The title pretty much tells you, but here's what the author says:
It is about two things, tightly interweaved but seldom thought of as connected. They are: Being a child, and being a peacemaker
And that's what draws me in -those two strands of Jesus' teaching- because they are strong themes from the gospels and it's good to see them in company with each other imaginatively and reflectively.
Further, he goes on to say something that felt like it spoke to where I'm coming to (again) at this point in time.
A child trusts. A child does not worry. A child can be oblivious to the challenges surrounding them. A child plays. A child is filled with wonder. A child knows that their father can fix anything. A child has no experience with fear or abandonment. A child has nothing to prove. A child has no need of reputation. A child feels inherently safe. A child sees no limitations and believes that anything is possible. A child is at peace.
So, of course, I was going to read this! (smiley face)
Bruce's starting point, theologically, is a fairly mainstream evangelical approach to bible and atonement. It is radical in pushing back against some evangelical views of God's love and punishment though arguably no less radical than the Reformers themselves. It is worth noting that he's not about asserting that background since he has no desire to argue about it but a willingness to discuss.
Bruce starts off by leading us into a reflection on the nature of God's fatherhood and the implications of a real Good News which is that God loves us fundamentally; that the Cross has created us as God's children irrevocably. You can get the flavour of this from page 18:
This English translation of the Greek word huiothesia ... When translated as adoption it implies to us that we were not the Father's children until after we were adopted. But the Greek word does not mean that at all. The word actually refers to the act of placing a son. In the Roman context, that would be something more like a coming of age ceremony, or a proclamation that a son is fully the legal and rightful representative of his father. The point here is that we have always been the children of Father God. We were stolen, but the Cross has redeemed us and purchased us back from captivity.
It is in a footnote to this first chapter that Bruce makes the point that while it is common for people to quote Rom.3:23 "... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", in attitude this is often severed from the following verse which tells us that all are justified freely by God's grace. In a sense, he's trying to get us to think about that and weigh it more heavily in our estimation. I think that this is right.
Bruce mentions that he is from a military background, so it is interesting to read the chapter on war -I would commend it. Interesting, not least because of the discussion of the just war tradition and its misuse and abuse. As an American, he seems to be under no illusions about the USAmerican role in maintaning an unpeace-ful world.
I liked that the topic of peace and peacemaking is approached holistically -looking at social and political dimensions, a well-rounded view of security based in people-centred everyday living and psychological. This is all woven together with reference to the kind of personal attitudinal considerations that are the everyday concern of ordinary prayer with scripture in one hand.
Link-Love for this Review
I note that Bruce stays off social media -so there's only his blog/website and a buying location here.
The Call of the Child on Amazon
Bruce McKibben’s Website
Tag: #TheCallOfTheChild
Please also be aware that I'm reviewing here a book I had an e-preview copy of from the publisher via the Speakeasy network. The deal is that I review it within 30 days of downloading a copy. The deal is not that I have to be favourable; I'm free to like it, dislike it, be nuanced about it and whichever it is to tell it as I see it.
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