In His Profound and Wrenchingly Personal New Book, Yale Professor
Dr. Miroslav Volf, One of the Most Respected Living Theologians,
Reveals the Keys Not Only to Having a More Meaningful Personal Life
But Also to Revitalizing Entire Communities So They Can
Flourish in Freedom
'(Miroslav Volf's) Analysis of the Challenges Christian Forgiveness
Faces in a Society That is Both Sentimental and Profoundly
Unforgiving is Something That Ought to Be Required Reading for Anyone
Seeking to Understand the Western World in This Sour and Anxious
Age," Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
DALLAS and FORT WORTH, Texas, Jan. 24, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- It isn't often that an Ivy League theologian writes a book that flies off the shelves. That is, however, exactly what happened when Dr. Miroslav Volf's "Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace" (Zondervan, February 2006) was released in England this past November. It was a complete sellout in its very first printing.
As a native of war-ravaged Croatia and son of a father who endured unspeakable torture at the hands of concentration camp guards, Dr. Volf, Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Henry B. Wright, Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, understands more than many about the horrors of indiscriminate brutality. He also understands the unforgiving heart that can often result from living through such trauma. Despite his experiences with the desolation and destruction that follow in the wake of such horrifying violence, Dr. Volf has spent decades building a theological legacy of forgiveness, generosity, reconciliation and non-violence.
In his latest and quite possibly most important work, "Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace", Dr. Volf explores the immeasurable blessing of living a life of generosity of spirit and ready forgiveness. In melodic prose reminiscent of C.S. Lewis, Dr. Volf's work is at once scholarly yet easily accessible. With the precision and authority that reflect his experience and credentials, Dr. Volf skillfully peels back the layers of our distrustful, self-absorbed culture to reveal the heart of a people searching for real love and peace in their lives and offers a new way of life for them. In doing so, he also reveals how to reconcile and transform entire communities with the healing power of forgiveness and generosity.
Through poignantly personal stories and gripping insight into the soul of a culture stained with the poisoned fruit of self-gratification, Dr. Volf answers readers' questions such as "Why should I give when everyone around me is taking?" and "Why should I forgive those who hurt me when they deserve punishment?" With uncommon clarity and vision, he reveals to readers that the loss of forgiveness and generosity in our culture has not only left us unfulfilled and longing for more meaningful relationships with each other and in our community, but left unchecked, that loss also robs us of the very achievements upon which flourishing individuals and communities thrive and depend. With pin-point accuracy, Dr. Volf provides a correct diagnosis about the frightening direction humanity is headed, and "Free of Charge" offers treatment and healing for a "Culture Stripped of Grace." He invites those searching souls to explore with him the precepts of a new way of living that can reverse the decay of this graceless age and forever change their lives and the lives of the people around them.
Dr. Miroslav Volf, who often speaks on reconciliation and relations between Christians and Muslims and the public role of religion, was educated in Croatia, the United States and Germany, earning doctoral and post-doctoral degrees with highest honors from the University of Tubingen in Germany. He is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and ten books, including "Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness and Reconciliation" which won the 2002 Grawemeyer Award in Religion. "Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace" was commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury as the Official 2006 Lent Book.
Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace Dr. Miroslav Volf Zondervan-February 2006 ISBN: 0-310-26574-6/247 pages/softcover/$12.99
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