Designed For Good

<p>Kevin J. Brown's <i>Designed for Good</i> is a study of classical virtue  
ethics from a Christian perspective. This book shows Christians  
that their faith contains resources to help them recover the  
idea of virtue in the face of our modern moral bewilderment.</p>  
<p>Although we may not realize it, we live in a world that is full of  
competing ethical systems. Appeals to rights, personal freedom,  
or even equality often come with their own "meta-values." Each  
of these values has something in common with the Christian  
message, but none of them tells the whole story.</p>  
<p>In this Christian take on classical virtue ethics, Brown weaves in  
modern-day examples from economics, politics, and pop culture  
to create a relevant framework that relates faith to contemporary  
ethical questions. Brown argues that true virtue-the kind we can  
actually strive for in our day-to-day lives-requires a holistic vision  
of the good life, not a list of rules determined by our preferences  
or the latest market trends. Instead, it is precisely what we were  
designed for by our Creator: life in the community of Christ's body,  
the church. Virtue then becomes the pursuit of wholeness in  
harmony with God's design.</p>  
<p>Brown introduces the problem of modern ethics and analyzes  
common "meta-values" that readers will likely have encountered in  
their workplaces, schools, and possibly even churches. Readers will  
especially resonate with the second half of the book, where Brown  
outlines the foundations of the holistic, Christian concept of virtue:  
"to act justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God."</p>Read less