Book Summaries
Passing the Plate
Authors: Christian Smith, Michael O. Emerson and Patricia Snell
Passing the Plate shows that few American Christians donate generously to religious and charitable causes—a parsimony that seriously undermines the work of churches and ministries. Far from the 10 percent of one’s income that tithing requires, American Christians’ financial giving typically amounts, by some measures, to less than one percent of annual earnings. And a startling one out of five self-identified Christians gives nothing at all. This eye-opening book explores the reasons behind such ungenerous giving, the potential world-changing benefits of greater financial giving, and what can be done to improve matters.
More information, including a powerpoint presentation, is available at Passing the Plate page.
The Renewal of Generosity: Illness, Medicine, and How to Live
Author: Arthur W. Frank
The Renewal of Generosity is about a seldom-discussed virtue; its subtitle, Illness, Medicine, and How to Live, defines its context and intent. The book offers no recipes or rules for living but engages the reader in a set of exercises that draw on a wide range of writers to show how generosity and gratitude are central features of any ethically sound practice of medicine.
Being Generous
Author: Theodore Roosevelt Malloch
The world’s cultures and great religions have long sought to answer the question of how we should live; and they have often responded that it has to do with how we treat others, particularly those most in need. Ample evidence suggests that giving selflessly to others lies at the heart of what it means to be a thoughtful and moral human being. In Being Generous, author Theodore Roosevelt Malloch leads an exploration of the important concept of generous giving.