David K. Goodin offers a much-needed reassessment of Albert Schweitzer—the man and his ideas, especially the ethical mysticism at the heart of his answer to the spiritual malaise of his time, and ours. Interweaving biography, the observations of others, and Schweitzer’s own autobiographical writings, Goodin offers a nuanced portrait of a Christian who eschewed dogma, affirmed the value, and the limits, of science and reason, admitted to an agnosticism regarding God, yet modeled his life on that of Jesus and sought to live the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. For those disillusioned with the exclusivist dogma, hypocrisy, and disengagement of their Christian heritage, Schweitzer, and Goodin, offer an alternate way to discipleship through active love, with precedent in the apophatic theology of the early church; and for any reader, religious or not, a way to embrace life and live compassionately and responsibly with an open heart and open mind.

Nancy M. Martin, Director of the Albert Schweitzer Institute; chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Chapman University; Life Member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University

An Agnostic in the Fellowship of Christ demonstrates the seamlessness of all Schweitzer’s endeavors . . . Goodin characterizes Schweitzer’s search for middle ground between religious retrenchment and skeptical nihilism as a philosophical approach to theology, rooted in the rationalism of the late nineteenth century. Now, in a time when Schweitzer’s life work is once again astonishingly revelatory, Goodin re-introduces the thought of this complex, charismatic, and compelling man, in a way that is both accessible and inspiring.

Seán P. Duffy, executive director, The Albert Schweitzer Institute, Quinnipiac University

Albert Schweitzer (1875–1965), physician, philosopher, antinuclear activist, and 1952 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was arguably the most widely admired person in the world in the mid-twentieth century. President John F. Kennedy called him "one of the transcendent moral influences of our century." Rachel Carson dedicated her book Silent Spring, which catalyzed the modern environmental movement, to him, explaining that "Dr. Schweitzer is the one truly great individual our modern times have produced."

In this remarkable book, Goodin brings Dr. Schweitzer to life for the twenty-first century, when we need him more than ever. Who was this man who left behind fame and worldly success in Europe—as a scholar and a musician—to dedicate the last five decades of his life to direct medical service to the most vulnerable, in rural equatorial Africa? What unifying principles, vision, and energy—intellectual, moral, spiritual, and yet always concrete and practical—inspired and fueled everything he did? What did he mean when he called himself a ‘disciple of Jesus,’ and insisted that all true ethics is ultimately anchored in "mysticism"?

As Goodin writes, Schweitzer "wove many seemingly disparate threads into a singular magnificent tapestry that was his life." Goodin examines and explains each of those threads—philosophical and theological; medical and musical; moral and spiritual; and most of all biographical and practical, since Dr. Schweitzer insisted that "My life is my argument." Most importantly, Goodin shows how each thread is connected to and reinforces the others, all contributing to the depth, strength, and potentially world-transforming power of what Dr. Schweitzer considered his most important legacy—his philosophy of Reverence for Life. In doing so, Goodin does far more than enhance our understanding of an extraordinary historical figure. He shows convincingly why rediscovering Albert Schweitzer is so important for all of us in the twenty-first century.

Lachlan Forrow, MD, associate professor of medicine, Harvard Medical School; president, The Albert Schweitzer Fellowship