How an Atheist's Book Led Me to Write about Christian Humility

I’ve been reading, thinking, and writing about humility for many years. I’ve been praying about and seeking to grow in this virtue, too. I’ve learned a lot, grown a bit, and experienced my share of failures. I’ve wanted to write a book about humility for Christians who want to understand and grow in this virtue for a while now. There is a lot of misunderstanding about what humility is. There is a deep need for humility in our world. And there is confusion about how to grow in this vital Christian virtue. I’m happy to announce that Humility: Rediscovering the Way of Love and Life in Christ, will be available on March 12, 2024.

Rather than just promote the book, I thought I’d share about how it came to be. Back in 2005 (19 years ago, ouch!) I read a book by Erik Wielenberg, Value and Virtue in a Godless Universe. This was when the New Atheists were prominent in the culture. The quality of Wielenberg’s book towers above the writings of Dawkins and other New Atheists. Wielenberg writes from the perspective of philosophical naturalism (a form of atheism). His book contains clear, concise, well-written, and challenging arguments.

Upon my first reading of Wielenberg’s discussion of the virtue of humility, I had the sense that he was wrong. I didn’t agree with the version of Christian humility he presented (though it was based on some Christian writings). I also thought his atheistic version of humility was flawed. My writing on humility is not a critical response to Wielenberg, at least not directly. Instead, I’ve worked at developing in greater depth and detail what the Christian virtue of humility is. To do this, I’ve drawn from the Bible, biblical studies, theology, philosophy, the monastic tradition, and a bit of psychology, too.

I found so much that is false, and at times harmful, in how many have described this virtue. It is the antidote to pride, but also to self-denigration. It certainly involves sacrifice, but not of our own basic human dignity as creatures who bear God’s image. Humility involves a deep other-centeredness grounded in our union with Christ.

There is an incredibly rich tradition of thought and practice about humility in the Bible, Christian theology, Christian philosophy, spiritual formation writings, and the monastic tradition. Studying this, developing and refining what humility is, and then intentionally seeking to grow in it have been some of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Much of that work culminated in a book I wrote for other academics on this virtue, published in 2018. Academic books in philosophy and theology are pretty specialized and often technical. They are also very expensive. And they rarely have any readers outside of a few other scholars.

This book is not an academic book aimed at other scholars. It’s a book for the Christian wanting to understand and grow in humility. My goal in writing was that the book would be interesting, accessible, inspiring, practical, and affordable. While the research done in my academic work on humility is at the foundation of my forthcoming book, the vast majority of it is new material reflecting new thinking I’ve done over the past few years, with its unique audience in mind.

If you’re interested in reading the book, would you consider pre-ordering it?

Apparently this makes a big difference to the algorithms getting the word out about books. It is also a way that both online and physical bookstores gauge interest. Additionally, I’m developing some supplemental material for the book. This will include interviews with others who have written about humility as well as a 14 day humility challenge, building on the practical advice given in the book for actual growth in humility. I’ll let you know about that as it becomes available.

I never would have thought that reading an atheist’s account of humility would lead to almost 20 years of work on this virtue, but I’m glad that it did. It has helped me as a husband, father, friend, professor, soccer coach, and follower of Jesus. I hope what I share in the book is helpful for those who read it, too.

I’m more convinced than ever that we need to grow in and exemplify humility and love in our homes, places of work, communities, churches, and yes, even our politics, if we are to be authentic followers of the Way of Jesus. My hope and prayer is that this book helps us to do just that. With all that is going to happen in 2024, we certainly need more humility and more love!

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope your new year has started off well!