Humility: Rediscovering the Way of Love and Life in Christ, Michael W. Austin. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802882103), 2024.

Summary: A study of the Christian virtue of humility understood as following Jesus, being formed in his character of humility and love through his people and through spiritually transformative practices.

Humility. We often associate this with weakness. The person who is a doormat. We might do better to think of humility as the person who is so taken with serving others that it’s apparent they are not thinking of themselves. They are people who look a bit like Jesus, probably because they have been walking in the way of Jesus. In his book, Humility, Michael W. Austin writes:

“What is the person like who follows Christ in his humility? The humble person fights to descend the social ladder, rather than climb it. The humble person makes the interests of others their priority, rather than their own. Instead of always grasping for what they want, the humble person serves others, for their good, often in sacrificial ways. The humble person focuses on God and others, rather than themselves. The humble person is steeped in the love of God, and that love flows from God through them to others” (p. 35).

Austin writes to explore the question of how humility may be formed in our lives. Keeping company with Jesus and the close association of humility with overflowing yet practical love runs through his book.

He goes on to explore some of the qualities associated with humility and love in the lives of people on the way of Jesus: faith, relinquishing control, wisdom, compassion, justice. One of his most telling challenges, particularly as a remedy to sloth, is to live locally–for our town, church, and those we love–except in abusive situations. Leaving is often the easy way instead of going deeper in a place. He also considers the practices that form humility in us: community, scripture, prayer, solitude, service, just peace-making, and listening to the marginalized. He challenges us to commit ourselves to rhetorical nonviolence. What’s attractive about the humility Austin advocates is that he joins personal piety with seeking the just and peaceable society of the kingdom of Jesus.

Those who walk in the way of Jesus are also called to be preparers of the way, removing obstacles for others to join us in the way. For Austin, this means quitting the culture war, renouncing polarization, and being consistently pro-life.

Finally, humility means persevering in the way. Austin finds that memento mori, remembering we will die, helps us, because it leads us to embrace the daily joys along the way as well as living more deeply into our hope.

This seems fitting in a time where it seems many of us have been distracted from the way of Jesus to fight culture wars and pursue polarizing conversations. Austin helps us see both the path from which we have strayed and the ways we may walk in that path, as well as how good the way of Jesus is, and how central to any of us who identify ourselves with Christ. It’s not so much that Austin says anything strikingly new. It is rather that he reminds us of the ways we may have forgotten. He retrieves a conversation and language that has gone missing in many of our churches. There are times when we need again to hear “the old, old story, of Jesus and his love.”

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.