Ethics Books

This little book is great on so many levels. It consists of, as the title would indicate, of questions concerning Business, Politics and Ethics. There are a total of 223 questions. The book is completely and absolutely nonjudgemental, as it gives no answers to the questions nor does it supply any opinions. This job is left up to you! The questions are well written and very plane it that they are, at first glance simple. Far from it. When you read one of the questions here, you will have almost an instant "gut" reaction, or instant answer, but, after giving it some thought, you will find you self thinking, "hey, this is not as easy as I thought." This is a wonderful book for group discussions, but beware, some of the questions could be discussed for days and days, answers would change and opinions swayed...it is just that type of book. I love to brouse through it, read a question, and then just think, asking myself questions about the questions asked. The issues addressed here are ones we face on a daily basis in our society and are not particularly addressed only to business and politics. Highly recommend this one!

Far too many of us wait until faced with an ethical dilemma before figuring out what our personal ethical stand is. This book, used correctly, provides the opportunity to flex your brain muscle and reflect on your ethical perspective before it becomes necessary.

I use it to challenge my site management team every morning with great effect.

The only criticism I would have is that some questions while provacative are not for the meek.

Great job Mr Stock

The original "Book of Questions" made a good conversation-starter and, in my opinion, inspirational tool for writing or journaling. "The Book of Questions: Love and Sex" is better for helping you to see your own relationship values and how they may be helping and harming you and your loved one, and it can also be used to help open up communication in a relationship if approached carefully. "The Book of Questions: Business, Politics and Ethics," on the other hand, is perhaps best for pushing you to explore your own moral values and how well you're living up to them.

What's most impressive about this is that very few of the questions seem to imply a "right" answer or try to push some sort of specific realization, and even those that do sort of come across that way don't have to be read in that way. Dr. Stock specifically says that he doesn't want to push an agenda--he merely wants to spur people to think more carefully about what it is they're doing and why.

The questions run the gamut from economic programs to health care, international policy to business. There are questions about hiring and firing employees, stealing from or betraying employers, tradeoffs in public programs and government spending, and so on. Many of the questions seem particularly relevant to today's political situations. While I wasn't as fond of the tradeoff questions in the "Love and Sex" book, I think that in this one they come across much better. Somehow they end up feeling less arbitrary and more like realistic quandaries.

Dr. Stock tries not to give us easy questions with easy answers, instead forcing us to truly think about the hard issues.

I have the screen saver version of this book, which is integrated with the original The Book of Questions for Windows computers. The graphics and sound effects are great and I get lots of people in the office asking me about it. It's a real head turner that engages people in conversation.

I was first introduced to Bruce through the Book, "Breaking Through the 4 Barriers to Quality. I found the book to get right to the root of the problems that every business faces. More importantly the book gave detailed solutions as to how to overcome these problems. For over a year now, Mr. Snell has been coaching our company helping to install systems to help us overcome those barriers. I think the 4 Barriers to Quality should be required reading for every business in the Country.

If these companis read Mr. Snell's book we would certainly have a much better enviorment for conducting business.

Jerry Fowler, CRS, Broker, CBR
Jerry Fowler and the Results Team Realtors
Columbia, SC

This books has giving me success and put my buissness on the headline

Bruce snell's book put my buisness way ahead of my competitio

Bruce Snell lays out in a down-to-earth manner why businesses of all sizes struggle with quality production. What's more, he lays out a solution as well. You don't need a college degree in business administration to understand his simple and very appropriate concepts for business today, expmplified by his two rules: 1) Treat everyone as you wish to be treated and 2) Do what is morally and ethically correct. What could be simpler? The company for which I am a Vice-President has implemented Mr. Snell's program to do away with the informal and move to a formalized method of business and have seen large gains in just the first year. ANYONE who wants to improve company productivity at any level should make time to read (and re-read) this book!

I found this title in the Judaica section of my local bookstore and was immediately enthralled... and no, I am not Jewish.

I am, however, a writer - and Karyn Kedar shares her call to write this book when she says, "Write. About forgiveness. Write. A subtle echo of new life. Write." and I think every writer who has experienced a spiritual call will know, will understand, will nod alongside these words.

YES! Write, we say, enthusiatically.

This impressive book is about forgiveness without forgetting. It is about healing and wholeness. It shares its message through a combination of instructive prose, poetry (almost like songs or psalms) and a memoir style of writing.

I couldn't help but write quotes as I read along - for example.... "Acceptance is the compassionate embrace of yourself and your place in the world: without judment, without fear, without regret. You are who you are. You are not who you are not."

Simple, yes. Strong? Indeed!

This universal message will (I hope and pray) find its way into the hands and hearts of readers of all faiths. Read it, embrace it, live it.

This perceptive book is about more than forgiveness, it shares life affirming lessons, insights and inspirations. As you journey across the bridge to forgiveness, its thought provoking teachings will motivate the reader to feel, to assess and to act. The poetic and succinct writing makes this challenging subject both approachable and an enjoyable reading experience.

"Forgiveness is an intricate dance through pain and anger and loss. Let hope be your partner. Let joy take the lead." Karyn Kedar's Bridge to Forgiveness contains so many gems like this that you will never see forgiveness in the same way. Her bridge is a guide to finding peace after pain, and, like her previous two books, is very inspirational. I highly recommend the book.

Forgiveness is a concept that, until now, I never really thought too much about. Sometimes I forgive, sometimes I don't, but I never really thought about the implications of that choice. This book was therefore a real treat that took me on a tour through the steps of forgiveness. With anecdotes, prayer, and her personal thoughts on the subject, Karyn Kedar has helped me understand that forgiving does not equate to weakness. In fact, forgiving demonstrates an inner strength that would otherwise go unnoticed. Thanks for a great, thought provoking book on this topic!

An interesting format of letters back between friends about service on a board. I believe it's best read after other more structured infomation on the roles and functions of a board, then round out your perspective and understanding with this fine work. Very short, an easy read.

Called to Serve is recommended reading by all YMCA staff who work with policy making volunteers. It is designed as "letters to a friend" and covers the why, how and what in working with volunteers/boards in a conversational way. It is not overwhelming, nor does it get into a lot of governance issues. It leads you to understand the meaning and purpose of volunteerism and many, many lessons as to roles of volunteers, meeting development, strategic planning, effective committees, etc. I highly recommend it!

Truly an enjoyable, profitable read with many treasures for the one seeking advice on non-profit or volunteer boards.

This is packaged in letter form of author writing advice to a friend about such board memberhsip and leadership.

Just a few of the many gleans one will get: "the board does have obligations in the short term, but the future, with certain expectations, comes first"; "desigining an agenda by following the lines of a bell curve"; "one of the great time wasters for any group is the routine of giving progress reports when there's been no progress"; and the wonderful story of the postmaster who would not be bothered out of a meeting until he heard it was to receive thanks.

One reading this wants to be on any board that Max is on. Also, to invoke some of his wisdom tenderly yet passionately given in this work. Buy one for yourself and all members on your board. It will bring more joy to the member and more service to the organization.

De Pree's latest addition to his leadership books such as best-selling Leadership is an Art, Leadership Jazz, and Leading without Power, has turned his vast experience with non-profit boards into a helpful volume about creating an effective volunteer board. The book covers generalities like the expectations of board and staff, as well as specifics like how to construct an agenda. De Pree gets as specific as stating, "The chairperson should not permit anyone to read to the board." Amen to that! The book can be read quickly, referenced easily, and would help create basic principles and expectations for the board. Anyone working with a volunteer board would do well to provide a copy for each board member.

I've seen public television and heard public radio on more than one continent. And there are some good and bad aspects to them. On one occasion, I was shocked to hear exit interviews on the radio with voters in a democracy. Although the race was close, the more than one dozen interviewees all were strongly for the same candidate! There was no attempt to show the other side at all! I realized at once that this was both bad and biased reporting. On top of that, the other candidate won!

Recently, I read a book called "The Voyage of the Matthew." It was produced by the BBC. And, of course, the book was recreated on public television. It all seemed pretty good to me, as the BBC often does fine work, although I have to wonder about anything it has a hand in.

According to Robert Aitken, the BBC has a strong political bias. One person Aitken mentions wrote that if it could submit a slate of candidates, their platform would be anti-racist, pro-abortion, pro-women's and gay rights, pro-UN and EU, pro-union and anti-big business, pro-high taxes, pro-government spending and intervention in industry, anti-private education, anti-private health care, pro-local democracy and local councils, pro-multiculturalism and ethnic minorities in general, pro-foreigner and foreign governments, especially if they are left-wing, anti-monarchist, anti-prison, and anti-American.

If this is true, it's not good. Yes, I am a liberal, and I have many of the same political positions. But the BBC is supposed to represent the taxpayers in Great Britain, and those taxpayers deserve coverage of their views. I'd say the same thing about any biased media. As a matter of fact, one only has to look at what the media were like in some Communist nations three decades ago to see how political bias can wreck credibility.

As near as I can tell, the BBC is a participant in a war against Israel. One person is quoted in this book as saying that at the BBC "that America is bad and Israel is evil are two of the assumptions that just can't be questioned."

Let's consider the ramifications of this. I'm an American, and I see plenty of very positive things about the United States: it is a great land of opportunity, it is reasonably prosperous, and relatively free. But what about Israel?

Israel is one of the great success stories of the past century. There was a successful revolt against a wicked colonial occupier (which happened to be Great Britain, although I'm not sure what the BBC thinks of that). There were successful defenses in wartime against a variety of racist and bigoted aggressors. It has improved itself even when under attack. It has shown great concern for the environment, being the only nation on this planet to have more trees in the year 2000 than it did in 1900. And whether its people have wanted to be meek and humble or not, it has been content with a small amount of land: at less than 11,000 square miles, it is very land-poor. If every nation were as greedy as Israel for land, there would be no wars over land! It's a democracy, and its people are reasonably free. There is much about Israel we all ought to try to copy if we want human civilization to survive and prosper. And the BBC is failing us if it makes it so difficult for us to hold Israel up as such a positive example.

In addition, the BBC is failing even in its role to display liberal politics when it comes to Israel. After all, it openly sides with the aggressors against Israel. And those aggressors are primarily racists, bigots, right-wing and reactionary extremists, anti-abortion religious fanatics, anti-women's and gay rights, and anti-ethnic minorities in general. I think that the BBC's opposition to Israel is not so grave a moral error as its support for some of Israel's most seriously felonious attackers.

Given how counterproductive the BBC is when it comes to Israel, one would think that there must be many other places where the BBC perverts journalistic standards. And this book points out a number of them. One interesting program it came up with was called "Sex and the Holy City." No, it's not about Jerusalem, it's about the Vatican, or more precisely, the Catholic Church. There's a chapter about the BBC pro-EU bias. And there is a section on the BBC response to the war in Iraq, as well as one on "the despised tribes." Yes, there are other groups besides the Israelis that the BBC shows special contempt for, including, of course, the Orangemen. And that means giving more support to the politics of the Irish Republican Army. I think it can be argued that in the Middle East and in Northern Ireland, the BBC has worked against peace.

We see in this book just how difficult it is for anyone to get the BBC to apologize for outright misstatements. As Aitken says, "the BBC doesn't feel the need for validation from others; it shrugs off strictures, whether from church, politicians or judge, taking the view that its critics are either mad, bad, or stupid." That appears to be true, and I am one of the many critics who aren't mad, bad, or stupid.

Aitken quotes someone who says that the BBC is not a "mouthpiece for the nation," but "a foghorn bellowing at a nation." But whatever it is, the nation is listening to it. It has a huge TV market share, and most British subjects view it at least occasionally. And it is watched by many folks all over the world. Its bias represents a violation of journalistic standards that is hurting plenty of people.

I recommend this book.

The Beeb's Bias

WSJ Online Journal

By ROBIN AITKEN
June 29, 2007

I experienced a sense of vindication recently when I read that the BBC was about to publish a document admitting a pervasive liberal-left bias in its output. As this was the theme of my recent book, "Can We Trust the BBC?," it seemed I would be able to indulge in a spectacular bout of I-told-you-so-ing. Alas, that brief, heady moment proved premature. For while the report is a careful piece of research, it pulls its punches when it comes to bias within its own News and Current Affairs department -- where it matters most. Richard Tait, chairman of the BBC's "Impartiality Steering Group," point-blank denied that there is any bias in its news output. The Beeb has never been distinguished by a culture of robust self-criticism.

I know this from experience: Toward the end of my 25 years as a BBC reporter I began writing a series of internal memos, first to senior news executives and finally to the BBC's Board of Governors, detailing an entrenched liberal-left bias that seriously undermined the BBC's claim to be an impartial news provider. Referring to well-documented incidents, I posed several questions: Why did we keep hiring established left-wing pundits, but never any journalists with right-wing credentials? Why did we use "right wing" as a yah-boo term to mean "anything we don't like"? Why did we never give U.S. actions the benefit of the doubt -- in contrast to our strenuous efforts to be "fair" to Britain's avowed enemies?

The reaction was a studied indifference from everyone up the command chain. In a way, the BBC's attitude makes sense. The most important asset for any news organization is credibility. It is the mortal fear of "brand contamination" which in the past persuaded BBC executives to keep a lid on any discussion of the organization's failure to live up to its obligations to fairness and impartiality.

And there has been wide-scale failure. On every issue of public policy and political controversy, the BBC's instincts are to side with the progressive, liberal wing of politics.
...

The Beeb's reaction to my own book was telling: Not a single BBC outlet has seen fit to interview me, even though the accusations it contains are serious, detailed and sober. As a publicly funded body, the BBC has a duty to engage with its critics, especially on the vitally important issue of impartiality and overall fairness. Until it does so, it will not be prudent to trust the BBC.

Mr. Aitken's "Can We Trust the BBC?" was published by Continuum this year.

Aitken tells the following story. After a bombing incident in which Prime Minister Thatcher was nearly killed by the IRA he heard this not untypical comment in the BBC newsroom, "Pity they missed the bitch". One remark does not of course make for a picture of a whole newsroom, but Aitken provides plenty of evidence here that the BEEB is indeed less than patriotic, very biased to the Left in promoting its own agenda. For instance its enthusiastic stance for Great Britain joining the European Union, or its very soft non Cold War-ish attitude towards the former Soviet Union prevented it from treating fairly opponents of its views.
As one who has listened to the BBC for years on the Middle East I can attest to its almost total lack of balance and objectivity in relating to the Israeli- Arab conflict. Time and again there are interviews in which the spokesmen for the Arab position would blame everything on Israel, and the spokesman supposedly for Israel would be chosen from the extreme left wing of the Israeli political spectrum and so also blame Israel. The fundamental idea was always that the poor Palestinian Arabs were innocent victims and the Israelis cruel oppressors.
This is what Aitken has to say on this issue.
""My view is that the Palestinians and the Palestinian leadership is the architect of its own misfortune in many ways. Whereas, what comes across from the BBC's presentation of events in Palestine and the Middle East generally, is that in some ways, the Palestinians are a put-upon victim minority, and it's the beastly Israelis who are doing the dirty to them.
"And you know, that is not a fair presentation of the position. Because the Israelis are militarily strong and successful, and the Palestinians aren't, I think the BBC allows that too much to play at its judgment, so that what comes across is too much sympathy, if you will, for the Palestinians, too little appreciation of the rights of Israel, and also too little recognition of the fact that Israel is a functioning democracy in a way that Palestine isn't, and nor is any Arab-dominated Middle Eastern state, and not enough credit is given for that in my view."
But Aitken does not confine himself to the Middle East. He writes about the anti- American of the BBC especially in regard to the current Bush Administration. He discusses the British undermining of the current US-British effort in Iraq.
Aitken contends that an institution which should be defending the values of the free world actually works to undermine them.
This book will certainly not make them happy in London's Bush House but for the many many listeners throughout the world who have been subject to this bias for many years it raises the slim hope that some reconsideration and correction might come in the future from this still major source of news to the world.

With its national TV and radio networks, regional and local stations, the BBC is massively influential in the UK and also worldwide through the BBC World Service, ten international TV networks plus international radio services in more than 40 languages as well as its Internet news site.

Robin Aitken, having spent 25 years at the organization, provides well-documented proof of its leftist bias, chronicles his struggle against this partisanship and puts forth suggestions for reform. Important elements of the BBC's world-view include unquestioning support for the European Union and the United Nations, guilt about Britain's imperial past, and an anti-capitalist, anti-religious (except when it comes to Islam), anti-American and anti-Israel stance.

The first chapter covers the broadcaster's history from its establishment to the radical change that took place in the late 1960s and subsequent developments, whilst in the second Aitken recounts his career history at the BBC. A significant change took place in 1987 when the ideological agenda took an even sharper turn to the left. The concerns he raised about ideological bias were contemptuously dismissed, he was falsely accused and even threatened.

Chapter four provides profiles of the broadcaster's senior management, almost all of whom have long-standing connections with leftwing media like The Guardian and with the Labour Party. The BBC's overwhelming support for the European Union is dissected in chapter five that reveals a record of purges and suppression of anti-EU opinion, including that of Eurosceptics in the Labour Party.

The "despised tribes" of the BBC are discussed next. They are Ulster Protestants, Conservative Christians and the Roman Catholic Church in particular, most Americans and all those that the organization considers to be "right-wing." There was also a strong bias in favour of the IRA while balanced debate on immigration, the Middle East, Islam and other uncomfortable issues are avoided. There is no doubt that the BBC is contributing to the alarming spread of antisemitism worldwide, as also documented in The Resurgence of Anti-Semitism by Bernard Harrison.

Like all leftists, those at the BBC believe that their moral values are superior and not to be questioned. Chapter eight provides detailed evidence of how far they will go to twist, lie and distort in order to mislead the public. More evidence from current and previous employees - in their own words and anonymously - is provided in the following chapter.

Aitken concludes that one cannot trust the BBC, especially not on issues relating to Israel, the Iraq war, the European Union, Ulster, the USA or Islam. See also The Other War by Stephanie Gutmann for an analysis of reporting from the Middle East. He provides proposals for change by suggesting for example the introduction of a wider spectrum of balanced views and the redirection of funds to other broadcast media.

The BBC is a national institution in the UK so complete abolition is not even considered. It is still hard to understand why opposition parties and civil society did not more vigorously oppose the use of taxpayers' money to subsidize a self-perpetuating class of ideologues promoting such one-sided views. More information on this matter is available in What's Left?: How Liberals Lost Their Way by Nick Cohen.

What a pity that broadcast deregulation wasn't thoroughly effected in the 1980s. It's the one important area where Margaret Thatcher did not succeed. If she had, the UK and a significant part of the global public would have been better informed and less brainwashed than they are today. I also recommend Scrap the BBC! by Richard D North, whilst Propaganda by Jacques Ellul remains a classic on how people's attitudes are shaped by the media.

Kim Jonn helped me to understand God's way of rescuing us. It is comforting to know that God wants to carry our burdens and that, in our weakness, we can find strength in Him.

If you are serious about wanting to know how God responds to these struggles of ours, then you will be glad to get this book! Thank you Kim Jonn for a really great read!!!

They search in vain for some shred of hope that will provide a degree of hope and reassurance that their lives are not in vain. Now comes a book, "How God Answers Your 911 Call," that provides this hope, this reassurance. Kim Jonn has done a masterful job of showing the reader that hope and reassurance come from the scriptures; that God's word is the source of security in an otherwise insecure world. Her ability to relate everyday challenges to specific Bible references is both timely and insightful.

I had so many questions left unanswered when it came to understanding salvation...that is until I read this book!
If a lot of what you think about the whole "religion thing" doesn't seem quite right...THEN GET THIS BOOK! It is finally clear!!

I found Dr. Iorg's approach to be refreshing. He addresses key components of successful leadership by examining the need to develop our internal core values, without ignoring the need of external training. I found his use of subtle shifts in focus extremely practical, soundly biblical, and sometimes humbling. A personal favorite was Dr. Iorg's discussion of facing unpleasant circumstances; being able to shift the focus from ourselves, that despairing and unfruitful "Why me?" approach, to the more teachable "Why this?' approach. One subtle little shift that will broaden our perspective from 'our' world to see our Father's Kingdom and His desire to grow us to be like Christ. A simple and practical way to not just persevere in tough times, but even anticipate relational and character development as we allow our Father's purpose in those unpleasant circumstances to take root in our lives. This teaching is a very good read and is a valuable addition to any leader's library.

I must have said to myself a dozen times in reading The Character of Leadership this is so simple yet profound. About the second chapter I quit thinking about how this applied to others and how it applied to me as a Christian leader. There were many places I was convicted and challenged in my own personal Christian walk, BUT NEVER felt defeated. Dr. Iorg motivated me to strive to be a better Christian leader as I continuously examined my life and continue to examine my life. I read the book two times and will pick it up often as I strive to implement the nine qualities Dr. Iorg refers to in the book. A must read.

Jay McSwain

So many "leadership" books basically say the same thing, just with a little "twist" for flavor. This is not one of them. Iorg speaks about the character that forms our values that shapes our leadership style. It doesn't matter how many leadership books you read, or how many leadership principles you attempt to practice, if your character is bent on selfish, self-centered intents, your leadership is destined to fail. If you want to see your leadership traits "reshaped" based on the true essentials of godly character, this is a book you must read!

Every Christian leader needs this book! Wow!
I read it in one sitting--just couldn't put it down. Although Dr. Iorg is definitely an academian, this is much more than just an intellectual thesis. It's power-packed with ministry-enhancing challenges for anyone in Christian leadership. I particularly enjoyed Dr. Iorg's personal illustrations and very practical suggestions for character-building. Buy this one for every Christian leader you love.

Roger Wyer is a genius! His hip style of writing makes this an easy read. Roger not only discusses the problems associated with the drudgery people find in their work, but he offers simple solutions to discovering joy. His doown-to-earth approach makes the reader feel as if he has lived in their shoes. His humorous outlook on life makes this a wonderful book. This book is for the factory line worker as well as the CEO's of Industry. Choose Joy, you won't be disappointed.

I'm looking forward to more books from Mr. Wyer.

Happy people produce more, thats the bottom line. Whether your a sales associate on the brink of collapse due to lack of production as the result of being unhappy, or your a company CEO who needs to breathe some new life into his or her organiztion, this book is for you! This book takes a bottom floor up approach to joy on the job, giving you building blocks, and steps to get back on track. Life is all about choices, why not choose joy?

Choosing Joy At Work: Learn The Process Of Being Happy And Living More Fully by Roger Wyer (consultant, coach, and change agent to small business and nonprofit organizations) is an innovative and practical approach to a happier, more satisfactory working life. Acting as a well-detailed strategy guide for the creation of a more confluent, joyous workplace, Choosing Joy At Work nicely maps Wyer's more then twenty years of experience improving how people labor together in the workplace. Choosing Joy At Work is very strongly recommended for all readers acting as administrators or managers for businesses, but more particularly to anyone facing life with an unsatisfactory perspective of their own working life and workplace environment, searching for an intelligible and pragmatic approach to a better, less compromising and happier working life.

Who can not be FOR joy? Mr. Wyer helps us reconnect back to our birthright. I enjoyed his conversational manner of conveying his thoughts, experiences, principles, etc. - it truly felt like he was sitting with me and chatting. This is a most uplifting and fun read that has repercussions for everyone- not just at work,- and the world. We need to perceive and remember our joy and spread it around; joy is contagious, as the author says. I see this book profoundly affecting all who read it, inspiring them to live more positive, creative, love-filled, and, of course, joyful lives. I look forward to a better world for us all. Thank you, Mr. Wyer!

This resources is packed with insight on advice for every trouble in life imaginable. A collection of the experienced pastor-teacher's insights for other pastors. Baxter lived the life of the servant-pastor and knew what worked and what did not for those God loves so much. He also knew the condition of all men's hearts and spoke to that as well. Everyone interested in Biblical counselling will find this book useful and handy as a reference.

Probally the best book on how to live the Christian life ever written. It is truly Christ inspired. Thats all I have to say. Just Get It!!!!!

Obviously, the most important book for a Christian is the Bible. And the more different versions of the Bible that one possesses, the better. Especially it is important to have highly accurate versions, such as the KJV, the NKJV, the NASB, the RSV (or the NRSV), and Greek-English Interlinears (again, the more of these, the better). Next, it is important to have a concordance, and dictionaries of Greek and Hebrew (and a Webster's dictionary, preferably an old one). The Word of God is the only pure source of faith, so I emphasize having a strong foundation in it.

Next to studying Scripture itself, and following the leading of the Spirit, one should seek the counsel of a good pastor, a wise and holy spiritual guide. Baxter is, from my own experience, an eminently fine choice for a pastor-at-a-distance. Do not let yourself be unnecessarily put-off by his archaic English, because he is actually easy to understand, and with just a little practice in archaic English, it becomes quite easy to understand.

Why do I like Baxter? Because I regard him as both very wise and very holy; he is a very safe pastor to follow, because he is very encouraging, yet he fosters such a healthy fear of sin and judgment, as to effectively frighten me away from sin; and he has such a hatred of sin, and such a love of holiness, as to effectively shame me away from sin; and because he has such a love for God, that he effectively helps me to see the goodness of God, that I may delight in Him also. Baxter is an exceptionally safe choice for a spiritual guide in today's age, because he does not condone sin in any form, as so many modern ministers are guilty of doing (and that without shame and fear). He is uncompromisingly righteous. He is severe, in coming against sin, because he sees the wickedness of it, and the onslaught of destruction that follows in its wake. He is effective because he is so genuine. He believes firmly in what he writes, and so he feels the truth of what he writes, and that conviction comes through compellingly to the reader. He is also effective because he is so persuasive. He leads one on, through reason, and makes the Christian life appear to be the only logical way, in a world of madness. Logic is his primary tool, yet he plies it in a warm, heart-felt way, which is certain to persuade the humble of the perfect reasonableness of the Christian life. He was a man of one book,--the Bible, so he was not excessively attached to any one group of believers, so as to parrot their "orthodox" doctrines, but he was orthodox, in the sense of holding to the primary tenets of the primitive church. Though he was a scholar's scholar, having written an amazing amount of literature, all of which is good, yet he was also a pastor's pastor, because he was also extremely successful at converting and shepherding his flock in Kidderminster.

Though many of his works are very excellent, I think that if you were to read only one, that it should be the first part of "A Christian Directory," which is basically a catechism of Christianity, to lead one to Christ, and then lead one by the hand, to show one how to live a holy life, and safely arrive in heaven. It is a manual of how to effectively live in Christ, and be victorious in all things. I cannot think of anyone safer to lead me, than Richard Baxter. Knowledgeable and devout Calvinists and Arminians alike, and those Christians who are neither, recognize the judiciousness, the sincerity, and the holiness of Baxter, though he cannot be rightly claimed by any single party, any denomination, as being exclusively their own (he actually had many enemies, though he diligently strove for reconciliation among the various religious parties that seemed unconcerned about unnecessarily dividing the church). Though many Christians during the last 333 years have not been in exact agreement with him on all aspects of theology, yet they recognized that he was a master of the way of Christ, and his intensely practical writings have been of great help to them (and me),--to warm my cold heart, to cultivate a right love for God and others, and to hate sin. I believe that if you were to follow the directions in this book, then you would very safely live in this life, and very safely arrive at your desired destination, after this life.

Baxter has an exceptionally clear view of eternity, which to me is such an abstract concept, and difficult to see, because this life, and the things of this world, tend to block my vision, and keep me from appreciating eternal matters; yet for him, it was as if he was continually peering into the vastness of eternity, and had somewhat grasped its importance, which enabled him to see the relative vanity of this "short inch of time," and keep everything in its proper perspective. I attribute this to the fact that he was sickly throughout his life, and was constantly faced with imminent death; he wrote, "I preached, as never sure to preach again, and as a dying man to dying men." No one takes spiritual matters, such as one's relationship with God, and one's probable eternal state, as seriously as a dying man does. No one can so feelingly appreciate the goodness of God and heaven, as well as someone who sees that he is just about to enter into eternity, and no one can see the odiousness of sin, as well as those that see that sin can ruin their chances of gaining heaven, and instead sentence them to eternal misery. Our problem does not generally lie in not knowing the truth, but rather in not truly believing the truth, and therefore in not having the benefit of truly feeling the power of the truth. It is very possible, and very common, to know a truth intellectually, and yet to seldom be mindful of it. Are you so mindful of the transitoriness of this short life, and your soon impending death and judgment, that you can seemingly taste your own mortality, and see yourself clearly, with your mind's eye, standing before the judgment bar of Christ, the holy and just Judge, from whom nothing is hidden, and who is no respecter of persons? Or is this all rather blurry and hazy to you, as your dreams at night usually are, when you are asleep?

Next to Scripture, and aids in understanding Scripture, I recommend this book, A Christian Directory. We cannot always listen to an effective pastor, but we can always read the writings of an effective pastor. Bless yourself, by acquainting yourself with Baxter, and let him become a close friend to you. Such a shame that the book is out of print! You can read this book online, by going to the CCEL website, and downloading it as a PDF document, and saving it to your own computer, for future reference. If you do not have the patience to read through the large first part of the book, Christian Ethics (the most necessary part of the book to know), then it may still be of great use to you, as a reference, because the Table of Contents is extremely detailed. Other books by Baxter that I have read, with much profit: The Saint's Everlasting Rest; A Treatise of Conversion; and, A Treatise of Self-Denial; all excellent. I hope to see you on the other side.

This book contains a staggering amount of information. Baxter begins by leading the person to Christ, and then he teaches him/her how to be an established and strong Christian. Further topics cover how one may profitably use the Sacraments, conduct family worship, educate children, engage in controversy, go to law. There is also a host of questions on matter relating to the church; how to know the true church, what makes a church true, is the Roman Catholic church a true church, etc. Baxter places heavy emphasis on training the mind in sound doctrine. He also recommends the use of catechisms. Perhaps not a book that you would read straight through, but one that you could certainly consult with great benefit. Far superior to anything written today. Delightful reading.

We get this book out every Christmas and share our answers. Sometimes our answers change from year to year so we can continue to use the book for years to come and continue learning about one another, friends, family, children. In fact, I have had people request to borrow it for church lock ins and other family events.

and its really not just for Christmas time. I have grabbed this little volume many times and modified the questions for non-holiday (and also without solely using the 'Christmas' word out of respect for people outside my belief system.

I have used it in parties where I type the questions onto strips of paper and pass around a basket with each person pulling a question and then answering it... it never fails to get people thinking, creating connections with one another and otherwise seeing the holiday in a different light.

I have also used the questions to guide my own inquiry... especially when I (for whatever reason) don't have the desire to ask my own questions...for a busy entrepreneurial writer Mom, sometimes I take all the help I can, even if it means employing a simple book in the process!

Enjoy this one, refer to it regularly.

As a lover of Christmas and all things holiday, I cant recommend this book enough. It is ideal as a coffe table book that can be opened onto any page in no particular order, with questions that can be read at random or one after the other--which usually happens becuase the questions are so much fun. Its delightful to hear friends and family pull from thier memories, their traditions, perceptions, and beliefs about christmas, while you share your own. It is bound to leave you with a happy feeling, and an anticipation for the holiday. This small book accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do--It is a wonderful converstaion piece and I highly recommend it.

I found this book on my mom's coffee table and couldn't put it down. I would say I drove my family crazy, asking one question after another, but they enjoyed it as much as I did!

This book asks questions ranging from silly to serious - and though many of the questions don't ask you to explain your answers, invariably, explanations are offered. It really is a great "conversation piece."