What happens when our obsession with being better than everyone else destroys both who we are and how we relate to each other? Dr. Miroslav Volf joins us to talk about his new book The Cost of Ambition and why America’s comparison culture, achievement addiction, and hardening tribal identities are setting us up for something dangerous. Volf witnessed neighbors turn on neighbors during the Yugoslav wars, and he’s seeing the warning signs again—right here, right now. We dive into how striving for superiority traps us in an unstable cycle of pride and inferiority, why our worth can’t be based on achievement, and what it means to trust in our naked humanity as the site of God’s gift rather than our endless performance metrics. From social media’s algorithmic comparison engines to the terror of trusting Jesus to raise our kids, this conversation cuts deep into the spiritual crisis of modern life and points toward a different way—one grounded in the self-giving love of Christ rather than the desperate scramble to stay on top.
Dr. Miroslav Volf is the Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture. Born in Croatia, he lived through the Yugoslav wars—an experience that profoundly shaped his theological work on reconciliation, identity, and belonging. He is the author of numerous influential books including Exclusion and Embrace, Free of Charge, and his newest works The Cost of Ambition and Glimmerings (co-authored with poet Christian Wiman). Widely recognized as one of the world’s most respected theologians, Volf’s work bridges the academy and the church, helping Christians reflect on faith, public life, and what it means to follow Christ in fractured times.
You can listen to our previous conversation on the podcast here: Faith in the Public Square in the Era of Trump.
The Invitation to Process Time & World
Something is wrong with time.
We feel it in our bones—the rush, the exhaustion, the sense of always being behind. We go to bed as debtors to a day that demanded more than we could give. We wake up already behind.
German sociologist Hartmut Rosa has spent his career diagnosing this condition. His work asks why, despite all our time-saving technologies, we have less time than ever. Why the world feels increasingly mute. And what it might mean to live differently—to stop, to listen, to resonate again.
His recent book Time and World offers the most accessible entry point into his thought. And we want to read it with you.
What We’re Doing
Dr. Matthew Segall (philosopher, author, host of Footnotes to Plato) and Dr. Tripp Fuller (Process This) are leading a four-session reading group through Rosa’s Time and World.
We’ll explore Rosa’s diagnosis of modern acceleration, his concept of resonance, and what his work might mean for people seeking a more grounded, connected, and spiritually alive way of being in the world.
The Schedule
All sessions meet on Zoom at 10am PT / 1pm ET.
Sunday, February 2nd — Comprehensive Introduction - Getting oriented to Rosa’s project and the arc of the book.
Friday, February 13th — Chapters 1 & 2: Personal Identity and Its Modern Crisis - Who are we when the ground won’t stop shifting? Rosa’s diagnosis of the fractured modern self.
Friday, February 20th — Chapters 3, 4 & 5: Acceleration, Aggression, and Alienation - The engine of modern life and what it costs us. Why speed produces violence toward the world—and silence in return.
Friday, February 27th — Chapters 6 & 7: Resonance and the Role of Religion - Rosa’s antidote to alienation. What it means to live in responsive relationship with the world—and why religion might matter more than we thought.
How to Join and Get Access:
Simple…be a supporting member of either Substack.
Supporting members of either community will receive Zoom links for all live sessions and full access to recordings afterward. If you can’t make a session live, you won’t miss a thing.
Not a supporting member yet? Now’s a good time.
Once you become a paid member of either Substack, you get access to everything on this RESOURCE PAGE.
New Online Lenten Class with John Dominic Crossan!
What can we actually know about Jesus of Nazareth? And, what difference does it make?
For over five decades, Dr. John Dominic Crossan has been one of the world’s foremost scholars of the historical Jesus—rigorously reconstructing the life, teachings, and world of a first-century Jewish peasant who proclaimed God’s Rule in Roman-occupied Galilee. His work has shaped an entire generation of scholarship and transformed how millions understand the figure at the center of Christian faith.
This Lenten class begins where all of Dom’s work begins: with history. What was actually happening in Galilee in the 20s CE? What did Herod Antipas’ transformation of the “Sea of Galilee” into the commercial “Sea of Tiberias” mean for peasant fishing communities? Why did Jesus emerge from John’s baptism movement proclaiming God’s Rule through parables—and what made that medium so perfectly suited to that message?
Only by understanding what Jesus’ parables meant then can we wrestle with what they might demand of us now.
Preview Livestream - Tuesday, January 27th (10am PT / 1pm ET) Watch here!
4 Visual Lectures - Each pre-recorded video lecture features Dr. Crossan’s masterful teaching, drawing on decades of historical research and his many visits across the Holy Land.
5 Livestream QnAs - Each week includes a live question and answer session with Dr. Crossan and Dr. Tripp Fuller—your chance to engage directly with one of the world’s leading Jesus scholars.
Online Group - Connect with other participants in the private Facebook group and access all lectures and livestream replays on the Class Resource Page.
Join Us at Theology Beer Camp 2026!
Look—most church conferences can be, let’s be honest, painful. Bad coffee, weird carpet, breakout sessions that make you question your life choices. We do things differently. Theology Beer Camp is three days of incredible speakers, honest conversations, craft beer, and a community of people who actually want to wrestle with the big questions. We laugh, we learn, we argue, we pray—and yeah, (and some of us) drink delicious beer while we do it. This October—the 8th through the 10th—we’re gathering in Kansas City, and I want you there. If you’ve ever wanted to join us—or if you’re ready to come back—this is the time to grab your ticket. Head to TheologyBeerCamp.com and lock in your spot: beer, theology, and some of the best conversations you’ll have all year.
