On Second Thought

Essays Out of My Life

In this, Don Shriver’s fifteenth book, the socially involved ethicist and former president of Union Theological Seminary reveals some of the challenging experiences and ideas that have informed his work. In a book both personal and honest, Shriver reflects on the nature and importance of books, music, education, war, friends, marriage, political conflict, and his tenure at Union. The essays as a whole represent exemplary theological work by showing how biblical images and themes provided Shriver with both a lens for interpreting his era and a perspective from which to anticipate the future. A dominant theme of his work has been the dynamics of forgiveness in human society and the meaning of forgiveness, beyond personal life, in the relations of groups and nations. A final essay, a letter to the great-grandchildren he will never meet, articulates the positive and hopeful message of this wide-ranging collection. For readers already familiar with his local-to-global efforts spanning ecumenical, racial, economic, and political justice issues, the book offers new insights into how Shriver’s life experiences have impacted his work. For those not yet familiar with that work, the collection offers an intimate introduction to Shriver’s passions for theology, history, and social justice, particularly in the American South, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, and East Asia