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Well, we know God isn't an implacable judge—there would be no forgiveness if he were. But we also know—since he tells us so—that he is still a judge, as, indeed, Volf's conclusion reminds us. And so we want to understand, insofar as we can grasp such a mystery, how God's forgiveness and his judgment play out in concert. Despite a hint here and there, Volf doesn't take up this question.

That's unfortunate. But perhaps there will be another book from Volf that will explore this theme with the depth and insight he has brought here.

John Wilson is the editor of Books & Culture.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Free of Charge is available from Christianbook.com and other book retailers.

More information is available from Zondervan.

More about Miroslav Volf is available from his faculty page at Yale, as well as a profile in Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.

Christianity Today profiled Volf in 1999. Other CT articles on Volf or his books include:

Finding the Will to Embrace the Enemy | What it means to follow the crucified Christ in the midst of ethnic and racial conflict. (April 28, 1997)

Love Your Heavenly Enemy | How are we going to live eternally with those we can't stand now? By Miroslav Volf (Oct. 23, 2000)

After the Grave in the Air | True reconciliation comes not by ignoring justice nor by putting justice first, but by unconditional embrace. By Miroslav Volf (Sept. 21, 2001)

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June 2006, Vol. 50, No. 6