Peter Kreeft. Back To Virtue. Ignatius Press, 1992.
Peter Kreeft is a philosopher and a professor of philosophy at The University of Boston. He is a Roman Catholic Christian and is therefore and rightly highly influenced by Thomas Aquinas. He is also, strangely enough, very influenced by Martin Luther, Kreeft is one of those Catholic scholars who takes Luther seriously as a theologian and as an interpreter of the Apostle Paul. He converted to Catholicism from Evangelical Protestant Christianity and his other books indicate that he has a detailed knowledge western civilization, popular evangelical Christianity, and even popular culture. His wit is similar to his favorite author, C.S. Lewis. From the beginning his book looks to impress.
The point of Kreeft's book becomes apparent early one, he wishes to make moral knowledge publicly available as an alternative to the moral malaise western civilization finds itself in. Essentially nihilism and virtue are the two options. Kreeft explains in three chapters the current state of our civilization and how we got here. Essentially for Kreeft the way to save civilization is to save individuals from philosophical nihilism through instruction in how to pursue natural virtue. But Kreeft seems to move things beyond this by implying that the salvation of individuals through faith in Jesus Christ is even more important. So Christianity becomes for Kreeft the means of saving civilization while he manages to avoid the trap of making Christianity a religion that exists to save civilization, it is still the religion of the God who invented virtue but also supersedes virtue in Jesus Christ. In chapter four he reminds us of the four cardinal virtues and that they form the back bone of natural human existence: justice, wisdom, courage, and moderation. He points out that Christianity is not opposed to virtue, but also that the Jesus life does not consist merely in virtue.
Kreeft's idea that Christianity is not mere morality is true and refreshing. Jesus did not come to make us more virtuous, but came to rescue us from death, and that the resurrected life includes virtue. This appears to be the point of chapters four through six. The refreshing thing about the book is that it really is not about mere virtue at all, but that it is actually about bringing people face to face with the God of Jesus Christ. It is a book the intends to confront its readers with the gospel to to instruct believers in how to talk about the gospel or believe in more clearly. He understands the sermon on the mount as something for Christians to perform now. This is absolutely correct, as the literary structure of Matthew's gospel makes perfectly clear. Kreeft makes this wonderful point about the sermon on the mount on page 84, “although Jesus' ethical teachings in this sermon are not the essence of Christianity, they are essentially connected with it. The essence is Christ, Christ for us, our New Birth in Christ. Children's lives resemble their parents' and when we become children on God by faith and baptism, we begin to resemble him and our lives begin to resemble his.” (some may not like that language, but it is thoroughly biblical (see Romans 6:1-4 or Matthew 28:16-20)
We are now ready to be confronted with the beatitudes as the cure for the seven deadly sins, which I should have mentioned earlier in the review, works as perfect descriptions of the major problems in western civilization. I must say that in many respects I agree with Kreeft's interpretation of the problems with humanity and his interpretation of the gospel and of the beatitudes, but I do not see all the traits as necessarily good or even as prerequisites for blessing. Jesus is the prerequisite for blessing, even if you are poor in spirit or even if you are meek. Poor in spirit and mourning because a tyrant slaughtered your baby to try and kill Jesus are not good things! But Jesus can and does bless people in the worst circumstances! Nevertheless, Kreeft does a wonderful job of using his highly plausible interpretation of the beatitudes to confront the seven deadly sins. The way he does describe the beatitudes is that each trait is a counterintuitive virtue. So, even if poor in spirit in Matthew 5:3 is really a bad thing, the version of poor in spirit Kreeft describes is a good thing and is superior to pride. This portion is the meat of the book.
The conclusion, “The Winsomeness of Virtue,” feels likes a let down. Kreeft goes against what earlier chapters hinted at. Instead of Jesus being God's intrusion into a messed up world and the undoing of all evil (which Kreeft never denies), civilization becomes the reason that the gospel is important. Over all the book is helpful and in certain respects is similar to Tom Wright's new book, “After You Believe” and Dallas Willard's “Divine Conspiracy.” Perhaps if the book had remained a book purely about natural virtue applied to American culture or if it had been a book about the pursuit of virtue within the church as a fruitful means toward discipleship it would have been better. I also would have liked more direct application of various spiritual disciplines to the various problems. The first six chapters were especially helpful. I think one of the biggest problems in the book is that the beatitude virtues are frequently applied to situations unlikely to be faced by the readers. Few people reading that book will ever be tempted to have an abortion, and yet Kreeft brings the issue up as something that virtue ethics can solve, which may simply not be true. I would recommend this book to people interested in the culture war but with a lack of personal interest in following Jesus and to culture warriors with no understanding of the gospel. Peter Kreeft beginning with the failure of our civilization would catch their eyes and encourage them to read until they discovered that Jesus is God's grace to us. It may also serve seminarians looking to understand how virtue ethics might aid the church's task of making disciples of all nations, regardless of whether or not western civilization fails, because the church will not fail ultimately. And I know that Kreeft believes that as well.
Kreeft's idea that Christianity is not mere morality is true and refreshing. Jesus did not come to make us more virtuous, but came to rescue us from death, and that the resurrected life includes virtue. This appears to be the point of chapters four through six. The refreshing thing about the book is that it really is not about mere virtue at all, but that it is actually about bringing people face to face with the God of Jesus Christ. It is a book the intends to confront its readers with the gospel to to instruct believers in how to talk about the gospel or believe in more clearly. He understands the sermon on the mount as something for Christians to perform now. This is absolutely correct, as the literary structure of Matthew's gospel makes perfectly clear. Kreeft makes this wonderful point about the sermon on the mount on page 84, “although Jesus' ethical teachings in this sermon are not the essence of Christianity, they are essentially connected with it. The essence is Christ, Christ for us, our New Birth in Christ. Children's lives resemble their parents' and when we become children on God by faith and baptism, we begin to resemble him and our lives begin to resemble his.” (some may not like that language, but it is thoroughly biblical (see Romans 6:1-4 or Matthew 28:16-20)
We are now ready to be confronted with the beatitudes as the cure for the seven deadly sins, which I should have mentioned earlier in the review, works as perfect descriptions of the major problems in western civilization. I must say that in many respects I agree with Kreeft's interpretation of the problems with humanity and his interpretation of the gospel and of the beatitudes, but I do not see all the traits as necessarily good or even as prerequisites for blessing. Jesus is the prerequisite for blessing, even if you are poor in spirit or even if you are meek. Poor in spirit and mourning because a tyrant slaughtered your baby to try and kill Jesus are not good things! But Jesus can and does bless people in the worst circumstances! Nevertheless, Kreeft does a wonderful job of using his highly plausible interpretation of the beatitudes to confront the seven deadly sins. The way he does describe the beatitudes is that each trait is a counterintuitive virtue. So, even if poor in spirit in Matthew 5:3 is really a bad thing, the version of poor in spirit Kreeft describes is a good thing and is superior to pride. This portion is the meat of the book.
The conclusion, “The Winsomeness of Virtue,” feels likes a let down. Kreeft goes against what earlier chapters hinted at. Instead of Jesus being God's intrusion into a messed up world and the undoing of all evil (which Kreeft never denies), civilization becomes the reason that the gospel is important. Over all the book is helpful and in certain respects is similar to Tom Wright's new book, “After You Believe” and Dallas Willard's “Divine Conspiracy.” Perhaps if the book had remained a book purely about natural virtue applied to American culture or if it had been a book about the pursuit of virtue within the church as a fruitful means toward discipleship it would have been better. I also would have liked more direct application of various spiritual disciplines to the various problems. The first six chapters were especially helpful. I think one of the biggest problems in the book is that the beatitude virtues are frequently applied to situations unlikely to be faced by the readers. Few people reading that book will ever be tempted to have an abortion, and yet Kreeft brings the issue up as something that virtue ethics can solve, which may simply not be true. I would recommend this book to people interested in the culture war but with a lack of personal interest in following Jesus and to culture warriors with no understanding of the gospel. Peter Kreeft beginning with the failure of our civilization would catch their eyes and encourage them to read until they discovered that Jesus is God's grace to us. It may also serve seminarians looking to understand how virtue ethics might aid the church's task of making disciples of all nations, regardless of whether or not western civilization fails, because the church will not fail ultimately. And I know that Kreeft believes that as well.
