Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics

(Review available with links, formatting, and in PDF format on[...]) As the name suggests, Improvisation: The Drama of Christian Ethics by Sam Wells seeks to cast reflection on Christian ethics in terms of drama, more specifically, improvisation. Wells' basic argument can be succinctly stated: Christian ethics is less a matter of making decisions as it is of Christians thoroughly grounding themselves in their story and practice so that their ethical decisions will flow naturally out of who they have come to be. Wells' book is neatly divided into three parts, each of which I will now try to summarize. Part One In Part One, Wells argues that Christian ethics is something done in and for the church, the redeemed body of God's people. He puts little stock in "universal ethics"--ethics that will shape the practices of those both inside and outside the body of Christ. Rather, he argues that Christian ethics must be theological, grounded in God's story and in the practices of the church. Thus he says, "Ethics is about forming lives of commitment, rather than informing lives without commitment" (30). Central to his understanding of the place of Christian ethics is his dramatic rendering of the Christian story. Wells suggests that the Theo-dramatic story can be divided into five acts: "Act One is creation, Act Two is Israel, Act Three is Jesus, Act Four is the church, and Act Five is the eschaton" (53). In Wells' view, this 5-act structure is important because the church lives between the accomplishment of the story (in Act Three through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection) and the final completion of the story in Act Five, meaning that she must fittingly participate in God's story as she waits for God to bring the story to a close. But how does the church conceive of her participation in the drama? Wells suggests that the church should think of her role as one of improvising upon the Christian tradition. He summarizes this conception of the church's role like this: "When improvisers are trained to work in the theater, they are schooled in a tradition so thoroughly that they learn to act from habit in ways appropriate to the circumstance. This is exactly the goal of theological ethics" (65). Wells is not suggesting that Christians should "make up" the story or do things on their own authority. Rather, he is suggesting that they be so grounded in and shaped by the practices of the church that they simply do what is "obvious...trusting that God will do what only God can do, and thus having the freedom to do what only the disciple can do" (67). Accordingly, Wells' proposal focuses on ecclesiology--who the church is and how she faithfully witnesses to the way of Jesus. Part Two In Part Two, Wells takes his basic thesis and suggests specific ways that the metaphor of improvisation can enrich Christian ethics. Central to his presentation is the idea that ethical decisions are not made in the moment of ethical crisis, but are instead shaped by

Samuel Wells compares his vision for Christian ethics to theatrical improvisation. Wells defines theatrical improvisation as unscripted drama done by actors schooled in their art and seasoned in their practice. Such skilled actors can approach various and unknown situations without fear, with humor and confidence. Wells calls his idea of Christian ethics a "study of how the church may become a community of trust in order that it may faithfully encounter the unknown of the future without fear." (11) His idea of improvisation for Christian ethics gives Christians "uninhibited freedom" in their lives. Christians are encouraged to do and say the obvious based on their formation in a Christian community that discerns and practices life in Christ. Wells patterns his drama of ethics not only on improvisation in the theater but on his interpretation of how God is revealed working in Jesus Christ. Wells sees God as overwhelming humanity in the incarnation. In the resurrection, God has saved humanity through what humanity has rejected. Wells calls the first action "overaccepting" and the second action "reincorporation." For Wells, these are the two most significant practices in improvisation and provide the pattern for how Christians should imitate God. He also employs terms like "blocking" and "accepting" to describe Christian posture toward the world. Improvisation is not mere spur of the moment or spontaneous behavior by Christians; rather, it is a methodical approach to Christian ethics based on Christian community and formation through regular study of Scripture, prayer and liturgical practice. Improvisation requires preparation and practice, so that in the moments of decision or action there is no ethical crisis. Wells cites three types of Christian ethics in contemporary writing: universal, subversive and ecclesial. He approaches Christian ethics as ecclesial ethics or "ethics for the church." (34) He writes, "What is needed is for the church to be restored as the primary location of theological and ethical enquiry." (41) This moves the focus for Christian ethics from the world and the individual to the worshipping community that consists of faithful saints rather than individual heroes striving against the world. A significant element in Wells' approach to ethics is the five-act play which is a revised model of Anglican Bishop Tom Wright's Christian drama. For Wells, Act One is creation, Act Two is Israel, Act Three is Jesus, Act Four is the church, and Act Five is the eschaton. Wells stresses the need for Christians to see themselves as within the five act drama and to see themselves in Act Four, the act for the church. This is after Jesus has come and before the eschaton when God restores all things. The church is not the savior of the world (Act Three) and is not responsible for making all things well (Act Five). The church's action is worship and discipleship while accepting God's grace at all times. This prepares C

In this book Wells suggests that the current use of 'performance language' in ethics requires a correction. Wells shows his readers that the dramatic practice of improvisation can help Christians better understand the nature of Christian discipleship. Wells provides a sophisticated, yet easy to understand, account of how Christian ethics requires that we learn the skill of improvisation. Christians do not perform a script, as performative ethics seems to suggest, as much as they improvise within an accepted tradition that is generated and rooted in the community's reading of scripture. Wells further defines practices such as accepting, blocking, and overaccepting as ways in which Christians can respond to their social context; suggesting that the Christian community cannot simply accept or block the offers and gifts that it receives. Instead, Christians must overaccept these offers and therefore open up new possibilities that would not exist otherwise. Another helpful exploration that Wells leads is regarding the givens/assumptions that exist as we move through life. Wells argues that the new birth that is at the base of Christian conversion also affects the way Christians see the world and everything in it. The assumptions that govern society's ethics must be questioned if Christians really believe what they do about the cosmos and Christ's Lordship. Wells is able to explore his argument while telling powerful and helpful stories that challenge the way certain issues/decisions are understood in our world. He challenges the questions of the debate, which is why this book reminds me of John H. Yoder's work (I'm a fan of his stuff too). I'm glad this kind of theology is being done and leaves me hopeful that we are not being left to despair in the polarizing debates so common in North America.

Improvisation is a wonderful addition to the recent discussion of virtue ethics. Wells believes that Christians act as part of a five act play (creation-Israel-Jesus-church-eschaton) that is the drama of God's interaction with the world. Christians act correctly when they improvise according to the nature of the story. Wells brakes his arguments into three sections. The first makes the case for improvisation as an appropriate metaphor for Christian action. He places his understanding in stark contrast with deontological and consequentialist ethics. The second section outlines the main components of improvisation, which he then applies to the Christian life. The important components are forming habits, assessing status, questioning givens, overaccepting, and reincorporation. Through this improvisation, the story always move forward in a way that is faithful. In the final section, Wells shows how imporovisation might be applied to ethical issues. He deals with two that seem threatening and two that seem promising. The goal is to act in ways that bring the issues into continuity with the drama of God. This is a great book. Read it if you are interested in Christian ethics. It also provides insights into other parts of theological study.