Improvisation

My Take
Improvisation is a fantastic, challenging, helpful beginning to questions surrounding Christian ethics and basic Christian discipleship. Samuel Wells does an exceptional job of summarizing the current academic environment, and repeatedly demonstrates his knack for quality, pastoral, biblical imagination. This is as good a primer on the field of Christian Ethics as you are likely to run across.

Summary
The book is split into three major sections borrowed from the parables of Jesus. The initial section is what Wells entitles "Plowing." It is in this section that Wells "shows off" to other academics. He has an amazing handle on the discipline, and seemlessly highlights the strengths and weaknesses of dominant positions. Even more impressive is his ability to tease out of us our genuinely un-Christian views of the world around us, and shed light on a number of our hidden assumptions. Of all the sections, this one is neccessary, but also dangerous. By taking time to prepare the terrain, Wells makes sure we will not miss his point in future sections, but I suspect one has to have some background in these discussions to fully enjoy the plowing.
Next, Wells begins his section on "Planting" which is the section in which Wells begins to really connect the discipline of Christian living, with the practices and habits of theatrical improvisation. On the surface, the connection seems a bit contrived, but Wells very carefully teases out the interplay between the two arenas. For Wells, the disciplined, practiced, habit formed life of excellent improvisers is precisely the sort of life the Church has been called to. This section, for my money, is far and away the most important and creative piece of Wells work. The disciplines of assessing status, accepting and blocking, over accepting and reincorporating lost elements serve as a helpful aid for narrating how one lives as a Christian in the world.
As you may have imagined, Wells final section is called "Reaping" and is an excersise in applying the previous section to particular, contemporary, ethical questions. In this section Wells has the chance to let go and actually improvise a bit, and the results range from helpful to beautiful. He is able to model the way a church may make difficult decisions, and as well point out specifically what makes them difficult. His chapter on suffering, disease and disability is worth the price of the book by itself.

Reflection
I anticipated this book being good, and I sort of put off reading it to a time when I could focus in on it a bit more, and I think this decision paid off. By reading this book in a couple of large chunks I was able to get a real sense for the craft and care with which it was written. While this book does not often read as one long, sustained, attack, it is precisely that. In one short book, Wells has thrown down the gauntlet to both the Church and the academy. To the academy Wells rightly reminds them to take seriously their Christian practices as the only legitmate way of reflection and to the Church the challenge is to remember who they are. We must not give up our distinct habits, language and disciplines, for it is exactly these things that make us the sort of people who can recognize grace.
As a Hauweras sympathizer I am drawn to arguments like Wells' (who is one of the leading Hauweras scholars) almost existentially. There is something that is simply right and faithful about being formed over the course of your life by God's grace in community. With this in mind, here are a few of the spots where Wells "nails it":
"The practice of the moral life, meanwhile, is not so much about being creative or clever as it is about taking the right things for granted." (76)
"The church's response to both kinds of unpalatable offers should be to tell a much larger story and to stretch its imagination to the full dimensions and cosmic scope of the Christian story." (151)
"Discipleship is not simply a matter of replicating Scripture, but of being moved to learn from others' mistakes, and to tell a truthful story that reflects the truth the Bible displays." (63)
"Faithfulness is but effectiveness measured against a much longer timescale...humans are not the creators, nor the finishers, of God's story." (56)

Excellent book, particularly if you have some background in this field, and there is way more to be reaped from this work than what I have started with here. I may post once more on a couple of Wells' tangent arguments (Heroes and Saints, and Strategy and Tactics) but this is enough for now. Next week look for Grenz' "Rediscovering the Triune God."