful the book is and how it relates to his discussion, then move on to his
next topic without even so much as a footnote.
For example, Harris writes, “One of my favorite recent books is Punk Monk by these guys in England who
have a prayer renewal think going among young people” (p. 128). As one is always looking for something good
to read, it would have been helpful if just a simple list of cited works had
been included.
Other
than this technical matter, I thoroughly enjoyed Life Work, and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a
good book on Christian spiritual formation.
Specifically for college educators, I think this would be a wonderful
addition to either a college-level spiritual formation or basic course in
Christian ethics. It would also make an
excellent resource for a small group study (to which I would also add Harris’
previous book Living Jesus, from ACU
Press). There is plenty here to have a
good discussion on.
Rob
O’Lynn, ABD
Assistant
Professor of Preaching and Ministry
Kentucky
Christian University
Disclosure
of Material Connection: I received this book free from ACU Press/Leafwood
Publishers as part of their ACU Press Bookclub Program. I was not required to write a positive
review. The opinions I have expressed are
my own. I am disclosing this in
accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides
Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
