Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing by Andy Crouch is an outstanding book. It’s one of those rare books that brings many dissimilar concepts together with one simple, yet powerful idea.
In Strong and Weak, Crouch uses a 2×2 diagram—a popular idea framework in business books these days—to represent the tension between authority and vulnerability. The four options that emerge: Withdrawing, Exploiting, Suffering, and Flourishing (with the latter as the ultimate goal) are applied to a variety of subjects. Crouch touches on leadership, team dynamics, parenting, poverty, mental illness, disabilities, the Incarnation of Christ, tyranny, missions, law enforcement, race, and more. Despite applying his “strong verses weak” framework to so many subjects, the book lands a single powerful punch: authority verses vulnerability is a false choice, and the only way to true flourishing is to embrace both at the same time.
Couch is a straightforward, yet interesting writer. He holds his Christianity with a kind of curious heft; appreciating its weightiness, but honest in his examination of its more mysterious qualities. He reminds me of a Tim Keller or a CS Lewis in his cultural awareness and elegant command of logic. A skeptic could read this book and benefit. His position as executive editor of Christianity Today might lend itself to the editorial quality of his writing, but the reader will also detect strong notes of mercy pointing to his work with the Equitas Group and International Justice Mission. The vision of Christianity that Crouch presents is beautiful and compelling.
I recommend this book for really anyone, but I recommend it especially for leaders, Christian or not. Leaders, we need to live out the message of this book, which is really the example that Jesus himself gave us. The world would be a better place as a result.
P.J. Ochlan does a great job on the narration of the audiobook version. I have reviewed one other book that he narrated, and I hope to hear more from him in the future.
Please Note: This audiobook was gifted as a part of the Christian Audio Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. This has in no way influenced my opinion or review of this work. More information can be found about this and other Christian audiobooks at christianaudio.com.