Stanley Hauerwas, Fully Alive: The Apocalyptic Humanism of Karl Barth (Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2022), pp. x + 204. $29.50

Abstract

pace of the book will be something of a difficulty: complicated, nuanced issues are dealt with decisively and briefly; strong views are expressed pithily, and opposing views dismissed; those looking for an elaborate, patient exploration of disputed matters may be disappointed. But to measure this book by the criteria of, say, an academic monograph would be to risk missing the point. Avis’ theology is first and foremost a church theology. Its audience is not only scholars but, in the rather woolly argot favoured in church circles today, ‘practitioners’, that is, church leaders, those involved in church life at local level, those who have the capacity to influence and shape the church of the future. This is the case for the prosecution aimed against those who complacently assume division is acceptable and ecumenism an unaffordable luxury. It is almost as if one could imagine Avis speaking to an audience of church leaders who think they know something of modern theology and modern church history: he wants them to come away changed from the encounter. This is theology for practice. Avis’ style of writing may not be explicitly polemical, but it is engaged, passionate and opinionated. At the same time, he is always careful to lay out opposing positions, and sensitive to the relevance of history to ecclesiology. Even those who do not agree with his overall position will undoubtedly learn a great deal from his discussion of authors. For that reason, in this reviewer’s opinion there could hardly be a better introduction to the theological complexities of the movement for Christian unity.