The Joy of Humility

This fascinating and comprehensive collection of essays is the single best volume on the state of humility scholarship today. With wise insight and erudite scholarship, contributors guide us through contemporary studies in psychology, key figures and theological texts in the historical and Christian virtue tradition, probing philosophical analyses, and ardent protests against humility’s misuse. Their responses to each other deepen the account each essay offers, offering students of humility a winsome and engaging model of fruitful intellectual exchange.

~Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, Professor of Philosophy, Calvin University

Featuring contributions by theologians, philosophers, and psychologists, The Joy of Humility’s chapters explore such tantalizing topics as womanism, flourishing, and humility; a variation on Luther’s theology of humility; the vocation of the humble; and the role of humility in servant leadership. It is an incisive and insightful collection that pushes our understanding of humility into new and fascinating terrain. I highly recommend it for anyone who wishes to fathom the depths of humility.

~Nancy E. Snow, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing, The University of Oklahoma

This multifaceted engagement with humility brings together ancient and modern wisdom and a range of disciplines in order to explore and argue about this transformative yet controversial virtue. It also offers rich, deep, and challenging material to any readers open to examining themselves, their way of life, and their priorities.

~David F. Ford, Emeritus Regius Professor of Divinity, University of Cambridge

In Christian scripture, thought, and practice, humility is taken for granted as a virtue. At the same time, there is a lack of conceptual clarity about what it means to be a humble person. Even more urgent, the traditional Christian emphasis on humility runs a serious risk of being oppressive, particularly to women and people of color. The Joy of Humility brings together an impressive group of theologians, philosophers, and psychologists for an important interdisciplinary dialogue on humility’s definition(s), practices, and value. Both easy-to-read and learned, this book is essential reading for scholars, students, and practitioners interested in Christian virtue formation.

~Matthew Wilcoxen, Associate Rector, Church of the Resurrection, Washington, DC

The eight essays in The Joy of Humility comprise a worthwhile discussion about the definition of humility by scholars from different disciplines, while also touching on distinct concerns like social justice and leadership. The contributions are divided into normative and methodological issues with the purpose of deepening their thematic affinity.

~Marco Oliveira, Studies in Christian Ethics

"This book is to be commended for opening up ‘the beginning and end of virtue’ in such an engaging way."

~Frances Ward, Modern Believing