Humbler Faith, Bigger God: Finding a Story to Live By

by Samuel Wells

Finding a renewed Christian story in a time of skepticism and doubt   Is Christianity just a fairy tale for the infantile? Or worse, a cruel fantasy—the perpetrator of terrible harm and the cause of endless conflict? At most, one path among many? Such questions reflect the skepticism of outsiders and the doubts of insiders—some perennial, some underscored by recent events and movements.  The answer to these objections isn’t a louder faith to shout them down—it’s a humbler faith that points to a bigger God. Samuel Wells shows the way through his generous, respectful, and earnest engagement with ten difficult questions about Christianity. In each case he portrays the traditional position and the skepticism of the modern age as two rival stories. Transcending both, he then offers a revitalized Christian story that better renders the radical, courageous, and vulnerable nature of authentic faith. Wells is unwaveringly honest about the failures of the institutional church and acknowledges many people’s negative prior experiences of Christianity—making this a book for both Christians and non-Christians who have found the stories of their lives disrupted and now seek a fulfilling and truthful story to live by.

Genres: Religion, Faith

248 pages, Hardcover

Published March 29, 2022

About the author

Samuel Wells (PhD, University of Durham) is vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields Anglican Church at Trafalgar Square in London. He previously served as dean of the chapel and research professor of Christian ethics at Duke University. Wells is the author of several books, including Be Not Afraid, Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics, and Transforming Fate into Destiny: The Theological Ethics of Stanley Hauerwas. He also coedited, with Stanley Hauerwas, The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics.

Reviews

[Traynor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samuel Wells fires my theological imagination like few other writers. More than that, he consistently gives me a context in which I still feel comfortable calling myself a Christian.

[Amelia and John · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the review shows, it took me a while to complete this book. It was alright, just a typical apologetical text. Wells’s structure to the book (criticism, its advantages, traditional Christian response, pros and cons of the response, his own response) makes the book easy to navigate.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read several of Samuel Well’s books and have never been disappointed. I greatly appreciate the effort that went into the writing of this book. It truly is a one-of-a-kind, thoughtful and thought-provoking challenge for the reader to step outside one’s own focus and gain a new perspective. It reminded me of what a skillful therapist can achieve by opening up our aperture to see things in a new way. What a gift to be able to make the mystery of God even more beautiful and alive. Wells surely helped me enjoy God more and glorify Him in an expanded way. I highly recommend taking the time to reflect on this book.

[Robert Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam Wells does it again. He meticulously and beautifully draws us into a deeper faith with the Almighty. This book should be read and consumed by all.

[John Asling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding a Story to Live By

We were travelling in Canada when the latest battle in the long bloody war in the ‘Holy Land’ broke out last October. At a family gathering, my brother quipped, ‘Well, that’s religion for you!’

That hurt, particularly because there was, of course, some truth in what he said, though it is arguably not the whole story.

We hear this kind of rebuke from friends, family and in the public realm - against God, against faith groups and religious individuals, including Christians - all the time. It’s hard to know how to respond.

In his book Humbler Faith, Bigger God, Samuel Wells, the Vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, responds to what he sees as the critical complaints against God and the protests about the church and Christians, head-on.

The result is a powerful challenge, not just to critics of God and the church, but to Christians to understand that God is far bigger, more gracious, more loving, more present (with us) than we acknowledge; and that the church needs to be far humbler.

‘There are plenty of reasons not to be a Christian, and yet I am one. And I believe the way to become one, or to remain one, is not to ignore or dismiss the reasonable and widely held convictions that run counter to Christianity but to work one’s way through those convictions, receiving each as a gift of a critical friend, expressing gratitude for the insight and challenge they bring, being honest about where Christianity has gone wrong, and seeking a renewed, gentler, and even more dynamic faith,’ Wells writes.

‘The phrase I like to use is, “a humbler faith with a bigger God”.’

The chapter titles reveal some age-old criticisms of God and the church – and some twenty-first century charges. They include: Crutch for the Deluded? Catalogue of Betrayals? Fairy Tale for the Infantile? Drug for the Poor? Intolerant Poison? Perpetrator of Terrible Harm? Cause of Endless Conflict? One Path among Many? Arrogant Narcissism? Cruel Fantasy?

If the titles sound negative, the book is not. One example among many in this gently disturbing treatise comes in the chapter, Catalogue of Betrayals?. Here, Wells challenges the notion that Christ came to ‘fix our infirmities’ by dying for us and rising for us.

‘The Christ we see on the cross bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things – and demonstrates a love that never ends. The cross is not a sacrifice that appeases God’s righteous wrath or a conquest that defeats our last enemy.

‘It’s a vision of a God whose purpose is to be with us more intimately, more permanently, more comprehensively than we can imagine; and is so committed to be so, that Christ is willing to endure even crucifixion to embody the ultimate commitment to be with.’

Humbler Faith, Bigger God offers a modest creed called ‘A Faith to Live By’ that takes account of the book’s theological stance, and a study guide. It is eloquent, inspiring, challenging.

[Rik Dwarshuis · Rating 3 out of 5]

een mooi boek waar Samuel Wells allerlei vragen of bezwaren bij het geloof behandelt en originele antwoorden geeft.
Het lijkt echter door de indeling van het boek alsof het christendom het helemaal fout heeft en alles opnieuw zou moeten formuleren. Het standaardverhaal klopt niet, maar zijn 'verhaal om mee te leven' wel. Die zogenaamde breuk met de traditie voelt niet eerlijk.
Dat wordt sterker omdat Wells in zijn eigen verhaal steeds net een andere vraag lijkt te beantwoorden dan die hij stelt. Je wordt meegenomen in zijn woordenspel, hij schrijft goed. Maar als je daarna gaat nadenken over wat hij zegt, dan blijkt het allemaal niet zo duidelijk en is de vraag niet echt beantwoord.

Voorbeeld: Wells stelt de vraag naar pluraliteit van geloven. Waarom zou het christendom waar zijn, en de andere geloven niet? Kunnen niet christenen niet in de hemel komen?
Wells' antwoord: God is geen middel, maar een doel op zichzelf. Het gaat uiteindelijk niet om onze weg naar de hemel, maar om het eren van God en het genieten van het leven met Hem. De vraag naar de hemel is dus fout.
Een mooi idee, waar ook. Maar hij beantwoordt de vraag naar de waarheid van het christendom tov andere geloven niet. Die blijven allemaal hun eigen waarde en plek hebben, terwijl hij wel blijft benadrukken dat Christus dé plek is waar we God leren kennen. Die spanning kaart hij niet aan, nee de vreemdeling kan ons juist wat leren. Mooi, maar geen beantwoording van de vraag.

Dat maakt dat het boek toch een wrange nasmaak heeft. Er wordt veel moois gezegd, maar er wordt vooral heel veel niet gezegd, maar wel gedaan alsof hier oplossingen worden verteld.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would rate this book a 4 for tackling such a controversial topic, but a 3 for readability. It is clearly a quasi-theology book. In the simplest comparisons I can make, the author is positing the following ideas: (1) there are only 2 great things - existence - meaning the life that people live on earth and essence - which is what God / Trinity / heaven are; (2) Jesus didn't die just because we are sinful - he died (and separated himself briefly from God the Father - in order to reestablish a relationship with humans)- and he rose again to prove that that "relationship with people" can survive even death; (3) Jesus didn't come to "fix" the problem of sinful man - God knew when he created us that we would fail him - and it was in the plan from the beginning that Jesus would be sent to become man and reestablish that relationship with people on earth; and (4) at the end of our earthly existence, if we believe in the Trinity, we will be restored to that best relationship with God and become essence with the Trinity.

This book was written by an eminent theological scholar and author of some 50 books, who currently serves as Vicar of St. Martin in the Fields church in London. He was a guest speaker at my home parish recently and threw out a lot of this information meant to jog our thinking about our relationship (or lack thereof or confusion about) with Jesus. I think I'm more confused after reading the book than I was before.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our priest selected this book for Adult Study. Many people found it quite a challenging read. Wells is a renowned scholar and has written many books. His book on Ethics is supposed to be his finest.

Humbler Faith, Bigger God is a form of Christian apologetics in a sense. Wells begins each chapter addressing a concept of Christianity that is criticized by others. Then, he examines the criticism and points out it flaws. Finally, he explains what he calls "A story to live by" which is a defense of Christianity that deals with both the problems inherent in the concept of Christianity he started with, the flaws in the criticism, and proposes a middle road.

Wells' interest is in renewing people's faith and encouraging the growth of the church. He makes some excellent points. I hope to read his book on Ethics.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a tough read and asks all the tough questions that the world asks about the Christian faith. Is God real? Is the Bible true? What do we do about evil? How and why has the Christian church failed in so many ways? Wells first tells the familiar story, then explains the rival story that many believe; finally, he tells a story to live by, pulling the old story into relevance and understanding. I found this challenging, but also enlightening. The older I get, the less I know. But I count on faith and trust that God is with us in the midst of whatever happens.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

’m glad I read this book. Sam lays out some conventional ways of looking at the Christian story - lays out some other ways this can be viewed - and then comes back to another way of looking at the whole thing. As always it’s smart, well written, and interesting. He gives me a lot to chew over here.

[Katherine Pershey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such an excellent book. Samuel Wells has such a wonderful mix of brilliance and gentleness.

I would put it in the same category as The Love That Is God - compelling modern apologetics that make me fall in love with Jesus all over again.

[John Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent exercise in Christian apologetics, not only identifying the strengths and weaknesses of Christian (and competing) narratives but offering retellings of the Christian story that bring it closer to the Gospel.

[Helen Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A challenging and very thought provoking read, leaving me with lots to ponder. Thoroughly recommended.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Humbler Faith, Bigger God, Samuel Wells offers accessible apologetics with his signature down-to-earth theological perspective. Each chapter presents three stories: The Old, Old Story and What’s Wrong With It; A Rival Story and Its Validity and Flaws; and A Story to Live By and How It Differs from Both Stories. Through it all, Wells reminds us that God’s deepest desire is relationship: simply to be with us.