The Cost of Ambition

How Striving to Be Better Than Others Makes Us Worse

Miroslav Volf

• Publisher: Brazos Press
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN:
  9781493450343
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Personal Success

Many people believe that ambition--striving to be better than others--improves us and advances society. But what if it actually makes us worse?

The Cost of Ambition, now in paperback, argues that striving for superiority has negative consequences in all domains of life. World-renowned theologian and award-winning author Miroslav Volf explores

· how we can achieve excellence rather than strive for superiority;
· what Søren Kierkegaard, John Milton, and the apostle Paul say about the cost of ambition;
· how to stop being plagued by our own sense of inferiority to others; and
· why Christians must retrieve a humbler way of life.

Volf also examines what the teachings of Jesus and the stories in Genesis say on the matter. Volf explains how striving to be better than others devalues our achievements, surroundings, and relationships by turning them into mere means to an empty goal. This pursuit, though widely accepted in modern life, is at odds with key Christian convictions. After exposing the toxicity of ambition, Volf uses contemporary examples to guide us toward striving for excellence.

"Offers a profound critique of competitive striving through a rich theological and philosophical lens."--Christianity Today

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title Page
• Series Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Epigraphs
• Contents
• Preface
• 1. “O Solomon, I Have Outdone You!”
• 2. The Worry of Comparison (Kierkegaard)
• 3. Satan’s Aspiration (Milton)
• 4. “Outdo One Another in Showing Honor” (Paul)
• 5. “What Do You Have That You Did Not Receive?” (Paul)
• 6. From Jesus to Genesis: On Biblical Discomfort with Striving for Superiority
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Bibliography
• Back Cover