The Cost of Ambition
How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse
Will be published approx. on 30. June 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-58743-731-1 (ISBN)
Description
Many people believe that ambition--striving to be better than others--improves us and advances society. But what if it actually makes us worse?
The Cost of Ambition, now in paperback, argues that striving for superiority has negative consequences in all domains of life. World-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf explores
? how we can achieve excellence rather than strive for superiority;
? what Soren Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul say about the cost of ambition;
? how to stop being plagued by our own sense of inferiority to others; and
? why Christians must retrieve a humbler way of life.
Volf also examines what the teachings of Jesus and the stories in Genesis say on the matter. Volf explains how striving to be better than others devalues our achievements, surroundings, and relationships by turning them into mere means to an empty goal. This pursuit, though widely accepted in modern life, is at odds with key Christian convictions. After exposing the toxicity of ambition, Volf uses contemporary examples to guide us toward striving for excellence.
"Offers a profound critique of competitive striving through a rich theological and philosophical lens."--Christianity Today
The Cost of Ambition, now in paperback, argues that striving for superiority has negative consequences in all domains of life. World-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf explores
? how we can achieve excellence rather than strive for superiority;
? what Soren Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul say about the cost of ambition;
? how to stop being plagued by our own sense of inferiority to others; and
? why Christians must retrieve a humbler way of life.
Volf also examines what the teachings of Jesus and the stories in Genesis say on the matter. Volf explains how striving to be better than others devalues our achievements, surroundings, and relationships by turning them into mere means to an empty goal. This pursuit, though widely accepted in modern life, is at odds with key Christian convictions. After exposing the toxicity of ambition, Volf uses contemporary examples to guide us toward striving for excellence.
"Offers a profound critique of competitive striving through a rich theological and philosophical lens."--Christianity Today
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Ada, MI
United States
Publishing group
Baker Publishing Group
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 140 mm
Weight
223 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-58743-731-1 (9781587437311)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Miroslav Volf (DrTheol, University of Tuebingen) is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and the founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture in New Haven, Connecticut. He has written or edited more than two dozen books, including the New York Times bestseller Life Worth Living, A Public Faith, Public Faith in Action, and Exclusion and Embrace (winner of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion and selected as among the 100 best religious books of the 20th century by Christianity Today). Volf regularly lectures around the world.
Content
Contents
1."O Solomon, I Have Outdone You!"
2. The Worry of Comparison (Kierkegaard)
3. Satan's Aspiration (Milton)
4. "Outdo One Another in Showing Honor" (Paul)
5. "What Do You Have That You Did Not Receive?" (Paul)
6. From Jesus to Genesis: On Biblical Discomfort with Striving for Superiority
Conclusion: Against Striving for Superiority--Twenty-Four Theses
1."O Solomon, I Have Outdone You!"
2. The Worry of Comparison (Kierkegaard)
3. Satan's Aspiration (Milton)
4. "Outdo One Another in Showing Honor" (Paul)
5. "What Do You Have That You Did Not Receive?" (Paul)
6. From Jesus to Genesis: On Biblical Discomfort with Striving for Superiority
Conclusion: Against Striving for Superiority--Twenty-Four Theses