Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity

by Norman Wirzba

The pioneering scholar and author of Food and Faith and Living the Sabbath asserts that Christianity has slid off its rightful foundation, arguing that the faith only makes sense and can only be expressed in a healthy way if it seen as based on love, with a mission of training others in the way of love.

It’s often said that God is love, yet his message of compassion and caring for others is often overshadowed by the battles dividing us politically, culturally, and religiously. Why does Christianity matter if it isn’t about love? asks Duke University professor of Theology and Ecology Norman Wirzba.

The Way of Love invites readers to experience Christianity that is centered on love. Extensive theological training cannot replace the way of love that transforms and connects each of us to God and the faith, Wirzba contends. Interweaving illuminating testimonials, historical references, and Scripture, he reveals how love allows us to move into the fullness of life; when we do not love we lose our faith. “To fail to love,” he reminds us, “is to lose God.”

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christianity, Christian, Spirituality

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2016

About the author

Norman Wirzba is Professor of Theology and Ecology at Duke University Divinity School and a pioneer of scholarly work on religion, philosophy, ecology, and agrarianism. He is also the author of Food and Faith, Living the Sabbath, The Paradise of God, and From Nature to Creation. He lives near Hillsborough, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Spencer Cummins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity by Norman Wirzba

What is at the heart of the Christian faith, what makes this age old faith tick? This is the question that Professor Norman Wirzba tackles in his new book, The Way of Love: Recovering the Heart of Christianity. Many will know Wirzba as a Professor of Theology and Ecology at Duke University Divinity School, while others will know him for his long forays into the intersection of theology and the environment (Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating, 2011). This book is both a clearing of the deck of old worn out theories describing the essence of Christianity but also paves the way forward with a vision of Christianity that is for all of life, including all of creation. With a healthy dose of wisdom, clear thinking, and imagination, Wirzba plows ahead breathing new life into the teachings of both Scripture and the faith.

Grounding the nature of Christianity as both a way of life and an understanding of God, Wirzba writes, “Christianity reveals the life of God and therefore also the meaning of life as a way of love (1-2). Yet, the church has often been an obstruction in the way of love, seeking to exclude or punish others while maintaining a safe distance from those deemed a threat. Even with a painful past, “love needs God to expose and explode the often anxious, often self-serving desires that are love’s pretenders (3).” Our feeble minds dissect love into who’s in and who’s out, all the while narrowing and making love much too small, while the coming of Jesus of Nazareth upended all these distinctions. So how does this way of love work and transform all those whom it touches? Wirzba writes, “Seeing Christianity as a school or laboratory that trains people in the ways of love is the best way to understand the work and mission of the church (7).” There is an apprenticeship in mind here, a life-long training that discards distorted ways of love and inculcates a way of love that embraces the other.

One of the beautiful points of the whole book is Wirzba’s insistence that we can’t love on our own (21). Early on he writes, “To learn to love, you have to practice with other people who are committed to inspire you when you are tired, celebrate when you succeed, and comfort you when you fail (21).” The concept of a man meditating on high place or a wise person flagellating his body does not push someone to love others well. Rather, being in community with others gives us a vision of sacrifice, of “going to others and offering ourselves to others, so that our life together can grow and flourish (22).” We see in this picture of the marriage covenant, each person committing to love on another til death, through thin and thick, but we also witness this sacrificial love in church.
Wirzba takes on the issue of sin and its effects on all of creation with profundity and wisdom. Looking at sin’s dysfunction interpersonally, Wirzba writes, “When people are muddled about love, they gradually lose the sympathies to recognize each other’s need and pain, the imagination to envision each other’s flourishing, the commitment to work patiently with others to help them realize their potential, and the joy that cherishes and celebrates the goodness that others are (99).” We have corrupted the way of love into a self-serving kind of convenience that cares not for the outside world. And yet, “The love of God is not like this. It is unconditional and universal, extending to every creature and every person (106).” Norman brings together a Augustine’s understanding of sin but also gives us a glimpse how disordered desires hinge upon power, control and convenience. No longer is there a giving and receiving of love, but a taking and profaning of the other person for our own twisted ends.

The book takes a turn for the beautiful as Wirzba recounts the story of Mark Eddy joining the small college community in Georgetown, Kentucky. With anger, sadness, depression for at least ten years (149), Mark needed some healing. Standing before the congregation in 2006, Mark tells them,

“When it became known that I was sick, I found myself surrounded by the light of love from people who hardly knew me. My family was flooded with prayers, food, cards, and the assurance that we were not alone and that others would be there for us. It was though there were a thousand arms of love reaching out to us. And I knew that it was the presence of God. I felt that I’d been overtaken by the kingdom of God and allowed briefly to look inside to experience just for a moment the love and joy of Christ’s kingdom (150).”

The visible grace that was shown to Mark is what this book is all about, making evident the rich love of God and the way of love that is taught by God to be showered upon all creation. I hope you will read this book and be richly encouraged by its words.


Thanks to HarperOne and Jane Chong for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

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This book has all the standard features that bother me in pop Christianity books: bland writing, random and often sensationalist stories, and a tendency toward vagueness. But what it has that really elevates it is a theological premise that is surprisingly rare in books like these: everything exists because God loved it into existence.

Unfortunately, not many evangelical books in this vein would lead one to believe that the foundation of the cosmos is love, much less take seriously that claim to its ends. But this books fights against the idea that Christianity is about being right about this or that, being hyper moralistic, living in fear of condemnation, or spreading the fear of condemnation as a tool of control or proselytization.

Its the sort of book I wish has gone further/more in depth in its conclusions and been more specific in its theology, but that’s not the type of book it set out to be. I do think it’s probably one of the better, more accessible introductory texts for people who are new to or curious about Christianity I’ve come across; it also could be an excellent corrective to visions of faith that are predicated on fear and condemnation.

[William Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent summary of Christian orthodoxy, this study recasts the familiar imagery in a most artful way while remaining faithful to the fundamentals. The masterful detection of a central sweeping movement in a biblical passage rather than being bogged down by details (always so tempting) is what I treasure very much!

[Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having used Wirzba's works on my thesis on Pascal and de Lubac, I expected this book to be a more "technical" treatment of the core of Christianity. But to my pleasant surprise, it's an easy read that helped me make my course in the Pontifical School. Grateful for having read this at this specific time.

[Dawne · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many treasures in this book. I have flagged multiple pages that want I want to revisit with other groups that I am teaching at church (especially on healing & forgiveness). I appreciate the goodness that will come from readers who finish this book.

[Julia Landes · Rating 2 out of 5]

title drew me in, but the overall sentiment of "we all need to learn to love better" with no critical examination of power structures besides acknowledging they are there but that "we all have a hand in the reasons that things are bad" makes this book a big pass for me.

[Anne Geddert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mentor tells me that if you agree with everything you read in a book, you probably haven’t read it well. There is SO much to mull over in this book for me. Some I’m not sure I totally agree with but the majority of it hit me between the eyes … and heart. Definitely a re-read!

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The anecdotes are lovely and hopeful. The analysis felt repetitive to me. But I think I agree with much of his perspective! It was a refreshing read in that sense--less oppression, more love.

[Eric Hays-Strom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall I really enjoyed this book. It's message is badly needed in the world today. Why not 5 stars? That's a hard one to answer. I can't.

[Phil Aud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Norman Wirzba is a brilliant, and in my opinion under appreciated theologian. He is the professor of theology and ecology at the prestigious Duke University and has authored several books. Prior to reading “Way Of Love” I had read “Food and Faith” and “From Nature To Creation” which were both incredible works of theology from an ecological perspective. Wirzba’s engagement with (and at times critique of) philosophy and postmodern culture/thought are highly compelling. The way he is able to challenge the reader intellectually (among other ways) on topics such as food or gardening, for example, is amazing. I still feel many of the challenges that were opened to me upon reading “Food and Faith.” Still, not every reader will sift through a critique of Derrida’s understanding of gift (From Nature To Creation). This is, of course, okay since not every book is written for everyone. But in “Way Of Love” Wirzba has managed to take important theological and philosophical concepts (that are expounded upon more fully in his other writings) and make them extremely accessible. Not only has he managed to do it, however, he has done it extremely well.

“Way Of Love” is gospel. There are 5 sections to the book: Christianity as Love, Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Hope. Right out of the gate Wirzba makes the irresistible case that “Christianity is best understood as a training ground in the ways of love” (4). Anything short of this is a disaster. He then moves through a wonderful explication of creation, spelling out the deep implications of doctrines such as creatio ex nihilo (creation from nothing) in a way that even a person who has never read theology could grasp. What a gift to be able to write on the beauty of creation as the outflow of Trinitarian love (which he terms ex amore) in such a way that almost anyone could grasp. The book continues on in this way weaving in incredible (albeit sometimes painful) stories written in a style reminiscent of Philip Yancey, or other master story tellers.

At the end of the day my main praise for this book is that it is a beautiful account of the beautiful gospel. If someone were to ask me, “what is the gospel?” I would have no problem buying them a copy of this book and asking them to coffee so we could discuss it. In a day when many inside the church have lost the beauty (and love!) of what the gospel is, this book should help the church at large and inspire us in the Way that is the gospel. I was thankful to see this on the shelves at Barnes and Noble today and hope that it makes it’s way onto the bookshelves of many.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her forward to "Way of Love" Diana Butler Bass explains the Christianity is like a beautiful painting in need of reframing in order for many to appreciate again the beauty. Author Norman Wirzba reframes the painting by reminding us that Christianity's focal point is a vision of God's love that creates sustains, redeems and provides true hope for the world. This is an accessible, clarifying and satisfying effort in drawing our attention to what's most important in our life together in Christ.

[T.J. Breshears · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great exploration of the importance of love in the Christian life. Not simply a love that is sappy and cliche, but a love that is truly and earnestly life-changing. Wirzba's strong agrarian influence is clear in the piece and could have been brought out even stronger. Ultimately, I felt like the conclusion fell a little flat compared to the three previous sections. Overall, a good read and worth your time.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is a lot in this book that has been written about elsewhere: Love should be actions not just words, churches should be welcoming, congregations should support each other. Still, the real life examples are what make this a different and vivid book. There are some chapters that really could have been complete books all themselves.

[Darcee Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this novel in the Goodreads giveaway! I found Norman Wirzba's analysis of a community based on the love and acceptance of God to be fairly realistic if somewhat of an utopia. Definitely an interesting read.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This continues to be one of the more inspiring renderings of the story of God. Wirzba traces the thread of ladies be which shapes both the story of creation through new creation in the scriptures as well as how that story is expressed through the church. This is well worth the time.

[Todd Putney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good exploration of what a community of Christ centered on the love of God might be like.

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel sure Dr. Wirzba is a great professor, but his book reads like a dull and repetitious lecture, the kind that puts one to sleep. The topic, love as a way of life that pervades all of life, is a worthy one. His thoughts are helpful ones. But I had to work hard to keep reading. In the end, I am glad I did. We had him at church in person, and he is gentle but much more engaging in person than in the book.