Takeaway: “Discipleship is about how we live; not just the decisions we make, not just the things we believe, but a state of being.”
I am a big fan of Rowan Williams’ little books. There are a lot of them. Most of them grew out of lectures and so are short (around 80-100 pages) and pack a lot of punch. Several of them would make excellent small-group discussion books because they could be covered in 4 to 6 sessions (what I think is an optimal length for small-group discussions).
Being Disciples is a follow-up to Being Christian. Being Christian focuses on four practices central to being Christian: baptism, bible, eucharist, and prayer. Being Disciples about attitudes or virtues or approaches to how we live. The chapter titles are Faith, Hope and Love, Forgiveness, Holiness, Faith in Society, and Life in the Spirit.
Williams is a real scholar and theologian, and I have had some difficulty with some of his longer, more academic books. But these shorter ones have a simple presentation without being simplistic. One of the reviewers of Being Disciples on Amazon said, “the simple presentations was made on the basis of deep understanding of theology and the human condition.”
Williams is a theologian, but a theologian who centers practice. He does not minimize theology but suggests that how we live as Christians really matters to becoming more like Christ. The knowledge of theology is not unimportant. But we do not become like Christ through our knowledge, we become like Christ through our practice. (I read this right after finishing the Dangers of Christian Practice, so that was on my mind, but I still think that Rowan Williams is right here.)
Fairly early on in Being Disciples, he says, “If you are going to be where Jesus is “you will find yourself in the same sort of human company as he is in” and “Our discipleship is not about choosing our company but about being where Jesus is.” He continues to suggest that if you love God less, you will love everyone less, and vice versa.
Like many books I have enjoyed lately, Being Disciples is a book of wisdom transmission. Books of wisdom transmission can be vague, which is part of the inherent problems of communicating something that is more art and practice than science. But Williams is fairly clear, and while there are lots of good one-line thoughts, this is not just a book of proverbs.
I think Being Disciples is not quite as good as Being Christian, but they are well-paired, and I think they would benefit many, especially because they are so short.
Being Disciples: Essentials of The Christian Life by Rowan Williams Purchase Links: Paperback, Kindle Edition, Audible.com Audiobook