In His Steps in Easley Library Bookworms

Feb 13, 2008 Werner rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, books-i-own

If you've ever seen anyone wearing a WWJD? (standing for "What would Jesus do?") bracelet, this is the novella that first popularized that question in some Christian circles. First published in 1896, it still challenges readers to a more serious application of Jesus' principles in their daily lives. The idea of asking ourselves that question, when we make decisions about behavior, continues to strike even professed Christian readers as novel and revolutionary. (That this should be the case, of c If you've ever seen anyone wearing a WWJD? (standing for "What would Jesus do?") bracelet, this is the novella that first popularized that question in some Christian circles. First published in 1896, it still challenges readers to a more serious application of Jesus' principles in their daily lives. The idea of asking ourselves that question, when we make decisions about behavior, continues to strike even professed Christian readers as novel and revolutionary. (That this should be the case, of course, is itself a sad commentary on the state of the modern church, and on our general pigheadedness and egoism as a species.)

That points up the issue of the historical context of the novel, coming after a process of some two centuries of gradually increasing loss of interest on the part of many Christians in practical, Monday-through-Saturday applications of biblical principles to daily life, withdrawal from social interest or concern, and reduction of concrete Christian ethics to observation of a few man-made asceticisms and avoidance of a short list of obvious major sins. The book also comes from, or was readily associated with, the late 19th-century "Social Gospel" movement, which was complex and not monolithic, but which basically sought to buck the afore-mentioned trend. Professed Christians who were quite content with that trend found Sheldon's novella threatening; those who saw the whole Social Gospel movement as an embodiment of liberal apostasy instantly dismissed the book as Satan-inspired propaganda from the enemy. Those perceptions still shape some fundamentalist criticism of the book, such as that of Raymond St. John in American Literature For Christian Schools, which I personally find (based on actual reading of the book) to be unfair and unconvincing.

From a theological standpoint, a crucial consideration here is that the book is consciously written for Christian readers. It assumes the Christian gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Christ's redemption, and gratitude for this as the basis of obedience to God's wishes, and presupposes that the readers likewise assume it; so the focus isn't on convincing unbelievers of these points. Rather, the focus is on convincing professed believers to actually act in accord with their professed beliefs. That accounts for what some critics and reviewers regard (incorrectly, IMO) as a denial by implication of the need for initial Christian conversion, or a promotion of legalistic salvation by works. (This also, of course, tends to limit the book's appeal; a lot of fiction by Christians can engage both believers and nonbelievers, but it's hard to see many of the latter being much interested by the central question here, or feeling that they can relate.) If I would pose a theological criticism, it would be that the practical applications of Christian faith in the novel tend to be too tame, not radical enough. But in the context of 1896 evangelical Protestantism, they at least lay a basis to start with. Some might quibble about Sheldon's total-abstinence stand on alcohol (this was in the era that led up to the imposition of Prohibition); but where you're dealing, as some of his characters are here, in ministry to people who are basically alcoholics, total abstinence IS the only practical approach to advocate.

From a literary standpoint, this is very much a message-driven novel of ideas, and Sheldon succeeds somewhat better at articulating ideas than at creating involving fiction. While his characterizations aren't quite cardboard, I wouldn't call them sharp; dialogue is often devoted to delivering a message, and the book as a whole can have a tract-like quality. I think the author can be placed in the Realist tradition, but he's not one of its first-rank practitioners. That said, I found the message strong and vital enough to make the book worth a read. (Those with lower expectations for fictional quality might give it more stars.) ...more

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