If we have a particle of sense, St. Augustine said, we realize that we all want to be happy. What's more, God actually designed human beings to crave and seek happiness. Why, then, is th
If we have a particle of sense, St. Augustine said, we realize that we all want to be happy. What's more, God actually designed human beings to crave and seek happiness. Why, then, is there so much unhappiness in the world? According to David Naugle, it's because, in our desperate quest, we're looking in the wrong places.
Reordered Love, Reordered Lives explores a distinctly Augustinian theme that is supremely relevant for the twenty-first century. Naugle explains that if we love properly -- that is, if we love beginning with God and progressing to other humans, ourselves, and the world around us -- we will also liveproperly and, in so doing, will find our own true happiness. Packed with select quotes and references to popular music, literature, and other media -- and including provocative questions for discussion -- the book presents classic theological ideas in a conversational and edgy fashion. Naugle's refreshing take is sure to appeal to anyone searching for happiness -- which, in the end, is all of us.
Charles Colson
-Founder of Prison Fellowship
'David Naugle, an outstanding scholar and writer, has tackled one of the most misunderstood words in American life: happiness. When Jefferson included that in the Declaration of Independence, he had in mind the classical definition of a virtuous life. Today we understand happiness only in the crassest materialistic sense. Naugle has written a very important and challenging book on a crucial question - what makes the good life. I can highly recommend it."
Publishers Weekly
"Human beings are constantly searching for happiness, but too often seek it from insufficient and disappointing sources. This is the message that Naugle, professor of philosophy at Dallas Baptist University, eloquently presents. He argues that human beings have always searched for happiness, but come up empty most of the time because we cling to things of the created world rather than to the Creator. His prose is engaging, peppered with intriguing quotes from pop culture books, music and movies that propel his exposition along. The author's discussion of virtues is particularly compelling, and his presentation breathes new life into this topic. Many Christians will enjoy this book and be renewed in their quest for true happiness."
John D. Witvliet
-Calvin College and Calvin Theological Seminary
"David Naugle writes as a philosopher, master teacher, and child of God. He draws on a wide range of classic Christian texts and crystallizes this countercultural wisdom about a virtuous and happy life for students of all ages. His candid discussion of the disordered human condition is particularly crucial for explaining just how dramatic and transformative the gospel really is."
Steven Garber
-director of The Washington Institute for Faith, Vocation, and Culture
"For many years now I have offered to any who need to know that I regard David Naugle as one of the most gifted professors in America. Perennially his students learn to think and care about the most important things - remarkably so, in fact. Reordered Love, Reordered Lives allows shoulder, and through his heart,' listening in on the unusual pedagogy that is uniquely his. Amazingly wise, incredibly well-read, he is always attentive to what matters most, and his book should find its way into hearts and minds, courses and colleges, far and wide."
View Review quote
