The Cost of Ambition

How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse

You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app

1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 20 May 2025 | Archive Date 20 Jun 2025

Talking about this book? Use #TheCostofAmbition #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!


Description

New York Times bestselling author Miroslav Volf on why striving for superiority is at odds with the Christian faith

"[A] smart take on a world obsessed with forward motion."--Publishers Weekly

Many people believe that ambition--striving to be better than others--improves us and advances society. But what if it actually makes us worse?

In The Cost of Ambition, world-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf argues that striving for superiority has negative consequences in all domains of life. Instead, we should strive for excellence. Volf explores:

● what Søren Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul say about the cost of ambition
● how we can achieve excellence rather than strive for superiority
● how to stop being plagued by our own sense of inferiority to others
● 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.
New York Times bestselling author Miroslav Volf on why striving for superiority is at odds with the Christian faith

"[A] smart take on a world obsessed with forward motion."--Publishers Weekly

Many...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781587434815
PRICE US$24.99 (USD)
PAGES 208

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Reader (PDF)
NetGalley Shelf App (PDF)
Send to Kindle (PDF)
Download (PDF)

Average rating from 2 members


Featured Reviews

By now, it's no secret that I'm a fan of world-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf. I discovered Volf because of my life for for Jurgen Moltmann, under whose guidance Volf received two advanced degrees.

If you know me well, you likely know that John Hiatt has long been one of my favorite musical artists. Over many years, Hiatt's music has served as a healer in my life and as a constant companion. In many ways, the same is true for the theological writing of Miroslav Volf.

With "The Cost of Ambition: How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse" explores why ambition is at odds with the Christian faith and why the quest for superiority has negative consequences in pretty much all areas of our lives.

Volf has long been recognized as a bridge-building theologian. I first discovered him with "End of Memory" and have devoured his writings ever since. He was a theologian to whom I reached out after a limb loss a few years ago (and he actually responded!). As it was for many, Volf's "Exclusion and Embrace" was a life-changing book.

Here, Volf writes accessibly and in a way I found somewhat convicting about how we can achieve excellence instead of striving for superiority. Furthermore, he dives into how we can end the cycle of feeling inferior to others while also pursuing a humbler way of living. He does a deep dive into how Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul all talk about the cost of ambition and drives hime again and again that seeking to be better than others is at odds with key Christian convictions.

Gently and with tremendous wisdom, Volf guides us toward excellence without that excellence needing to be better or the best. Time and again throughout "The Cost of Ambition," I found myself resonating with Volf's words and reflecting upon those areas of my life where the desire for superiority seems to cause me to surrender less and seek to control more.

I've never experienced a Volf writing that I didn't truly love. The same is true here. A relatively brief writing, "The Cost of Ambition" arrived at a time only weeks after my ordination as a deacon and my occasional overwhelming feeling I should "prove" myself and strive to be "best." Instead, I think Volf would say, I should strive for excellence and serve God with all my heart, mind, body, and soul surrendered to how I am to serve.

As always with Volf, perfect timing for yet another wonderful book from one of my very favorite authors.

Was this review helpful?

A warning against the competitive "up and to the right" mindset that so many of us have adopted. Lots to think about here.

(I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

Was this review helpful?