Low Anthropology
- Christian Living
- Theology
- World Religions
- Publisher: Brazos Press (Baker Publishing Group)
- Published: 2023
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Publisher's Description
"A lighthearted yet high-minded exploration of failure's ability to serve as a gateway to grace. Readers will find this a balm."--Publishers WeeklyMany of us spend our days feeling like we're the only one with problems, while everyone else has their act together. But the sooner we realize that everyone struggles like we do, the sooner we can show grace to ourselves and others. In Low Anthropology, popular author and theologian David Zahl explores how our ideas about human nature influence our expectations in friendship, work, marriage, and politics. We all go through life with an "anthropology"--an idea about what humans are like, our potentials and our limitations. A high anthropology--thinking optimistically about human nature--can breed perfectionism, anxiety, burnout, loneliness, and resentment. Meanwhile, Zahl invites readers into a biblically rooted and surprisingly life-giving low anthropology, which fosters hope, deep connection with others, lasting love, vulnerability, compassion, and happiness. Zahl offers a liberating view of human nature, sin, and grace, showing why the good news of Christianity is both urgent and appealing. By embracing a more accurate view of human beings, readers will discover a true and lasting hope.
Endorsements (6)
“I encourage you to read David Zahl’s Low Anthropology for yourself. Better yet, read it with others. It is a wise, witty, and well-written book.”
“Seasoned with the perfect amount of humor, deep cultural fluency, and a breezy style, Zahl clearly knows he is contending for a counterintuitive notion: that a ‘lower’ vision of ourselves is actually what leads to liberation, joyful anticipation of how one could grow and change, and even love for the other. . . . Low Anthropology truly is good news, for every reader, but especially so for those of us who work in ministry. . . . Correcting our anthropology could be the key for many pastors to stay in the vocation for the long haul, and this is crucial, because the healthy local church, equipped with a Zahlsian low anthropology, is precisely where I want to be.”
“As we mature in our faith, we can become less tolerant of those who make poor decisions because of their hopeless state. When I look at anyone who is challenged daily, I am reminded of the grace Christ afforded me. I am grateful for the unburdening words of hope that David Zahl offers in Low Anthropology.”
“Low Anthropology stands as a refreshing and much-needed antidote to our cultural fixation on achievement and self-optimization, and it is brimming with insights that feel both timely and timeless. At a moment when religious concepts like original sin are often misunderstood as vehicles of pessimism and shame, Zahl brilliantly reveals the paradoxical nature of this humbler understanding of our humanity, demonstrating how it can become an avenue toward radical compassion, acceptance, and grace.”
“[Zahl] persistently sings the song of grace for souls languishing under a weight of perceived expectations. His new book sings this song in a new key, sensitively attuned, as always, to the cultural indications that people are yearning for such a song. . . . Zahl has a gentle and affable way in this book of inviting a nevertheless incisive and therefore ultimately healing self-examination, for which the reader will be grateful.”
“key, sensitively attuned, as always, to the cultural indications that people are yearning for such a song. . . . Zahl has a gentle and affable way in this book of inviting a nevertheless incisive and therefore ultimately healing self-examination, for which the reader will be grateful.”
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