The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson

by Stanley Hauerwas

Timeless wisdom from a renowned theologian on living well   From the fairy godmother’s pumpkin coach to Herr Drosselmeyer’s nutcracker, godparents have long been associated with good gifts. But in  The Character of Virtue  theologian and ethicist Stanley Hauerwas offers his real-life godson something far more precious than toys or trinkets—the gift of hard-won wisdom on life and the process of maturing.  In each of sixteen letters—sent on the occasion of Laurence Wells’s baptism and every year thereafter—Hauerwas contemplates a specific virtue and its meaning for a child growing year by year into the Christian faith. Writing on kindness, courage, humility, joy, and more, Hauerwas distills centuries of religious thinking and decades of self-reflection into heartfelt personal epistles that are both timely and timeless. An introduction by Samuel Wells—Laurence’s father and Hauerwas’s friend—tells the story behind these letters and offers sage insight into what a godparent is and can be.

Genres: Theology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Christian Living, Spirituality, Essays

205 pages, Hardcover

First published April 19, 2018

About the author

Stanley Hauerwas (PhD, Yale University) is the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. He is the author of numerous books, including Cross-Shattered Christ, A Cross-Shattered Church, War and the American Difference, and Matthew in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible.

America's Best Theologian according to Time Magazine (2001), though he rejected the title saying, "Best is not a theological category."

Reviews

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short review: This is a helpful book of wisdom about virtue written from a godparent to a godson. That the godparent is Hauerwas is why we are reading it. But this type of wisdom transfer I think is something we need to encourage and is important to the development of virtue. Virtue needs to be encouraged and worked out over time. I think for those elders that do show evidence of virtue, we need to be mining them for wisdom, stories and experience, and time to help us understand both how to acquire virtue, but also realistic issues of weakness. Perfection is not part of the deal as humans. So I think there needs to be more discussion of the limitations of striving after virtue.

But what is here is helpful and accessible. I listened to the audiobook mostly, which was good. But this is a book that is probably better to read slowly and reread again later.

my full review about 850 words is on my blog at http://bookwi.se/character-of-virtue/

[Holly Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Suffering produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope and hope does not disappoint us”

BEAUTIFUL!!!

If I ever get lost in the hypocrite Christian sauce, just remind me to read this book again.

[Matthew Codd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having recently received the honor of becoming a Godfather I was happy to add this collection to my library. After reading it I am convinced it should occupy many a bookshelf regardless of godfather status.

[Allan Bevere · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is a preview of the podcast/videocast conversation I had with Stanley Hauerwas that will be posted this Thursday (03.03.2023). I will publish the link in my usual places.
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Stanley Hauerwas' book, The Character of Virtue: Letters to a Godson is an important read in the times in which we find ourselves. I am drawn to this book for two reasons: First, as a pastor for thirty-eight years who baptized many children and spoken with lots of godparents, I was so pleased to see how seriously Stanley took this profound role to nurture his Godson through his wisdom and presence. I wish I would have had this resource when I was a pastor. I would have given a copy to every godparent I encountered.

The second draw for me is the deep frustration I have had for some time with how so many Christians in America have rejected the central place of character and virtue for good leadership. I sum up my frustration by saying that in the 1990s liberal Christians showed they didn't care about the necessity of morality for leadership in their continued support of Bill Clinton, and conservative Christians have demonstrated the same in electing and continuing to give approval to Donald Trump. Moreover, the news of numerous egregious acts of abuse (sexual and otherwise) by celebrity pastors, and the shaming of the victims who come forward does not make a compelling case for following Jesus.

The church in America needs a moral gut check and put what it means to be like and act like Jesus in all aspects of life back at the center of its life, and Stanley's book is way to help us do that.

As with all of Hauerwas' books, there are many quotables. I give you a few to whet you appetite for the book.

*Americans are extremely frightened to live in a world in which we are so powerful, which is why we'll go to any length to make ourselves feel safe.

*To treat everyone "the same," for example, can result in deep injustice. Justice requires an ability to see differences for the difference they should make.

*Sentimentality is the greater enemy of the life of virtue just to the extent that sentimentality names the assumption that we can be kind without being truthful.

*Simplicity is best understood as the virtue characteristic of those who don't have to try to be what they are.

*God makes us members of his Christ through baptism, which means national boundaries can't determine our relation to one another.

*...I believe kindness to be the very character of God.

*No virtue is more important to me than the virtue of patience. (If you want to know why read the book.)

*Cynicism is the form that hopelessness takes among among a people who no longer believe they're part of a story that gives them hope.

*I want to commend to you the virtue of courage, because it will require courage to be a truthful person.

*For Aquinas, it's martyrs, not soldiers who best exemplify courage.

*Simplicity is but a mark of one's being at peace with who one is in relation to God and God's creation.

There is so much more wisdom in the pages of this book. I highly commend it for your consideration.

[Daniel Edwards]

This is a lovely collection of letters on the virtues, from a wise Christian and clear-eyed theologian. Hauerwas writes with plain language and warmth, explaining some of the most important components of Christian character and how this ought to shape one's life. Hauerwas is not idealistic, but hopeful as he presents the virtues, and his advice in keeping them shows the hard-earned experience of a life aimed at character. Truly a great book.

That being said, this books is not an introduction to the virtues, in the way that I had expected. Hauerwas is a bit idiosyncratic in his approach. The strength of this is that certain virtues (e.g., simplicity) are mentioned here which are typically overlooked in traditional Christian moral theology. The drawback is that Hauerwas rejects, more or less out of hand, some of the traditional understandings of the virtues (e.g., the "cardinal" and "theological" virtues). I found myself wishing for a bit more explanation of this. Additionally, Hauerwas' pacificism-a position he has reasoned himself to carefully and which he holds with both humility and conviction-and its converse, violence, take a somewhat outsized role, in my opinion, in his presentation. Perhaps these amount to wishing the book were a different book. Either way, I'm glad to have read it and would readily recommend this letter collection to any Christian who wants to understand the virtues better.

[Lisa Fischbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a parish priest, I found this little book to be especially helpful to my efforts to connect experiences and expressions of the 21st century to ancient and time-transcending truths of Christian faith.

A Christian theologian writing to his godson about the virtues, Hauerwas reminds the reader what the ancients meant by words still in common parlance today-- kindness, truthfulness, simplicity, hope, etc. -- and connects these words to the Christian faith and character.

In a particularly compelling post script to his letter on Truthfulness, Hauerwas writes: “I write in the hope that…. you’ll find in these letters a sentence here or there that helps you name the virtues that constitute your life.” These sentences “here or there” make this book a treasure trove. For Hauerwas fans, it also provides a glimpse of his particular charm and spirit.

For those not familiar with the language of philosophy and theology, Hauerwas’ writing requires concentration, but that concentration is rewarded. And for those looking for godparent guidance, the first ten pages of Sam Wells’ introduction, “On Being a Godparent”, can’t be beat!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A practical and very readable exposition on the virtues by one of my favorite theologians. Hauerwas wrote this book from 2002 through 2017 as letters to his godson on the anniversary of his baptism. It is interesting to note the change in the author’s concerns over the 15 years of writing the letters. In the last few letters, he notes the passage of his life as he enters retirement and contemplates what it is like to be in his late 70’s. The book takes on a more contemplative note in the later letters.
I am a fan of practical theology and ethics. This book is one of the best examples. Hauerwas uses basketball as an analogy of the discipline necessary to live an ethical life. I am sure that his godson Laurie will read these letters often and learn from them as he grows into adulthood.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a prepublication text of this book provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Rick Lee Lee James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Powerful

This is a powerful book of letters written each year to Stanley Hauerwas’s godson was a truly beneficial book of letters for me to read and I will continue to be reflecting on the ratings for sometime. Please make sure to read the beautifully written introduction by Samuel‘s, father of Hauerwas’s godson.. Although they were intended for someone else, I thought as I was reading that he was imparting wisdom of the virtues to me. This Was a truly beneficial book of letters for me to read and I will continue to be reflecting on the ratings for sometime. Please make sure to read the beautifully written introduction by Samuel’s, father of Hauerwas’s godson. dr. Hauerwas makes this important statement in the book, and I feel it is a trustworthy one: “If I have any advice, it is simply this. Many generous people have made your life possible. Don’t be afraid of imitating them.”

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to give this four stars, because I respect Haurwas so much. But in the end, if anyone else had written this book I wouldn't hesitate--it's 3 stars. It's good thoughts and there are moments of brilliance. But it's also rambly and only loosely organized. In my opinion, it got stuck between not for children or for adults--too simple at points and too complex at others.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed thinking about each virtue (and this was a great book for book club), but at the same time each chapter was frustratingly shallow. There is a lot of fluff in Hauerwas' writing style here and it seemed to drag on between each interesting tidbit. I finished the book with a lot of unfinished thoughts wanting more.

[Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hauerwas isn't great at bringing his theology down to a popular level, but even when he's not at his best, he's still better than most theologians out there. I found the chapters in this volume to be hit or miss, but more hits than misses. The section on friendship was especially good I thought.

[Kit Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of the book: discussion of character and virtue ethics from the jump-off point of an annual letter of wisdom, humor, and Christian commitment intended for the next generation, in Stanley’s case-to his English Godson…was enriching, challenging and well-worth the time.

*I listened to the book on Audible.

4.5/5 stars

[Annette Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Letters to his godson for the child's first 8-10 birthdays - each one is a particular virtue; courage, faith, grace, etc. A lovely book. Sweet book for a graduation gift. I love Hauerwas, but this is completely different than all his other books.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's okay. Hauerwas is always interesting to need, but sometimes I find it hard to understand how he's connecting ideas together. Didn't agree with his take on all the virtues, but interesting to read nonetheless.

[Jennifer Trovato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful and honest meditations on virtues. Any classical schooling parent would love this as an encouragement in their pursuit of virtues through education. Bookmarking to share with my kids. His chapter on faith was particularly poignant.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of letters to his godson, one each year. He addresses a different virtue each letter. My favourite was his discussion of faith. He suggests rather than the word faith use “faithful follower of Jesus”. This connects the works/grace aspects together.

[Michael King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully and compassionately written. Hauerwas teaches virtue ethics through the arch of an actual life, rooting his advice in the narrative of his own life, the life of the nation and the life of his beloved Godson. Highly recommend

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be quite rambley and struggled to connect the dots on what he was actually trying to say.
I read this for a class at university but I wouldn't recommend it for the average reader.

[Brandon Lighty · Rating 4 out of 5]

While situated as a conversation to Hauerwas’s godson, I found his discussion on the virtues to not only be relevant but imminently helpful for understanding not only his worldview but also a more ancient tradition passed down from a long-ago held Christendom

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely look at virtues in context. This book would make a perfect gift at baptism. It offers helpful, nuanced, but not overly academic ways of understanding virtue and character formation.

[Ryan Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant and much needed Christian embrace of virtue ethics. As always, Hauerwas is insightful, to-the-point, and elegant. I’ll definitely be re-reading this again and again.

[Corey Fawcett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brb, ordering dozens of copies to give to anyone I know who’s having a baby

[Van Jones]

Very personal look of what Stanley Haurewas see as the Virtues of life.

[Susan Strobel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give it 10 stars if I could, so I guess I’ll give it a 5-star rereading.

[Shawn Enright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tell the truth. Don’t kill anybody. Prepare to die.

[Marcas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A balanced and accessible treatment of virtue from a Christian perspective, focusing on things like temperance and simplicity. In line with the 'golden mean'. Which avoids the excesses of bad religion and seems more in line with Christ than those who claim desires are necessarily bad, etc.
Hauerwas meditates on mortality without becoming morbid and on forming good habits without succumbing to mere 'self-help'. The author also focuses on friendship as it transcends only common interests sociological convenience, before demonstrating true friendship's possibilities- by discussion and by example, with this book. The Character of Virtue is a good introductory book to the topics of virtue and character, and it's touching to see one side of the burgeoning relationship the author and his Godson have throughout.

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, how I wish this eARC I got from NetGalley was available for reading on Kindle!
This book is inspirational as it is timeless. I loved the insights on what to do when life knocks you down and you struggle with joy, or courage or just simply being happy with the little bits that you achieve and experience in life. I've often heard and read of 'letters to my daughter/son' and 'letters to my something old self' but never 'letters to a god-son' and I believe such foundation and mentorship ought to exist. Thank you NetGalley, I'me certain this would inspire not only Christians but anyone who'd like to impart some wisdom to a young one they love.

[Jon Anderson]

Poignant reflections on the virtues is the form of annual letters from a godfather to his godson. Wonderful!