Ford’s ‘A Bond Between Souls’ focuses on Augustine’s views on friendship

Compelled by an interest in Augustine’s perspective and practice of friendship, Coleman Ford, assistant professor of humanities at Texas Baptist College, authored A Bond Between Souls, an examination of the late theologian’s views on friendship and its application for modern society. The book, published by Lexham Press, releases today.

Ford read Augustine’s Confessions several times and in different translations while he was a doctoral student majoring in church history at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and “became fascinated with the nature and character of friendship in Confessions. As I explored the theme of friendship in Augustine, it led me to read his numerous letters and I soon discovered how the practice of friendship was an important facet of Augustine’s spiritual life represented in those letters,” said Ford. All of Ford’s research and exploration on this topic led to it becoming his Ph.D. dissertation work, upon which the book is based. 

In this current age of social media and online preoccupation, Ford notes that “social media both contributes to and detracts from a meaningful relationship.” He said, “it is certainly a medium that can and should be stewarding towards the end of loving God and loving others. I do feel that true friendship needs to reach beyond the confines of social media.” 

He added that does not mean that friendship must be in-person as “Augustine never physically met many people that counted as friends. A letter was the vehicle and means for perpetuating a friendship. The same must be true today.” He stated that writing physical letters might not be the normal thing to do today, but “we need to use communication means available to us to connect with friends outside more directly of social-media channels.”

Ford added that “a friendship doesn’t need to be in-person, but even as Augustine demonstrated in his writing, we should desire the physical presence of the person. For Christians, we know that we will one day be in physical proximity with our friends in the new heavens and new earth.”

Ford explained that just as Augustine did, it is important to have friendships with people with whom you disagree. “It is also important, as Augustine demonstrates, that Christian friendship is a ‘school of love’ as scholar Paul Waddell has observed,” he said. Friendship is an “opportunity to fulfill the greatest commandment of loving God and loving others,” which he said is “more than hanging out with people” around common interests, but rather “an opportunity to grow in the love of God with one another.”

Although the main audience for A Bond Between Souls is academic, Ford “hopes that those interested in Augustine, the theology and practice of friendship, as well as patristic spirituality in general will find this book helpful,” adding that “the interested non-scholar who likes Augustine,” would also benefit from the book. 

Ford has presented on the themes in the book in various conferences and has discussed the book on The Gospel Coalition Canada podcast “Into Theology.” Plans are in the works for him to discuss the book on other podcasts, too.