Even in an age of instant gratification, life's best takes time and effort. What is happiness? The immediate gratification of our physical and emotional desires? A sense of satisfaction brought about through consumerism or other promises of short-term enjoyment?

Our twenty-first century views of happiness are not what the writers of the Bible had in mind. Nor is it what the ancient Greeks or the drafters of the Declaration of Independence envisioned. Such false ideas of happiness always leave us empty chasing the selfish and superficial.

Authors J. P. Moreland and Klaus Issler illustrate how we are only happy when we pursue a transcendent purpose--something larger than ourselves. This pursuit involves a deeply meaningful relationship with God through a selfless preoccupation with the spiritual disciplines. The Lost Virtue of Happiness takes a fresh, meaningful look at the spiritual disciplines, offering concrete examples of ways you can make them practical and life-transforming.

Starting from the American "pursuit of happiness," Moreland (a philosophy professor at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University) and Issler (a Christian education and theology professor, also at Talbot) connect with a widely felt desire. Yet they immediately take readers into deeper reflection of the very content of the happiness we pursue, arguing that our consumerist culture has replaced the more satisfying content of true happiness with a poor substitute. Moving smoothly into a discussion of discipleship, they focus on spiritual disciplines as the key to true happiness in life. Subsequent chapters explore how the spiritual disciplines can be used to improve many areas of our lives-emotions, thoughts, risk taking and the development of a more mature faith during difficult times. They end with a convincing chapter on the importance of spiritual friendships. Although exploring some deep topics, this will still be accessible to most readers and very useful for study groups, particularly with the excellent discussion questions at the end of each chapter. The practical suggestions and creative exercises throughout will be particularly helpful for those new to spiritual disciplines. (Feb.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

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