Published by Baker Publishing Group, Baker Academic on April 16, 2024
Genres: Academic, Non-Fiction, Christian Life
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Today's political and cultural polarization has led to suspicion and animosity in our churches, our workplaces, and even our families. It has also led to a false sense that our options are limited to choosing a side. But there is a better way.
Shirley Mullen invites readers to claim the powerful, redemptive potential of the courageous middle. Far from being a place of bland averaging, moral cowardice, wobbling indecisiveness, or lazy indifference, the courageous middle is a place where thoughtful individuals work with urgency to foster attentive rather than dismissive listening in order to garner what is true and praiseworthy even from those with whom they disagree. Their Christian faith, which makes it impossible for them to align themselves fully with one side or the other, uniquely equips them to call their communities to imagine a more hopeful, grace-filled future.
This book offers a Christian theological framework for the work of "middle space" drawn from the Old and New Testaments. It also includes practical advice on how to prepare for this work, examples of those who have called their communities to alternatives beyond binary options, and discussion questions.
People talk a lot about how polarized America is and how increasingly uncivil our public discourse has become, but people rarely suggest substantive solutions for how to deal with this. In Claiming the Courageous Middle, Shirley A. Mullen presents a clear case for why it is important for Christians to engage with people across political divides, treating everyone with dignity and collaborating to find new ways to handle controversial issues. She assures her readers that despite the many challenges of working in “middle space,” it provides a way forward, helping people come up with solutions instead of staying locked in total disagreement and getting nothing done. She encourages people to recognize that because we are finite, we cannot see all ends of everything. Even when we’re absolutely persuaded of a particular truth, different perspectives can challenge us and lead us into a fuller, more complex vision of the whole truth.
Mullen encourages her readers with real world examples, and she shows that it is possible to work in “middle space” without giving up your deeply held convictions, becoming lukewarm, or settling for a weak compromise that doesn’t really address the issues at hand. She explains that when people work together across areas of disagreement, they can become a bridge between different poles and can help others see the bigger picture. Mullen explains what it can look like in practice, and she responds to common obstacles and objections in a very thoughtful way. Also, due to her work in academia and the mediating roles that she has played as a college president, she brings a wealth of personal experience to this conversation.
Although Mullen warns against the dangers of tribalism, she acknowledges the potential dangers of middle spaces as well. She reflects on various risks, such as everyone being mad at you because you won’t take a predefined side, and the risk that someone can lose a grasp on objective truth in their efforts to see all sides. One of this book’s greatest strengths is that Mullen responds to the strongest, most thoughtful objections to her argument, instead of going for weak responses that are easy to refute. Because she truly engages with the challenges and weaknesses of working in middle space, she is able to make an even stronger argument for why this type of engagement is so valuable and necessary, in spite of the risks.
Near the beginning of the book, Mullen shares her personal story, showing how her unconventional upbringing and her many years studying history made her a better thinker and trained her to recognize nuance and complexity, and to see the many-faceted sides of any issue. I really appreciated this and related to it a lot, since I’m also a history major. I found this part very encouraging, and it also helped me give more grace to other people, recognizing that they don’t have the same type of training to see nuance and particularity everywhere, or to balance the many sides to every story.
Then, after Mullen introduces her background and writes some about her work as a college president, she delves into the topic of why it is important to work in middle spaces. She writes about the challenges of embracing tension and complexity, and she shares encouragement for people who feel isolated and overwhelmed because their views don’t fit into predefined social categories. Even though it is uncomfortable to not fit in, Mullen considers this to be a gift and an opportunity.
In the next chapter, she explores middle spaces in Scripture, providing a biblical rationale for this type of work and exploring the stories of biblical figures who became bridges between different cultures and belief systems. Then she writes about the risks and challenges of working in middle space, and she provides ideas, encouragement, and real-world stories for how people can get involved in meaningful community-building projects and cooperative advocacy work.
My only critique is that I wish that she had acknowledged the spiritual dangers of working in middle spaces, since this can engender a sense of pride and elitism. Of course, it requires intellectual humility to listen to the other side, but someone who does this can end up nurturing a smug sense of superiority, believing that they are more virtuous, cultured, and intelligent than anyone who sticks closer to a party line. Mullen never conveys this attitude, but I wish that she had provided a stern warning against it.
Claiming the Courageous Middle: Daring to Live and Work Together for a More Hopeful Future is an incredibly thoughtful, well-written book that provides a clear rationale and examples for why Christians should invest effort into middle spaces, instead of sticking to a party line or disengaging from culture. Mullen encourages readers through her personal story, takes potential objections very seriously, and provides a robust, bracing vision for how Christians can live out their deeply held convictions while also creating space for conversation and collaborative change with people outside the church, and with people within the church whom they disagree with. This well-argued, timely, and thought-provoking book is one of the most important books I have read this year, and I highly recommend it.