Miroslav VolfEvery podcast appearance, updated as new ones drop

Miroslav Volf’s theology was born not in an ivory tower, but in the cracks of a fractured world. Raised in post–World War II Yugoslavia by a Pentecostal pastor father and a Bible‑soaked mother, he spent his earliest years in a tiny apartment shared with a Serbian nanny, Milica Branković—“the angel of my childhood,” as he calls her. In a country still marked by violence between Croats (largely Catholic) and Serbs (largely Orthodox), that little household quietly embodied a different possibility: people from groups taught to distrust one another living together in love, prayer, and mutual care. It was, in hindsight, a living parable of reconciliation.As a teenager, Volf resisted the weight of his parents’ faith, only to encounter Christ for himself at sixteen—unexpectedly, in a Swedish tent meeting where he barely understood half the sermon. The change was profound enough that when he returned home, his emotionally astute mother simply looked at him and said, “What happened to you? You’re a different person.” From there, his path wound through underground theological study in communist Yugoslavia, philosophy at the University of Zagreb, a master’s degree at Fuller Theological Seminary in California, and advanced work in Tübingen, Germany on the deepest questions of God, self, and other. All of it unfolded against the backdrop of a homeland sliding into ethnic war.In this episode, Volf and Wade explore how those experiences gave rise to the themes that now define his work: exclusion and embrace, identity and otherness, and the possibility of a life “worth living” in a deeply divided age. Volf explains why he sees the gospel’s heart not in withdrawal or domination, but in the crucified Christ who absorbs enmity and opens his arms in welcome—a pattern he famously unpacked in Exclusion and Embrace, and has continued to develop through the Yale Center for Faith & Culture’s work on flourishing and public faith. They discuss how theology must be tested in the “laboratory” of real life—war, injustice, politics, and everyday relationships—and why cheap calls to reconciliation that ignore justice are as dangerous as justice pursued without any hope of reconciliation.Drawing on insights from Flourishing and Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most, Volf invites listeners—believers and skeptics alike—to wrestle with questions modern life often pushes aside: What is a good life? What are we for? How do we live with our enemies, our neighbors, and even ourselves without being consumed by resentment? Throughout, he returns to the conviction that a truly Christian vision of life is both deeply realistic about evil and radically hopeful about God’s power to create a future of joy, justice, and embrace.For anyone struggling to make sense of faith in the face of violence, culture wars, or personal hurt, this conversation offers more than abstract answers. It traces the journey of a man who has seen exclusion up close and still dares to imagine—and work for—a world shaped by reconciliation rather than revenge. Get full access to Created in the Image of God at wadefransson.substack.com/subscribe

Poet Christian Wiman and theologian Miroslav Volf wrote each other letters in which they wrestled honestly with the big questions: what does it mean to love God? What is faith? Letter writing deepened the friendship between these two intellectuals as they wrestled with their questions about faith and the nature of God. The longings they discuss speak to our deepest needs for transcendence and connection. If we’re going to transcend muffled lives and cut through the noise, we need a sharp, almost brutal honesty. These letters were published in Glimmerings: Letters on Faith Between a Poet and a Theologian . The book is named after a Seamus Heaney line : “glimmerings are what the soul’s composed of”. Miroslav Volf is a Croatian-American theologian Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Christian Wiman is a poet, translator, and essayist from West Texas. He served as editor of Poetry magazine from 2003 to 2013. Discussed in this episode: Jewish theologian Abraham Joshua Heschel Veni Creator by Czesław Miłosz Zero at the Bone by Christian Wiman With & For is a podcast of the Thrive Center, an applied research center that exists to catalyze a movement of human thriving, with and for others through spiritual health. Learn more at thethrivecenter.org . Follow us on Instagram @thrivecenter Follow us on LinkedIn @thethrivecenter Dr. Pamela Ebstyne King hosts With & For, and is the Executive Director of the Thrive Center and the Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied Developmental Science at the School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy at Fuller Seminary. Follow her @drpamking . About With & For Host: Pam King Senior Director and Producer: Jill Westbrook Operations Manager: Lauren Kim Social Media & Graphic Designer: Wren Juergensen Senior Producer: Clare Wiley Executive Producer: Jakob Lewis Produced by Great Feeling Studios Special thanks to the team at Fuller Studio and Fuller Seminary’s School of Psychology & Marriage and Family Therapy. The podcast was made possible through the support from the John Templeton Foundation. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the host and guests, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation.

What makes a good life? In the fragmented and harried age we inhabit, what habits of attention, reflection, and action orient us toward what is good, true, and beautiful? The season of Lent is a good time for us to tackle such “big questions.” Drawing on his popular course at Yale, theologian and author Miroslav Volf joined us for an online conversation in 2024, where we explored these questions for a live audience. "What is the treasure for which you would be willing to sell everything that you have? And if you know what the treasure is, are you willing ... to risk everything to have that treasure?" Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture in New Haven, Connecticut. He has written or edited more than two dozen books, including the New York Times bestseller Life Worth Living , A Public Faith , Public Faith in Action , and Exclusion and Embrace (winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion and selected as among the 100 best religious books of the twentieth century by Christianity Today ). Educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, Volf regularly lectures around the world. Related Trinity Forum Readings: Man's Search for Meaning ; Viktor Frankl On Happiness ; Thomas Aquinas Brave New World ; Aldous Huxley How Much Land Does a Man Need? Leo Tolstoy Wrestling with God ; Simone Weil

This season of With All Due Respect is sponsored by Morling College, a Christ-centred higher-education institution shaped by its Baptist heritage and broad evangelical vision. Morling is committed to rigorous theological study, deep spiritual formation, and learning how to engage faithfully and thoughtfully with difference. Study options include ministry and theology, counselling, chaplaincy, and education. Download a course guide to explore whether Morling is the right place for your next step. Morling to Go is a collection of free, short, video-based courses created by Morling College to support thoughtful Christian learning and formation. Designed for individuals, small groups, and ministry teams, each course includes teaching videos and discussion questions led by respected evangelical scholars and practitioners. Explore each course and find a resource that best fits your context. About the Guest: Prof Miroslav Volf is a distinguished theologian and the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, where he directs the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Originally from Croatia, Volf has had a significant impact in theological circles through his focus on identity, otherness, and reconciliation. He is best known for his acclaimed book Exclusion and Embrace , which Christianity Today named one of the 100 most influential religious books of the twentieth century. Volf has also served as an advisor to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the White House. Key Takeaways: Ambition is a multifaceted concept, often viewed as both a virtue and a vice across history and cultures. Miroslav Volf emphasises the toxicity of comparing oneself to others and how striving for excellence should surpass endeavors for superiority. The importance of intrinsic value over societal metrics in measuring success and personal worth is underscored. Biblical narratives, such as those in Philippians and the Gospels, highlight the transformative power of purpose-driven ambition for God's glory. The cultural portrayal of ambition, exemplified by classic literature and modern TV series, calls for a reflective look at our own motivations and societal structures. Notable Quotes: "God's love is not a generic thing thrown over the world; it remembers the specificity of the one." "Each of us has a generic nature, but each of us has also a specific nature." "Ambition with a pious swoosh can easily become selfish ambition if not directed carefully." "The widow's two coins were worth more than the great sums of the rich; she gave everything." "Our society often measures success quantitatively, but Jesus looked at the heart, the interior life." Resources: Miroslav Volf's Book: The Cost of Ambition Miroslav Volf's Book: Exclusion and Embrace See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens when our obsession with being better than everyone else destroys both who we are and how we relate to each other? Dr. Miroslav Volf joins us to talk about his new book The Cost of Ambition and why America's comparison culture, achievement addiction, and hardening tribal identities are setting us up for something dangerous. Volf witnessed neighbors turn on neighbors during the Yugoslav wars, and he's seeing the warning signs again—right here, right now. We dive into how striving for superiority traps us in an unstable cycle of pride and inferiority, why our worth can't be based on achievement, and what it means to trust in our naked humanity as the site of God's gift rather than our endless performance metrics. From social media's algorithmic comparison engines to the terror of trusting Jesus to raise our kids, this conversation cuts deep into the spiritual crisis of modern life and points toward a different way—one grounded in the self-giving love of Christ rather than the desperate scramble to stay on top. You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube Dr. Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture . Born in Croatia, he lived through the Yugoslav wars—an experience that profoundly shaped his theological work on reconciliation, identity, and belonging. He is the author of numerous influential books including Exclusion and Embrace , Free of Charge , and his newest works The Cost of Ambition and Glimmerings (co-authored with poet Christian Wiman). Widely recognized as one of the world's most respected theologians, Volf's work bridges the academy and the church, helping Christians reflect on faith, public life, and what it means to follow Christ in fractured times. You can listen to our previous conversation on the podcast here: Faith in the Public Square in the Era of Trump . UPCOMING ONLINE LENT CLASS: Jesus in Galilee w/ John Dominic Crossan ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠This Lenten class ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ begins where all of Dr. John Dominic Crossan's has work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas' transformation of the "Sea of Galilee" into the commercial "Sea of Tiberias" mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John's baptism movement proclaiming God's Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message? Only by understanding what Jesus' parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The class is donation-based, including 0, so join, get info, and join up here. ⁠⁠⁠⁠ This podcast is a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Homebrewed Christianity ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ production. Follow <a href="http

While God has made us to be ambitious, there can be a deep spiritual cost for striving to be better than others. Miroslav Volf is one of the leading public theologians. In this episode, based on his book " The Cost of Ambition ," Dr. Volf explains how the teachings of Jesus and Paul offer a means for how we can aim for excellence without being plagued by our own sense of inferiority. Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He was educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, earning doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (with highest honors) from the University of Tübingen, Germany. He has written or edited more than 20 books, over 100 scholarly articles, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and several other outlets, including NPR's Speaking of Faith (now On Being with Krista Tippett) and Public Television’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. ========== PLEASE NOTE: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, there will not be a Weekly Cultural Update airing this Friday. Please join us next week when a regular episode will air on Tuesday. Have a happy Thanksgiving. We're especially thankful for your support of the Think Biblically podcast. ========== Think Biblically: Conversations on Faith and Culture is a podcast from Talbot School of Theology at Biola University , which offers degrees both online and on campus in Southern California. Find all episodes of Think Biblically at: https://www.biola.edu/think-biblically . To submit comments, ask questions, or make suggestions on issues you'd like us to cover or guests you'd like us to have on the podcast, email us at thinkbiblically@biola.edu .

Ambition is the air we breathe—but what is it costing us? In this episode, Amy Julia Becker and theologian Miroslav Volf discuss his latest book, The Cost of Ambition . They unpack the hidden damage of a culture obsessed with competition and invite us to imagine a new way of being, for ourselves and our society, rooted not in achievement, but in love, mutuality, and genuine abundance. They explore: Striving for superiority in American culture The dark side of competition Longing for what we have Striving for excellence vs. striving for superiority The illusion of individual achievement Practices for embracing love and generosity Reimagining human relationships beyond superiority __ MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse by Miroslav Volf Abundance by Ezra Klein The Sabbath by Abraham Heschel Luke 18:9-14 , Philippians 2 , 1 Corinthians 12:21-26 , Mark 10:35-45 The Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) Works of Love by Søren Kierkegaard Subscribe to Amy Julia's newsletter _ WATCH this conversation on YouTube by clicking here . READ the full transcript and access detailed show notes by clicking here or visiting amyjuliabecker.com/podcast . _ ABOUT : Miroslav Volf (DrTheol, University of Tübingen) is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture in New Haven, Connecticut. He has written or edited more than two dozen books, including the New York Times bestseller Life Worth Living, A Public Faith, Public Faith in Action, and Exclusion and Embrace (winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion and selected as among the 100 best religious books of the 20th century by Christianity Today). Educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, Volf regularly lectures around the world. CONNECT with Miroslav Volf on X at @miroslavvolf. Photo Credit: © Christopher Capozziello ___ Let’s stay in touch. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive weekly reflections that challenge assumptions about the good life, proclaim the inherent belovedness of every human being, and envision a world of belonging where everyone matters. We want to hear your thoughts. Send us a text! Connect with me: Instagram Facebook YouTube Website Thanks for listening!

Dr. Miroslav Volf is a prominent theologian, scholar, author, and founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture . Born in Croatia, Miroslav experienced the religious and political tensions of his homeland firsthand, which deeply influenced his academic and theological pursuits. He has authored numerous influential books, including Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation and Allah: A Christian Response , which engage with pressing theological and ethical questions in a globalized world. His most recent book is the New York Times bestseller Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most , co-authored with Matthew Croasmun and Ryan McAnnally-Linz last year. Miroslav's work emphasizes the importance of dialogue, understanding, and reconciliation across religious and cultural divides, making him a significant figure in contemporary Christian thought and interfaith discourse. In the episode, we discuss what we can learn about what it means to flourish and how to flourish from Life Worth Living and the Yale course of the same name, and how to answer what Miroslav calls “The Question” concerning human flourishing. Learn more and subscribe at flourishfmpodcast.com Follow us: YouTube @flourishfmcast Instagram @flourishfmpodcast TikTok @flourishfmpodcast Twitter @flourishfmcast Facebook @flourishfmcast LinkedIn @flourishfmpodcast Dr. Miroslav Wolf: Website LinkedIn Twitter Timestamps: [01:05] A fresh perspective on flourishing. [04:38] Education and human flourishing. [08:49] Engaging with religious traditions. [16:25] The meaning of human existence. [20:08] Emotional side of life. [24:27] Question of human existence. [27:33] Components of the good life. [34:32] The pursuit of eudaimonia. [39:37] Values in different traditions. [44:25] A life with pain. [49:49] The beauty of suffering. [53:33] The definition of success. <p cla

A Life Worth Living What makes a good life? What habits of attention, reflection, and action orient us towards knowing, desiring, and doing what is good, true, and beautiful? Such “big questions” may seem unanswerable and intimidating — but their exploration is at the heart of the human quest for meaning. Drawing on his popular Yale course, theologian Miroslav Volf joined us to reflect on what makes for a flourishing life in our times: “You realize that there are things that are much more important. I mean this is the life of fullness. This is his life of weight. [It is the] arduous life that is, in fact, the truly happy life. Despite the real challenge of human suffering and pain, Volf argues that happiness is possible and that an examined life that grapples with the good in our emotions, circumstances, and actions is a life worth living. This podcast is an edited version of an online conversation recorded in early 2024. Watch the full video of the conversation here , and learn more about Miroslav Volf . Authors and books mentioned in the conversation: Exclusion and Embrace , by Miroslav Volf Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most , by Miroslav Volf, Matthew Croasmun, and Ryan McAnnally-Linz Friedrich Nietzsche Related Trinity Forum Readings : Man's Search for Meaning , by Viktor Frankl On Happiness , by Thomas Aquinas Brave New World , by Aldous Huxley How Much Land Does a Man Need , by Leo Tolstoy Wrestling with God , by Simone Weil Related Conversations: A New Year With The Word with Malcolm Guite Music, Creativity & Justice with Ruth Naomi Floyd Pursuing Humility with Richard Foster and Brenda Quinn Reading as a Spi

Why would we consider forgiving someone who has deeply harmed us? How do we even go about forgiving someone who doesn’t deserve it? And where might forgiveness eventually lead us—individually and even corporately—if we pursue it? Forgiveness is beyond challenging. Some injuries are so acute, the very idea of forgiveness seems out of bounds. And when atrocities are perpetrated against an entire people group, how is forgiveness even an option? Is real justice attainable? Or peace? No-one, after all, is entitled to a “get out of jail free” card. During this lunch conversation, theologian and public intellectual Miroslav Volf shared his own story of forgiving a crime against a family member. He also addressed the nuances and implications of forgiveness and justice for reconciliation at the national level, especially in reference to South Africa and its long history of apartheid. Facilitating our conversation was Christine Jeske, an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Wheaton College who has studied the human and economic impacts of systemic injustice in the global south and is currently researching how Christians envision and seek racial justice. About our Speaker: Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology and Founding Director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture . His books include Allah: A Christian Response (2011); Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace (2006), which was the Archbishop of Canterbury Lenten book for 2006; Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation (1996), a winner of the 2002 Grawemeyer Award; and After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (1998), winner of the Christianity Today book award. A member of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. and the Evangelical Church in Croatia, Professor Volf has been involved in international ecumenical dialogues (for instance, with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) and interfaith dialogues (Common Word), and was an active participant in the Global Agenda Council on Values of the World Economic Forum. A native of Croatia, he regularly teaches and lectures in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, and across North America. Professor Volf is a fellow of Berkeley College. His degrees include a B.A. from Evangelical-Theological Faculty (Zagreb, Croatia), an M.A. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Dr. of Theology from the University of Tubingen (Tubingen, Germany). About our Moderator: Christine Jeske pursues moral and cultural questions around economic development, and writes about what North Americans have to learn from the global South regarding finance and wellbeing. Her current research considers how Christians envision and seek racial justice; she has also studied how peo Send us Fan Mail Upper House Commons gathers the university community for spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation. We explore big ideas and engage in conversations that matter within arts and humanities, justice and society, leadership and vocation, science and technology, spiritual formation, and theology . Whether you are a student or faculty member at UW–Madison or beyond, working in the marketplace, or serving in the church, we see you as part of our university community. Gather with us for one of our programs —our “commons”— each a pasture for shared spiritual, intellectual, and vocational formation. Head over to our events page to see what's coming soon, or mark your calendar for these upcoming programs. Find out more slbf.org/upperhousecommons

We’re in a crisis of meaning. It’s like our existential compasses are off kilter. Uprooted from faith, social, and civic communities—the very institutions that once supplied narratives, a sense of identity, and belonging. But meaning and purpose are central to our spiritual health and therefore thriving. And theology comes into play because psychologists are more concerned with how meaning is made descriptively—looking at the cognitive and affective processes of our brains and behavior. Whereas theologians are concerned with prescriptive meaning, commenting normatively about how we should live. This episode features renowned theologian Miroslav Volf (Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School / Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture ) and author of the bestselling book, Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most . We need stories of love and hope to define our lives. And much of Miroslav's life's work has been devoted to understanding what constitutes a life worth living. In our conversation, he shares about a God who is with us, who is loving, and who created us for love, calling us to an active role in the flourishing of this world. In this conversation, we discuss: How to discern what really matters and how to be intentional about a life worth living The need to challenge the hyper individualistic assumptions of our day, focusing on thriving life as a life of connections and convictions Spiritual health as dependent on our relationships with one another, with God, and creation Spiritual practices that quiet, create space, and slow us down—allowing us to attune a broad and secure space for human becoming and unfolding Miroslav speaks openly and vulnerably about his own experiences of faith, suffering, hope, and flourishing About Miroslav Volf Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and is the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He was educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, earning doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (with highest honors) from the University of Tübingen, Germany. He has written or edited more than 20 books, over 100 scholarly articles, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post, Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and several other outlets, including NPR, On Being with Krista Tippett, and Public Television’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. His books include Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most, Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation, Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace, Allah: A Christian Response, After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good, The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World, Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World, For the Life of the World: Theology that Makes a Difference (with Matthew Croasmun), and The Home of God: A Brief Story of Everything (with Ryan McAnnally-Linz). About the Thrive Center Learn more at thethrivecenter.org . Follow us on Instagram @thrivecenter Follow us on X @thrivecenter Follow us on LinkedIn @thethrivecenter About Dr. Pam King Dr. Pam King is Executive Director the Thrive Center and is Peter L. Benson Professor of Applied

Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School and the co-author of The Home of God: A Brief Story of Everything . In this episode, Miroslav Volf and I talk about what it means for this world to be God’s home. And what it means for this world to be our home. And what this means for the mission of the church. And, finally, what should the church do when it feels like this world isn’t our home? THIS EPISODE'S HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School and the co-author of The Home of God: A Brief Story of Everything . The purpose of this book is to sketch the story in which we situate our lives so we can discern the meaning of our lives. According to Miroslav Volf, creation is God’s home. God delights in bringing the world to its fullness. In Revelation, we see God making his home on the earth. Miroslav Volf reflects on why Christian tradition seems to have lost the idea that God wants to make God’s home here on earth—rather than far away in heaven. We ought to think in terms of salvation being a matter of matter. According to Miroslav Volf, there is a materiality to salvation. The world is a home of homes. Miroslav Volf coined the term dysoikos , which refers to “home that isn’t home.” It expresses the feeling of being alienated, of being a stranger in one’s own home or space. God redeems us out of our sense of dysoikos , so that we might be made at one with each other, at one with our place, at one with creation, and at one with God. God invites us out of dysoikos and into the home that God has for us? Miroslav Volf reflects on how the church is called to navigate a world—a home—that is constantly changing. We can’t orient ourselves around the old world. And we don’t know how to orient ourselves with a world that hasn’t yet been born. RELEVANT RESOURCES AND LINKS: Miroslav Volf Yale Center for Faith and Culture Books mentioned: The Home of God: a Brief Story of Everything , by Miroslav Volf Send me a text! I’d love to know what you're thinking! Click HERE to get my FREE online course, BECOMING LEADERS OF SHALOM .

What does it mean for a life to go well? What matters most in our time on Earth? These are the most important questions of our lives and yet most of us have no clue how to answer them. Miroslav Volf is a theologian and professor who has been grappling with these ideas for decades. He is the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture where he teaches a class called “Life Worth Living,” and recently wrote a book by the same name. It turns out, life worth living is life helping others. This is…A Bit of Optimism. For more information on Miroslav and his work check out: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/691260/life-worth-living-by-miroslav-volf-matthew-croasmun-and-ryan-mcannally-linz/ https://faith.yale.edu/people/miroslav-volf

On today’s episode of Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, Sharon talks with Yale professors and two of the authors behind Life Worth Living: A Guide to What Matters Most. Initially a class in Yale’s humanities program, Life Worth Living sought to find answers to the age-old philosophical question: what’s the meaning of life? The book brings the classroom lessons to a new audience, and Sharon talks to Volf and McAnnally-Linz about how to go beyond TikTok and Cheetos and find true fulfillment. Special thanks to our guests, Miroslav Volf and Ryan McAnnally-Linz, for joining us today. Find Life Worth Living here . Hosted by: Sharon McMahon Guests: Miroslav Volf and Ryan McAnnally-Linz Executive Producer: Heather Jackson Audio Producer: Jenny Snyder Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Listen in to this previously aired interview with Dr. Miroslav Volf, theologian and public intellectual, author, and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. As we ask the question, "Would Jesus Be a Republican or a Democrat?", Dr. Volf helps shine a light on how to be a bridge builder in a polarized world, how to define oneself by commonalities over differences, and embracing identity "an unreliable ally of any political party." For more of Miroslav Volf, listen here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-life-of-the-world-yale-center-for-faith-culture/id1505076294

Hey everybody! Today I am giddy! I am thrilled to be able to have Dr. Miroslav Volf as a guest today. He is probably one of my favorite living theologians. I think you will enjoy this week's episode as we explore his book Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and is the Founder and Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. He was educated in his native Croatia, the United States, and Germany, earning doctoral and post-doctoral degrees (with highest honors) from the University of Tübingen, Germany. He has written or edited more than 20 books, over 100 scholarly articles, and his work has been featured in the Washington Post , Christianity Today , Christian Century , Sojourners , and several other outlets, including NPR's Speaking of Faith (now On Being with Krista Tippett ) and Public Television’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly. Some of his most significant books include: ‍ Exclusion and Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation (1996; revised edition, 2019), translated in 9 other languages, winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, and one of Christianity Today ’s 100 most important religious books of the 20th century Free of Charge: Giving and Forgiving in a Culture Stripped of Grace (2006), which was the Archbishop of Canterbury Lenten book for 2006 Allah: A Christian Response (2011), on whether Muslims and Christians have a common God After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (1998), winner of the Christianity Today Book Award A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good (2011) The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World (2006; revised edition, 2020), winner of the Christianity Today Book Award ‍ Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World (2016) ‍ For the Life of the World: Theology that Makes a Difference (2019), his most recent book, co-authored with Matthew Croasmun Prior to his appointment at Yale Divinity School in 1998, he taught at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia (1979–80 and 1983–90) and Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California (1990–1998). A member of the Episcopal Church in the U.S.A. and the Evangelical Church in Croatia, Professor Volf has been involved in international ecumenical dialogues (for instance, with the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) and interfaith dialogues (on the executive board of C-1 World Dialogue), and is active participant in the Global Agenda Council on Values of the World Economic Forum. Miroslav regularly teaches and lectures in Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, and across North America. He has given over 30 prestigious lectureships at universities around the world, including Harvard University; Oxford University; Stockholm School of Theology; Duke University; Calvin University, University of Birmingham. Recommended Resources: For the Life of the World Podcast <a href=