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Ozonze, Book Review  185 

Book Review 

 

Wrestling with God: Ethical Precarity in Christianity and 

International Relations  
by Cecelia Lynch 

 
Reviewed by Joachim Ozonze 

 

 
 

 
 

Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. 2020. $41.99 

 

Cecelia Lynch’s Wrestling with God: Ethical 
Precarity in Christianity and International Relations is a 

profound exploration of the intricate intersections 

between Christian ethics and the political complexities 

of global relations. Rooted in International Relations 

(IR), but remarkably interdisciplinary, Lynch examines 

how Christian actors—both individual and institutional—

have wrestled with their ethical commitments while 

engaging in international landscapes of war, alterity, 

justice, and peace.  

At the heart of Lynch’s exploration is the concept 

of “ethical precarity,” a dynamic lens she employs to 

capture the ongoing negotiations and tensions between 

the interpretations of Christian ethics, the demands of 

political power, and the exigencies of pragmatic 

decision-making. Through a Neo-Weberian 

genealogical analysis of a wide range of strategically-

chosen Christian ethical struggles across history, Lynch 

demonstrates how these negotiations are both 

contextual and contested, and fraught with 

contradictions.  

Through her wrestling with intra-Christian ethical 

debates, Lynch challenges the reification of religion in 

IR, a tendency she argues lends itself to caricaturist 

interpretations of religion. This oversimplification, she 

notes, leaves unexplored the “political implications of 

the wide range of Christian ethics at stake in 

international politics” (2). Going beyond scholars like 

Talal Asad and Saba Mahmood, Lynch’s genealogy of 
wrestlings in the West reveals the intertwined histories 

and ongoing entanglements of Christianity and modern 

politics, dismantling any notion of a thick line between 

religion and secularism, and urging her readers to 

grapple with the ethical ambiguities at the nexus of 

Christianity, secularism, and global politics (19). 

One of Lynch’s most compelling contributions is 

unpacking the provocative parallels between early 

missionary enterprises and contemporary humanitarian 

response. Whether these parallels manifest in the 

similarities between early missionizing efforts to save 

souls and contemporary donor proselytism, or the 

semblance between the civilizational rhetoric of 

contemporary humanitarianism and the epistemic 

violence of Christian paternalism in the early modern 

era, Lynch invites her readers to recognize how modern 

humanitarianism (whether secular or faith-based) 

mirrors the ethical precarities of earlier periods and 

provides an opportunity to critically reflect on the far-

reaching consequences of ethical shortcomings today.  

Thus, while Lynch’s concern is not to provide 

“settled best practices” (235), her historically expansive 

and richly nuanced analysis offers profound insights for 

Christian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) 

engaged in development and humanitarian work. For 

one, Lynch’s call to embrace ethical precarity 

challenges these organizations to reflect—reflexively—on 

their ethical assumptions and operational theologies, 

their partnerships and paradigmatic organization, their 

hermeneutic of responsibility and logic of success. The 

goal is not simply to arrive at fixed answers but to 

continually grapple with these ethical tensions in light of 

evolving sociopolitical contexts, the aid environment, 

and the meaning of Christ’s injunction to serve “the 

least of these.” 

Lynch’s wrestling prompts critical questions for 

Christian NGOs: Do their actions empower local 



Christian Relief, Development, and Advocacy 6(3),  Spring 2025 

Ozonze, Book Review  186 

communities or perpetuate dependency? Does their 

purpose inadvertently reinforce structural violence or 

inequality? Are their theological commitments more 

focused on “compassion for and saving of those who 

suffer” or on fostering “mutual redemptive 

relationships”? What forms of suffering are prioritized, 

and why? How do they construct the “good” aid 

recipients, and who is left out? Wrestling with these 

questions challenges Christian organizations to not only 

recognize how Christian ethical principles can be co-

opted in different ways, but also to adopt a posture of 

humility. This involves a deeply reflexive 

acknowledgement of ethical precarity—one that is 

courageous enough to relinquish the high moral ground 

and undermines justifications for epistemic and bodily 

precarity and violence (19).  

In fact, Wrestling with God exemplifies this self-

reflexivity—not only because Lynch reveals how her 

personal wrestling has shaped the book, but also 

through her disruption of Eurocentric and 

institutionalist narratives. The work challenges 

conventional imagination of the paradigmatic 

“Christian actor,” embodying a perspective that is more 

attuned to the complexities and diversities of global 

Christianity. 

Yet, Lynch’s exploration leaves readers wrestling 
with an essential question: What is Christian? What 

constitutes the Christian core? This question is not only 

pivotal for evaluating who or what is included or 

excluded in her analysis of “wrestling,” but it also 

anchors the concept of ethical precarity, preventing it 

from devolving into an unending vortex of ambiguity. 

While Lynch, citing Korean feminist liberation 

theologian Chung Hyun Kyung, notes that “ethics are 

always in development,” it is dubitable that their 

boundaries are infinite (227). This raises a critical point: 

what makes a humanitarian effort distinctly Christian? 

Here, Christian theology provides valuable 

resources. Steven Battin’s (2022, 90–99) concept of 

salvation as God’s protocol of interaction with the 

world, as well as a reference point and model of 

interaction for all theological subjectivities that claim 

God as the centripetal force of their cohesion, offers a 

framework for Christian humanitarianism. It positions 

faith-based humanitarianism not as a saving venture, but 

as a praxis of solidarity and participation in the larger 

story of God’s transformative love in the world.  This 

divine pattern is paradigmatically revealed in the 

incarnation and life of Jesus. Importantly, this 

incarnation is not merely a human event or, even, a 

solely Christ-event; it is fully a God-event that 

encompasses the entirety of the Godhead, all humanity, 

and all creation. Thus, rather than serving as an 

obstacle, this incarnational paradigm propels greater 

openness to cosmic-centered, Spirit-centered 

spiritualties and missiologies. 

Shaped by this incarnational logic, Christian 

humanitarianism emerges not only as a way of being in 

the world rooted in humility and mutual care, but also 

as a framework that compels practitioners to ask 

fundamental questions: “Why am I here?” “Who am I 

and why am I able to be here?” “Whom do my actions 

serve?” This means that Christian humanitarianism, 

informed by the incarnation, is an intrinsically 

prophetic vocation—standing in solidarity with the 

marginalized, interrogating structures of violence and 

privilege, and challenging established political practices 

in ways that embody risk but ultimately moves toward 

more egalitarian commitments and transformative 

actions in the world (236). 

Cecelia Lynch’s Wrestling with God is a landmark 

work. Seamlessly weaving together insights from 

multiple disciplines, it provides rich ethical frameworks 

with profound implications for both faith-based and 

secular humanitarianism. Lynch’s concept of ethical 

precarity challenges scholars and practitioners alike to 

embrace reflexivity, humility, and the courage to wrestle 

with complexity. By doing so, they can navigate the 

tensions and ambiguities of global humanitarian work 

with integrity and justice. Ultimately, Wrestling with 

God is not merely an exploration of ethical precarity, 

but a testament to the productive and transformative 

power of wrestling—with ideas, practices, and the limits 

of our understanding.  
 

References 

 
Battin, Steven J. 2022. Intercommunal Ecclesiology: 

The Church, Salvation, and Intergroup Conflict. 
Eugene: Cascade Books. 

 

 

 

Joachim Ozonze is a PhD Candidate in Peace Studies 

and Theology at the Kroc Institute for International  

Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame. His research 

explores the interplay of ritual, drug violence, and 

healing, examining how individuals and communities 

are socialized into and out of cycles of violence. 

 

Author email: jozonze@nd.edu  
 

mailto:jozonze@nd.edu

