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Miroslav Volf may be an author/theologian whom few Canadian's have either read or heard of in recent years. I had not until this book crossed my desk. He is a professor of theology at Yale Divinity School, and this particular book is the Archbishop of Canterbury's official 2006 Lent Book. To some, that may not mean much, but to the millions of Anglicans worldwide, that is very significant. What Volf has done in the writing of this book, is set the tone/theme for Lenten observance for this year, and what a theme and tone he has established. Two distinct and connected topics come together in this one work, separated only by an Interlude in the middle of the text, which serves actually to join them by anecdotal example. The example is a painfully personal story of both giving and forgiving from Volf's family history. I am impressed with the way he has laid this book out. It becomes obvious early on that this man is not one of those soft cultural theologians that currently seem to characterize American Evangelicalism and the Emergent Christian world, and who tend to dominate the Christian reading world. Rather than begin with the topic of giving, he begins with God the Giver. That's where a proper theology of giving should begin. In the second half of the text where he focuses on forgiving, it's the same pattern, beginning with God the Forgiver. From these two summits, he then discusses just how humanity (Christians in particular), should and can both give and forgive. It's the right progression to begin and follow through in this approach. I was also impressed with his sources (theologically), as he refers back to men of deep thought and purpose, like Karl Barth (a well respected German theologian of the 1950s-60s), and Martin Luther (the author of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century). His favourite Biblical thinker is the Apostle Paul, who figures very importantly in the themes of this book. This book examines how to conceive of and live out two basic human practices, giving and forgiving. But, more than that, as Volf says, "On another level, however, the two practices, as Christianity understands them, are a particular sort of lens through which we can survey the whole landscape of the Christian faith from a fresh vantage point." And, having read this book deeply from cover to cover, I can say that he means what he says/writes. This is no easy read I might ad. It is best reserved for those who are ready to trek through it with eyes and ears and mind and spirit wide open. You might not agree with everything he says (I didn't, and that's ok), but you will benefit very much from the journey. Thanks indeed Miroslav.

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