A sociologist and a theologian muse on the condition of the Western world in terms of Haidt's construction of six moral foundations: care, fairness, liberty, loyalty, authority, and sanctity.

The son, John, begins each chapter with a sociological assessment of the condition of modern Western society in terms of the moral foundation; Walter the father and theologian then features an exposition of the theological element of the moral foundation, primarily drawn from the OT prophetic tradition.

The two provide incisive critiques of modern culture, uncomfortable for the politically liberal and conservative alike. They both see great rot in how these moral foundations are expressed in our insipid consumerist culture and point to a better, often more authentically Christian and faithful, way forward.

A worthy read about the current condition of culture.

What do we do when the society we live in seems to be crumbling? It does not take much effort to find out about the growing rich-poor divide; the racial discrimination; the ethnic tensions; the financial scandals; the cry for justice in the midst of injustice; and so on. Many governments are corrupt or incompetent. People insist on their free choice without being equipped with how to choose. How did we ever get to this point? In the midst of choices and multiple options, what are the primary matters we should be focused on? What does it take to address the moral decays happening all around us? As the social structures of the world appear to go from bad to worse, people are in need of a return to the foundations that once make societies great. Instead of looking at the external solutions, the authors probe their own assumptions and human complacencies. Specifically, they use Jonathan Haidt's moral foundation theory that uncovers six moral foundations:

Care vs Harm;
Fairness vs Cheating;
Liberty vs Oppression;
Loyalty vs Betrayal;
Authority vs Subversion;
Sanctity vs Degradation.


A chapter is dedicated to each of the six foundations. John supplies mainly the sociological and cultural observation perspective while Walter brings in the biblical point of view. Beginning with care, we note our physiological needs being at the most essential, just like the famous Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Food, clothing, and shelter are all examples of such basic needs. The authors lament the problem of the rich world, in particular the uneven distribution of riches, with the top 1% of America owning 42% of the nation's wealth. In fact, both extreme affluence and extreme poverty are linked. One can be super rich without having to work hard. Walter redirects readers' attention back to the Old Testament books of Deuteronomy and Exodus, pointing out the way God tells Israel to link their social policies with loving their neighbour. On Fairness, the perennial question is about justice. The problem is not about fairness but the many different layers and ways about being fair. It is hard for one to grow up being schooled about equality and fairness only to encounter the very opposite when they venture into the world outside. This leads to cynicism, distrust, and breakdowns in relationships at every level. How fair is it for a company to lay off thousands of employees in order to please the shareholder expectations? Walter provides several guidelines on how to make sense of market ideology before citing three biblical texts to provide an alternative interpretation to the whole matter. Using the five poetic accents to communicate our dissent and dismay over faulty economic systems, we soon realize that an offence against people is essentially an offence against God. On Liberty, John mentions the freedom of speech, of religion, and the volatile relationship between private and public trust. An interesting part is the freedom of information, social media, the Internet, and the way these things are controlled. Many of these efforts to control others stem from a sense of personal indulgence and absolute power. We learn from the life of Solomon that self-indulgence arising out of control will collapse eventually. On Loyalty, we are challenged to think about whether it is true that everything has a price. As long as institutional power and cultural superiority are allowed free reign, power and control will sway people. Based on the stories of Elijah and Elisha, we learn how we can still live abundantly without the need to curry favour from the powerful. Trusting God can lead to abundant living without being bogged down by economic bounty. On Authority, we learn about the many different forms from relational to legitimate positions. The troubling fact now is the decreasing level of confidence in the nation's institutions. This leads to all kinds of problems that lead to skepticism, distrust, sarcasm, and breaking down of perceptions of authority. Walter begins with a declaration of utter loss. We are all lost and we live in a broken world. Like the book of Job, we see how God leads Job from total loss to complete abundance; showing us that there is hope in God. On Sanctity, we look at the three kinds of 'normative motivations': material, medicinal, and symbolic. Whenever people want to run away from some broken part of society, where do they run to? What is the better alternative? Where is the sanctuary from such flawed cultural symbols?

So What?
One of the biggest questions Christians ask about their faith is this: How can I apply the teachings in the ancient Bible in our modern contexts? Each of the foundations are reflected upon and rebuilt with insight and intent. At the heart of this book is the conviction that if we can rebuild these six core fundamentals of society, we would have addressed the source and consequences of moral decay. Technological advances can only speed us up to a certain point. Ethical practices and wisdom will have to complete the rest of the human journey. John gives a very insightful survey of the modern quagmires and sociological challenges impacting many societies. Walter provides a refreshing biblical treatment, often bringing the relevance of the Old Testament to our New world. We are reminded of the gospel being countercultural in so many ways. We are called to be subversive to the world's values. The human race has the capacity to do better, but first there needs to be a good guide. Sociology is always about relating with people. The Bible is a powerful reminder of going beyond mere relationships to cultivating an environment of loving one's neighbours.

The single biggest takeaway for me in this book is that the Bible is deeply sociological. This comes about because the heart of God is always about how to relate to people and how people can be redeemed in a world that is spinning on broken wheels. There is no difference between sociology and biblical theology, just like we are not to split the sacred from the secular in all of life. This is the best way to integrate our faith into our daily living. The Bible is not only relevant, it is relational. It is not just an ancient text. It is a very practical guide for our daily living. The Old Testament represents the heart of God for transforming societies and cultures toward love and care. With wisdom and knowledge, readers have in one book a biblical treatment as well as a cultural analysis of the six major symbols of what's wrong with the world today. The hope is this. By beginning with the analytical breakdown of what's wrong in society, one can then let the Bible to be the redeeming synthesis of an alternative world based on earnest care; gracious equity; true liberty; honest loyalty; divine authority; and a life of sanctity anchored on God.

Walter Brueggemann is a renowned American Old Testament Professor who has written many books. His son, John Brueggemann is Professor of Sociology at Skidmore College.

Rating: 4.25 stars of 5.

conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Westminster John Knox Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

Rebuilding the Foundations, by John Brueggemann and Walter Brueggemann

Walter Brueggemann has long been known as a leading Old Testament scholar. His son John Brueggemann is a rising scholar in the field of sociology. Together they have written Rebuilding the Foundations: Social Relationships in Ancient Scripture and Contemporary Culture. In a call and response style, the Brueggemanns discuss the decline of the moral tradition of the United States. They write, "The problems of our time are not simply the result of some elemental evil force, but rather reflect a complicated historical moment in which the structural arrangements and cultural circumstances have been aligned to disastrous effects."

The Brueggemanns base their book on Jonathan Haidt's moral foundation theory. Haidt identified six moral foundations: care versus harm, fairness versus cheating, liberty versus oppression, loyalty versus betrayal, authority versus subversion, and sanctity versus degradation.

Each chapter includes John's reflections from a sociological perspective and Walter's biblical analysis of some Old Testament passages. (Forgive my familiarity using their first names; I'm just trying to be efficient.) I enjoyed the way they linked their perspectives. For example, they talk about the reality of poverty in the United States, while describing the prophetic tradition as equating "knowledge of God with care for the poor and needy." They talk about the inequality of wealth, and compare the current situation to King Solomon whose "enterprise is the process of making some rich at the expense of many others."

Unsurprisingly, the Brueggemanns' perspective is decidedly on the left. Their left-leaning perspective only bothered me a few times, like when their anti-market perspective shined through ("Market fundamentalism provides the foundation. Profit is the goal.") or when the unnecessarily and rudely called President Trump "the great defiler." (Don't get me wrong. I am not opposed to criticism or mocking of politicians. But in this book it seemed out of place.)

The bigger problem with their liberal perspective came when they tried to bring biblical ideals into a real-world scenario. They make an argument against the commodification of food, emphasizing "the abundance of food assured by the Creator" and the "triangle of the God who gives, the producer-distributor-consumer who enjoys food, and the neighbor with whom the abundance is shared." That is a compelling perspective, but it completely ignores the necessity of price signals, supply and demand, and consumer choice. Parts of their work illustrate the dangers and shortcomings that are inevitable when a sociologist and an Old Testament scholar venture into the world economics and policy.

The strongest parts of Rebuilding the Foundations are Walter's forays into Old Testament passages. Overall, the book isn't particularly insightful or inspiring, and their perspective on society is rather bleak: "Everyone can see that our current sociopolitical, economic culture is on its way to a death in which humanness shrivels." This book must have been a joy for the father son team to write; that interaction and interplay of their ideas makes it worth reading.



Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!