Book of the Weak

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We see it in Jesus suffering unto death, emptying himself of all authority on our behalf. We can see it in our families and organizations. It shows up in politics and sports. And, it shows up in our films. He witnesses how his work and industry exploit children. He recognizes that his distorted use of authority needs to change.

Sully starts with himself. He commits to no longer scaring children. Laughter, he finds, creates more energy than tears. Sully then reforms his industry, changing the very essence of how his fellow monsters power their world. In our families, neighborhoods, organizations and churches, we hold power. The question facing us is how we will steward it. Will we shirk our authority by withdrawing from the challenge? Will we abuse our authority by exploiting those around us? Will we ignore those without authority, thereby increasing their vulnerability and suffering? Our culture is replete with examples of self-promoting, exploitative, manipulatively vulnerable, isolated leaders and institutions.

In doing so, we will embody the death vulnerability and victory authority of our Savior. In doing so, we will lead confidently in our strength and weakness. As it turns out, Jesus shows us that leaders do not have to make that choice. Both should be true in our lives as well. I recently revisited an old post on my blog, and I was struck by how relevant it still is and how helpful it might be to post it again.

Surrounded as we are by sales pitches, hysterical rhetoric, and outright Many years ago, I read a sentence that caught my breath and brought tears to my eyes. It was as if, in it, I could read my future. In an effort to equip the church, members of the ERLC have published several books over the last year and the end of the previous year. It is profound and formative, a rare book that gives a livable paradigm. Crouch is equal parts teacher and inspirer with a lot of craftsman thrown in to make the work beautiful.

It is a book for leaders, parents, students, spouses, and more. But it is a not leadership, parenting, calling, or marriage book. It's a paradigm for living a truly meaningful life in each of those contexts - in all contexts. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Mar 24, Mark Jr. I loved Crouch's two major previous books, Culture Making: Redeeming the Gift of Power. I felt this one was also very profitable, though not quite as deep as his other two. All the same, I'm planning a second read-through. I want to get this. I think he's on to something big, something abidingly useful and true.

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What really made me think so was when he finally got to showing how this thing—embracing a life of vulnerability on the one hand and auth I loved Crouch's two major previous books, Culture Making: What really made me think so was when he finally got to showing how this thing—embracing a life of vulnerability on the one hand and authority on the other—is so thoroughly true of Jesus. He emptied himself, but spoke with authority. He humbled himself, but forgave sins. The Bible was a bit less evident in this book than in the others particularly Culture Making: But this connection of his thesis to Jesus is so strong that I was persuaded.

Crouch writes as a Christian and a theologian, as a gifted popularizer and a not a self-help guru. Crouch is one person whose books you don't want to miss if you want to do what the Bible calls for: How can your good works make a difference, truly helping others? What is the best way to work with others to do good for your neighbor? Crouch got me thinking about the role institutions, in particular, play in answering that question.

That was in Playing God: Now he has me thinking about the ways in which I must take risks and increase my vulnerability if I want to lend authority, authority to "make something of the world," to others. Here's just one comment that he made that was wise and immediately helpful: When media are tools that help those who have lacked the capacity for action take action, and bring them together to bear risk together rather than be paralyzed in Suffering, they can lead to real change.

But when the residents of the comfortable affluence of Withdrawing use media to simulate engagement, to give ourselves a sense of making a personal investment when in fact our activity risks nothing and forms nothing new in our characters, then "virtual activism" is in fact a way of doubling down on withdrawing, holding on to one's invulnerability and incapacity while creating a sensation of involvement.

Only when technology serves a genuine, embodied, risky move toward flourishing is it something other than an opiate for the mass elite—the drug that leaves us mired in our apathy and our neighbors in their need. Mar 30, Tim Hoiland rated it really liked it Shelves: Vintage Andy Crouch here. Sep 01, Tyler Simonds rated it it was amazing Shelves: I appreciate a book that is fairly short--particularly if that book is non-fiction. Crouch does a brilliant job talking about true flourishing. How can we help others find life through meaningful action and vulnerability? It's the only way to be.

Mar 28, Bob rated it really liked it Shelves: Explores two qualities that we often think opposed to one another and argues that strength and weakness are paradoxically related and that human beings flourish to the extent that they can appropriately exercise strength authority and weakness vulnerability together. We often tend to think of strength and weakness, authority and vulnerability as mutually exclusive qualities or at opposite ends of a continuum.

Yet the apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians For when I am weak, then I am strong. Rather than being at opposite ends of a continuum, he sees them as the x and y axes of a 2 by 2 grid. True flourishing occurs in quadrant I where we embrace both the capacity for meaningful action and exposure to meaningful risk. In successive chapters, Crouch explores life in each quadrant. Those in the quadrant of suffering have exposure to meaningful risk without the capacity for meaningful action. Illness and poverty are places where this is experienced, yet even here, when the gospel is embraced, hope and dignity is restored and there is a kind of strength in weakness allowing persons to move to quadrant I.

Quadrant III is the quadrant of withdrawal. Crouch invites those who have withdrawn to take two steps—into the natural world of creation, and into the relational world of doing real things with real people! Perhaps the most interesting chapter was one where he explored the challenge many leaders face of living with overt authority and hidden vulnerability.

There is the President of the United States, who has such significant authority, that he receives a unique briefing of the dangers facing the U. Similarly, many business leaders cannot speak of the vulnerabilities of their companies, but must take meaningful action to address them for their communities to flourish. This is transformative leadership, where one both experiences being truly alive, and where others are helped to flourish as they see our strength in weakness.

This is a much shorter work than either Culture Making or Playing God.

Book Review: Strong and Weak by Andy Crouch

It builds on the latter, which explores the use of the gift of power redemptively, but the length is appropriate to elaborating this single critical paradox of strength and weakness. One question the book raised for me is what is the hope for those in quadrant IV, the exploiters? Crouch warns of the judgment and the fall of those who choose this path.

And perhaps those who are strong without being vulnerable are a version of the rich young man, for whom entry into the kingdom is so hard, yet not impossible we have the counter-example of Zaccheus. Since most of us will exercise some form of authority in some dimension of life, as parents, coaches, managers, leaders, committee chairs or in other forms of leadership that draw upon our capacities for meaningful action and expose us to meaningful risks, this is an important book for both our flourishing in such roles but for the flourishing of the broader communities we serve.

It may be simpler to embrace one or neither of these two elements of the paradox, but this would be to sacrifice flourishing for a much smaller life for oneself and for those whose lives we touch. Living in the paradox seems more challenging, but somehow much richer. Clearly, Crouch has given us much to chew upon. Jul 01, Christine Hoover rated it it was amazing Shelves: A thought-provoking little book, one I found especially helpful regarding leadership. Maybe I'm missing something, but Crouch's points seemed to border on the obvious.

From my perspective, though, if you've spent significant time reflecting on the suffering servant nature of Christ as well as his victory, then there's not much that will seem new to you in this book. Aug 29, Nate Clark rated it really liked it. A decent book about the balance between authority and vulnerability in leading, and following the true leader Jesus who was the perfect balance of both.

With numerous examples and grace, crouch gives a great guide to leading in any vocation. Mar 09, Joe Haack rated it it was amazing. This deserves 10 stars. Reading this was one of the better uses of my time. Mar 04, Jon rated it it was amazing Shelves: Andy Crouch starts with a simple idea, presented as a 2x2 matrix—sort of like those that you might encounter in a business school classroom.

Vulnerability and authority are often positioned in opposition to one another: Crouch argues that vulnerability and authority are not in opposition to one another, but are rather complementary. In fact, while vulnerability without authority leads to suffering, authority wi Andy Crouch starts with a simple idea, presented as a 2x2 matrix—sort of like those that you might encounter in a business school classroom.

In fact, while vulnerability without authority leads to suffering, authority without vulnerability leads to exploitation, and a life with neither authority nor vulnerability leads to withdrawal, a life lived with both authority and vulnerability leads to a life of flourishing. The book proceeds by examining what a life looks like in each of these categories, culminating in Crouch's argument for why true flourishing requires both authority and vulnerability.

In his view, vulnerability is tantamount to being subject to meaningful risk, which is part and parcel with the human experience. Throughout history, humans have often attempted to reduce their risk by increasing their authority, which nearly always leads to negative consequences. It is an elegant argument, but given the fact that it is easy to see how it plays out in various circumstances, it's not hard to find the book argument compelling. For example, Crouch points out that in recent years, police departments have increasingly invested in military-grade equipment and gear, which has served to both increase their authority while simultaneously reduce their vulnerability.

After all, coming up to a house in riot gear armed with assault weapons does not leave police offers in a position of significant vulnerability!

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The consequence of this has been to actually increase the vulnerability of the communities in which those police officers serve. This increase in authority and corresponding decrease in vulnerability leads, therefore, to a form of exploitation and oppression in those communities. This book is short, but it presents an idea in a lucid and compelling way. It is applicable to our personal lives, because we need to be prepared to live lives of meaningful risk.

Crouch connects this to the gospel by describing how the exposure to risk is both a reflection of Christ's work and ministry as well as a vehicle by which we rely on God for the source of our protection, rather than our own ultimately futile attempts to increase our own authority to minimize our vulnerability.

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It is also applicable to culture writ large, because we see many of the problems in society—from presidential elections to racism to corporate greed—stem from persons and institutions looking to increase their authority without vulnerability. This is an important and needed book, because it helps conceptualize major problems we face as a culture in a way that roots it firmly in Christian theology. Mar 03, Milan Homola rated it it was amazing Shelves: Andy Crouch is a much needed author who brings fresh thinking to many topics through a Christian worldview.

I anticipated this book being good, but it far exceeded my hopes. I need to read it again but I'm almost certain this is my new favorite book to lend healthy perspective to leadership and life in general. It makes you think outside the box and get honest with yourself. It does not give "gag me" fluffy Christian content that seems to be repeated over and over by so many other books. His ope Andy Crouch is a much needed author who brings fresh thinking to many topics through a Christian worldview.

His opening explanation of the "tyranny of "or" and the "genius of "and" adapted from Collins to look at Authority and Vulnerability struck deep at my worldview and it continues to alter my thinking.

Go read this book May 21, Andy Huette rated it really liked it. The book reads like a 3-star, but the thesis is a 4-star. Crouch clarifies the necessity of living with appropriate authority which he defines as the capacity for meaningful action , and with true vulnerability. Vulnerability without good authority leads to suffering and authority without vulnerability leads to exploitation. A healthy mixture of vulnerability and authority is necessary for human flourishing and Crouch illustrates his thesis well. It's an easy read that gave me a helpful paradig The book reads like a 3-star, but the thesis is a 4-star.

It's an easy read that gave me a helpful paradigm for leadership and life. Sep 26, Ashley rated it it was amazing.

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He describes how to pursue flourishing by living not on a continuum between strength and weakness, as though they were opposites, but in one of the four quadrants formed by placing strength and weakness on an x and y axis. He describes the other 3 quadrants as authoritarianism, suffering, and withdrawing. Helpful and visual description of Jesus' kind of leader Very helpful book.

Helpful and visual description of Jesus' kind of leadership. Feb 03, Andrew Johnson rated it it was amazing.

But Crouch shows how you need both to flourish in life. He demonstrates how we often view authority and vulnerability the wrong way by typically putting emphasis on one above the other. Overall, I thought he did an excellent of showing how to lead well and am looking forward to thinking more about the concepts. Jul 15, Paul Elliott rated it really liked it. Audiobook Insightful and challenging.

Book aims to help us understand the importance of strength and weakness to true flourishing. So many helpful thoughts on parenting, video games, social media, work, disability, leadership, race, and success. Feb 15, Merritt Onsa rated it it was amazing Shelves: A profound read for anyone in or out of a leadership role who seeks to live for the flourishing of others and the world!

This is one of the best books I've ever read on leadership if only because it actually has the potential to change the way I lead and think about leadership. Thank you Andy Crouch! Aug 30, Aaron W.

Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing

Matthews rated it it was amazing. This is a practical, valuable book and one I'll refer back to several times. The paradox of strength and weakness; authority and vulnerability are discussed in detail, but with some pretty profound and applicable examples. I learned a lot and have already been having some meaningful discussions with several people about the ideas Mr.

Mar 31, Rob and Liz rated it it was amazing. My favorite book from so far.

Practical and easy to read. You will be glad you did. Aug 17, Justin Lonas rated it really liked it. Short and simple, but deep. Jun 19, Matt rated it it was amazing. I heard Andy give a talk on this subject when he was still preparing this book. I was floored then.

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