Get Goodness


Book Description

From the preface: This book looks at virtue as "the power to do good" from the theological, philosophical, and poetic perspective. From a theological perspective: Long ago, Anselm defined theology as "faith seeking understanding," (f. 1) a definition which has endured to the present day. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to try to understand virtue or goodness without looking through some lens of faith.…Get Goodness was written, in part, because my own faith was seeking understanding. Second, this book will look at virtue and goodness from a philosophical perspective because the word "philosophy" (from the Greek philos + sophia) means "love of wisdom." (f.2)…As we will find in this book, the virtue of love has been understood by most theologians and philosophers before me to be the essence of each and every virtue. Therefore, we must first love wisdom before we are able to practically discern, distinguish, deliberate and decide prudently in any effort to understand how virtue is the power to do good.… Third, this book will be suffused with poetry….because poetry is a language that goes beyond logic, thought, and reason…. It is a language of the spirit and a language of human life, love, observation, and experience….Any poem is an attempt to try to understand the experience of the world and the universe around us in spiritual terms. None of us should be seeking virtuous perfection in orienting ourselves to the good in this life; we should only be seeking change. The journey is the goal.




Get Goodness


Book Description

From the preface: This book looks at virtue as "the power to do good" from the theological, philosophical, and poetic perspective. From a theological perspective: Long ago, Anselm defined theology as "faith seeking understanding," (f. 1) a definition which has endured to the present day. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to try to understand virtue or goodness without looking through some lens of faith....Get Goodness was written, in part, because my own faith was seeking understanding. Second, this book will look at virtue and goodness from a philosophical perspective because the word "philosophy" (from the Greek philos + sophia) means "love of wisdom." (f.2)...As we will find in this book, the virtue of love has been understood by most theologians and philosophers before me to be the essence of each and every virtue. Therefore, we must first love wisdom before we are able to practically discern, distinguish, deliberate and decide prudently in any effort to understand how virtue is the power to do good.... Third, this book will be suffused with poetry....because poetry is a language that goes beyond logic, thought, and reason.... It is a language of the spirit and a language of human life, love, observation, and experience....Any poem is an attempt to try to understand the experience of the world and the universe around us in spiritual terms. None of us should be seeking virtuous perfection in orienting ourselves to the good in this life; we should only be seeking change. The journey is the goal.




Seeking Out Goodness


Book Description

Most of us feel the world is more contentious and less civil than it was a generation ago, or a few years ago, or maybe even last week. We long to be reassured that everything is going to be okay, that God is still at work, even in small ways. The good news is, even when our circumstances change, God does not. He is still in control, and he still offers us good gifts. We just have to know where to look for them. Exploring the beautiful admonition found in Philippians 4:8 to think on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy, author Alexandra Kuykendall encourages us to keep seeking out goodness even when we are mired in a time of fear, division, and negativity. Through personal stories and clear biblical insight, Alex helps us see God at work right now, right in our midst, no matter how messy life feels. She helps us appreciate other people even when we disagree with them, move past false dichotomies, celebrate goodness in others when we find it, and hope for a brighter tomorrow even as we celebrate the good gifts we receive today.




Where Goodness Still Grows


Book Description

Declining church attendance. A growing feeling of betrayal. For Christians who have begun to feel set adrift and disillusioned by their churches, Where Goodness Still Grows grounds us in a new view of virtue deeply rooted in a return to Jesus Christ’s life and ministry. The evangelical church in America has reached a crossroads. Social media and recent political events have exposed the fault lines that exist within our country and our spiritual communities. Millennials are leaving the church, citing hypocrisy, partisanship, and unkindness as reasons they can’t stay. In this book Amy Peterson explores the corruption and blind spots of the evangelical church and the departure of so many from the faith - but she refuses to give up hope, believing that rescue is on the way. Where Goodness Still Grows: Dissects the moral code of American evangelicalism Reimagines virtue as a tool, not a weapon Explores the Biblical meaning of specific virtues like kindness, purity, and modesty Provides comfort, hope, and a path towards spiritual restoration Amy writes as someone intimately familiar with, fond of, and deeply critical of the world of conservative evangelicalism. She writes as a woman and a mother, as someone invested in the future of humanity, and as someone who just needs to know how to teach her kids what it means to be good. Amy finds that if we listen harder and farther, we will find the places where goodness still grows. Praise for Where Goodness Still Grows: “In this poignant, honest book, Amy Peterson confronts her disappointment with the evangelical leaders who handed her The Book of Virtues then happily ignored them for the sake of political power. But instead of just walking away, Peterson rewrites the script, giving us an alternative book of virtues needed in this moment. And it’s no mistake that it ends with hope.” — James K. A. Smith, author of You Are What You Love




The Other Side of Goodness


Book Description

How far will faith and love go when an ambitious man finds himself in the fight of his life--with a woman who knows the other side of goodness all too well. . . Fifty-year-old Alabama congressman Lawrence Rudolph Simmons will do whatever it takes to get re-elected--even switch parties from Democrat to Republican. With the political tide turning, Lawrence feels it's his best shot--along with his charisma, solid twenty-nine year marriage, and three great kids. But a buried secret from his past is about to be resurrected.. . . It's been eight years since Gabrielle Mercedes gave up her baby for adoption. But when she learns the child desperately needs a bone marrow transplant, she doesn't hesitate to contact the congressman. Like Lawrence, Gabrielle will fight for what she wants, even if it means the truth could ruin someone else's life and career. . .. "There are enough tears, hugs, and lessons learned before summer's over to appease readers, young and adult, who like a good dose of faith with their fiction." --Publishers Weekly on Ray of Hope "Griggs address[es] the challenges of living by Biblical rules with homespun humor. Fans will be pleased." --Publishers Weekly on The Truth Is the Light "A smart novel that addresses an issue that many in the church shy away from--divorce--with frank realism."--Library Journal on Practicing What You Preach "I absolutely love Vanessa's unique writing style. She is one of a kind." --Mary Monroe, New York Times bestselling author




Goodness


Book Description

The prize-winning author of Europa and Tongue of Flame “explores the nature of goodness and moral faith in this poignant, witty, and disturbing novel” (Library Journal). George Crawley knows a thing or two about being good. After watching his missionary father die in Africa and his selfless mother get taken advantage of back in England, he knows that being good is for chumps. Looking out for himself, George has established a great career and even found a loving, wealthy wife. It’s clear to George that he is master of his own destiny. Until destiny intervenes. When his wife Shirley decides that she wants to have a child, George relents. But when his daughter is born, George must face an apparently insoluble problem. Except that the word ‘insoluble’ just isn’t part of the man’s vocabulary. Now he will stop at nothing to get his life back on the rails again.




Any Small Goodness


Book Description

Los Angeles is a place of movie stars and fast cars and people who are too rich and people who are too poor.




Goodness and Advice


Book Description

How should we live? What do we owe to other people? In Goodness and Advice, the eminent philosopher Judith Jarvis Thomson explores how we should go about answering such fundamental questions. In doing so, she makes major advances in moral philosophy, pointing to some deep problems for influential moral theories and describing the structure of a new and much more promising theory. Thomson begins by lamenting the prevalence of the idea that there is an unbridgeable gap between fact and value--that to say something is good, for example, is not to state a fact, but to do something more like expressing an attitude or feeling. She sets out to challenge this view, first by assessing the apparently powerful claims of Consequentialism. Thomson makes the striking argument that this familiar theory must ultimately fail because its basic requirement--that people should act to bring about the "most good"--is meaningless. It rests on an incoherent conception of goodness, and supplies, not mistaken advice, but no advice at all. Thomson then outlines the theory that she thinks we should opt for instead. This theory says that no acts are, simply, good: an act can at most be good in one or another way--as, for example, good for Smith or for Jones. What we ought to do is, most importantly, to avoid injustice; and whether an act is unjust is a function both of the rights of those affected, including the agent, and of how good or bad the act is for them. The book, which originated in the Tanner lectures that Thomson delivered at Princeton University's Center for Human Values in 1999, includes two chapters by Thomson ("Goodness" and "Advice"), provocative comments by four prominent scholars--Martha Nussbaum, Jerome Schneewind, Philip Fisher, and Barbara Herrnstein Smith--and replies by Thomson to those comments.




Connected to Goodness


Book Description

David Meltzer reveals proven business and life principles and how to make a lot of money, help a lot of people, and have a lot of fun. "




The Goodness Campaign


Book Description

You have the power to improve everything in your life. Will you harness it? Opportunities to enhance your health, improve your relationships, and bring you happiness, peace, and fulfillment will cross your path every day. Perhaps most important of all, those opportunities can empower you to make a difference; in your lifeand in the world. Will you grasp them? Every choice you make and action you take is important and has the potential to bring powerful, positive changes into your life. From interactions with family and friends, to that person beside you, to the ways you treat your environment and yourself; an incredible potential of goodness exists. Look closely Could your health, relationships, and choices be better? Are you as patient, compassionate, selfless, and generous as possiblewith yourself, as well as others? What would make you happier and more fulfilled? Are you as successful as you want to be in your endeavors? Have you dreamed about making a difference in your lifeand our world? Experience the positive power and energy you can create by choosing to share the goodness that is within your reach every day. Imagine what you could accomplish: becoming healthier, repairing relationships, helping others, restoring balance to your life and environment, and finding lasting fulfillment and happinessthe list goes on and on! Start your Goodness Campaign today!