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Most nations, including the United States and Scandinavian countries, have histories that include shining moments of courage, compassion, and prosperity, but also darker moments of war, slavery, and systemic oppression. Sin cuts through every soul, and through every political body and institution. But nations also have unique features that lead them to develop along different paths.

For instance, Scandinavian countries are smaller and less diverse than we are. The United States is a nation of immigrants, a grand experiment in forging a collective identity from people of different nationalities. We value this diversity enough to commit to the work it requires. We have the harder task of identifying our neighbor as kin because we don't all look alike or come from similar backgrounds or share similar values. Scandinavian countries, as Zuckerman points out, are more homogeneous. Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that strong welfare states emerged in countries where neighborliness often literally meant caring for one's near and distant kin. That we have struggled more than they to embrace our neighbors, and have viewed those who look, talk, or eat differently than we do with some suspicion, makes sense given our history.

American values were shaped by people who gave up whatever security they had elsewhere to start over here. The ones who succeeded passed on the convictions that drove them—including the belief that hard work is often rewarded. (Although not everyone had bootstraps to pull themselves up by, particularly those brought here against their will or already living here before the first Europeans arrived.) We built a capitalist democracy that values owning personal property and the right to pursue whatever floats our boat. This American dream shapes how we think about rights and obligations. Americans generally believe that charity should be given freely and not demanded by the state, and that people should pay their own way through life.

Yet American values of rugged individualism and self-determination look suspect in light of biblical teaching about contentment and charity. Irreligious Zuckerman's poking and prodding inadvertently reminds us that living faith shows itself in neighborly expressions of care. It's hard to deny that Scandinavian governments effectively meet the material needs of their poor, elderly, and orphaned. The challenge to us American Christians lies in our congregational and personal calls to neighborliness, but also in discerning which public policies best convey this concern.

But Zuckerman flubs a fundamental point: He confuses a contented life with a good life. Zuckerman frankly admits the lack of purpose expressed by many Scandinavians. They aren't troubled by the need to find it either, but are satisfied living their lives without being overly concerned about the larger meaning of life or what happens after death. He claims that they find meaning enough in good friendships and family life. I won't deny the real delight—a common grace—to be found in these relationships, but is that really enough?

Zuckerman sells humanity short. If people are content but no longer care about transcendent meaning and purpose or life beyond death, that's not a sign of greatness but tragic forgetfulness. Their horizon of concern is too narrow. They were made for more. What does it profit a society if, as this book's jacket notes, it gains "excellent educational systems, strong economies, well-supported arts, free health care, egalitarian social policies, outstanding bike paths, and great beer," but loses its soul? Can a country build strong social systems and keep its soul? While I am thankful for Zuckerman's reminder about Christianity's social implications, and the example of a place that meets those obligations differently than we do, I am sad he misses the rest.

Lisa Graham McMinn, professor of sociology at George Fox University and author of The Contented Soul: The Art of Savoring Life (IVP, 2006)

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February 2009, Vol. 53, No. 2