Why You’re Here: Ethics for the Real World is John Stackhouse’s contribution to a conversation about ethics. For Stackhouse, ethics are not a simple list of good things and bad things but are instead the character or essence of the thing. Stackhouse uses this definition to suggest a reason why we are here: to maximize shalom. Maximizing shalom means we have a job to do. The book begins with a statement of what God expects of all people, then does the same regarding God’s expectation of Christians in particular, and then closes with some thoughts about what this looks like in practicality, which is where I found the majority of benefit in reading.
Stackhouse uses the opening of Genesis to suggest what he calls “the basic calling of humanity,” which is to care for creation. This means that all people are rulers on earth and have the responsibility to rule in a way that acknowledges the goodness of creation. This is done by fulfilling the “creation commandments” to love God and to love your neighbour as yourself. Similarly, all Christians have a basic calling. Unlike the basic human calling, which was given prior to the fall and would still be in place even if the fall had not occurred, the basic Christian calling is necessary because people turned from God. The calling is to make disciples.
With the understanding that these two calls are in place for Christians (who are after all humans), we can look at what maximizing shalom looks like. This is where the idea for ethics for the real world comes in. The task for the Christian is to maximize shalom in a world corrupted by the Fall, which has an enemy that is looking to corrupt it further.
In such a world, then, we should expect to encounter sin, waste, stupidity, and absurdity – both inside and outside of ourselves. Our focus should not be on following rules but instead should be listening for Jesus’ guidance to ensure we respond in a way that creates the best possible outcome to a given situation. This does not mean that we can do whatever we wish whenever we wish it. The principle of good and bad still exist and it is typically proper to follow it, but in a given situation, our primary question should be, Where is God working and am I willing to join with him and his other followers? We respond to this question with a Christian realism that responds to what the world is, what God reveals in Scripture, and the history of the church. Such realism helps shape our public behaviour. We begin by showing people that we in fact do want what is best, while also acknowledging their own freedom to make a choice that we don’t like. With extreme exceptions aside, we cannot look at people who make different choices from us and totally write them off. Instead, on issues of commonality we should count them as allies. We then tell people the good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Why You’re Here is beneficial for Christians trying to live out their faith in “the real world.” As usual, Stackhouse provides a compelling yet readable argument. In the introduction, Stackhouse points out that this book is an adaptation of his previous academic work Making the Best of It: Following Christ in the Real World. This new book is partly written to be accessible to “non-specialists”. I’ve read both books and, although I have some theological training, I count myself as a non-specialist. I work for a Christian ministry that seeks to make life better for people experiencing poverty. Theological writing is important to informing what I do, but I am not a professional theologian, ethicist, or scholar. I found this adaptation quite helpful as I consider the work I do, which seems to include a lot of the grey areas.
The theological and ethical weight behind this book did not surprise me, but I was surprised, pleasantly, by what I will call “pockets of devotional literature” throughout the book. One such pocket comes in chapter 8. It is an injunction to ask yourself a question: “How does this help me be who I am supposed to be for Jesus Christ, today?” Such a question may help us remove anything in the way of being a good disciple of Jesus. Another pleasant surprise is that I thought about sharing this book with a few friends who do not share my faith because it does a good job at explaining why I approach life as a Christian the way I do. While I cannot speak to whether they would take the book from me, the tone and accessibility here are such that I would be comfortable trying to use it as a discussion starter with one of these friends.
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