The Holiness of Hidden Lives
A Review of
The Quiet Ambition: Scripture’s Surprising Antidote to Our Restless Lives
Ryan Tinetti
Hardcover: IVP, 2025
Buy Now: [ Bookshop ] [ Amazon ] [ Kindle ] [ Audible ]
Reviewed by Christopher Brown
To write an entire book about two overlooked verses in the Bible, one must appreciate the sacredness of hidden things. That’s what Ryan Tinetti has done with The Quiet Ambition: Scripture’s Surprising Antidote to our Restless Lives. In it, Tinetti explores 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, which he translates as “Make it your ambition to live quietly and to tend your own business and to work with your hands, so that you might walk gracefully toward outsiders and have need of nothing.” In these verses, Tinetti finds wisdom that offers relief from the exhausting demands of our world and gives a holy dignity to the most ordinary of lives.
Tinetti presents “quiet ambition” as an alternative to what Henry David Thoreau called “lives of quiet desperation.” While that desperation sometimes manifests as depressed resignation in the face of life’s challenges, Tinetti also recognizes it in the “restless ambition” which “attempts to stave off existential anguish with frenzied activity” (13). Within the church, we tend to baptize the latter and call it “doing great things for God.” In truth, this urge to accomplish great things is less about God’s call upon our lives and more about the influence of the hectic world in which we live.
Twice in the book Tinetti uses the word “acceleration” to describe the problem of restless ambition. In the second instance, he notes that “Quiet desperation is sped along by the acceleration of modern life” (141). Though Tinetti doesn’t directly cite his work, this observation echoes the diagnosis German sociologist Harmut Rosa applied to our age. In The Uncontrollability of the World, Rosa writes that “Since the eighteenth century, life in the modern ‘western’ world has undergone a structural change at every level, as a result of which the basic institutional structure of modern society can be maintained only through constant escalation . . . constant economic growth, technological acceleration, and cultural innovation” (Rosa, 9). Driven by the fear of falling behind, we respond to this acceleration by grasping at control, relating to others and to objects with increasing aggression. This can even manifest in grand ambitions to “change the world,” as Tinetti explores in Chapter 9. Rosa’s response to this problem is to seek what he calls “resonance,” a kind of relational encounter that relinquishes control and invites a free and transformational response from the other.
The Quiet Ambition describes a way of life that makes room for resonance, and it does so accessibly for any reader. Tinetti, who is a Lutheran pastor and seminary professor, writes with a pastoral heart, relatable voice, and a generous sprinkling of dad jokes. The book is divided into five parts, each dedicated to a portion of Paul’s instructions in 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12. After every two chapters are practices to help readers grow into Tinetti’s vision of quiet ambition.
Rather than living with desperation or restless ambition, readers are invited to live humbly, recognizing what they are (and are not) truly called to do. Against the noise of smartphone notifications, readers are urged to cultivate “one square inch of silence” in their lives. (That phrase is taken from the work of acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, who found a place of pure quiet in Olympic National Park and marked it as one square inch of silence.) The chapters on “working with one’s hands” address the value of physical activity, labor in the trades, baking bread, and creativity in general. The final chapters present Christian witness as a matter of doing “small things with great love,” as Mother Teresa said. In addition to abundant biblical examples, Tinetti illustrates his points with stories from the lives of both historical and contemporary figures ranging from St. Therese of Lisieux to Rosa Parks. Even the lives of humble celebrities like Barry Sanders and Rich Mullins have lessons on living quietly.
Though quiet ambition does lead to a more peaceful life, we should not confuse it with quietism. Lest we use the instruction to “tend your own business” as an excuse to avoid addressing the crises of the world around us, Tinetti reminds us that disciples of Jesus are sent into the world to participate in God’s mission. Tinetti offers a story from the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In 1933 Bonhoeffer left Germany to pastor two congregations in a suburb of London. There, from a distance, Bonhoeffer thought he could support his colleagues in Germany while still maintaining his own safety. But a letter from Karl Barth corrected him: “Your church’s house is on fire, that you know enough and know well enough how to say what you know, to be able to help, and in fact you ought to return to your post by next ship!” (178). In Bonhoeffer’s case, quiet ambition meant fulfilling his duty, even though it led to his eventual imprisonment and execution.
The Quiet Ambition invites us to live faithfully in the hidden places, regardless of our circumstances. This book offers relief for those who are weary from frantic lives and a sober call to attend to what matters most, even when it goes unnoticed by the world.
Christopher Brown
Rev. Christopher Brown is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Berthoud, Colorado. He is also an ICF-credentialed coach who serves pastors, new worshiping community leaders, and others seeking spiritual growth through his work at Still Mountain Leadership and Life Coaching.
 Reading for the Common Good From ERB Editor Christopher Smith "This book will inspire, motivate and challenge anyone who cares a whit about the written word, the world of ideas, the shape of our communities and the life of the church." -Karen Swallow Prior Enter your email below to sign up for our weekly newsletter & download your FREE copy of this ebook! |
Understanding Christian Nationalism [A Reading Guide] |
 Most Anticipated Books of the Fall for Christian Readers!
|
 Hilarious One-Star Customer Reviews of Bibles |
