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This book explores the relation between agape (or Christian charity) and social justice. Timothy Jackson defines agape as the central virtue in Christian ethical thought and action and applies his insights to three concrete issues: political violence, forgiveness, and abortion. Taking his primary cue from the New Testament while drawing extensively from contemporary theology and philosophy, Jackson identifies three features of Christian charity: unconditional commitment to the good of others, equal regard for others' well-being, and passionate service open to self-sacrifice for the sake of others. Charity, prescribed by Jesus for his disciples and named by Saint Paul as the "greatest" theological virtue, is contrasted with various accounts of justice. Jackson argues that agape is not trumped by justice or other goods. Rather, agape precedes justice: without the work of love, society would not produce persons capable of merit, demerit, and contract, the elements of most modern conceptions of justice. Jackson then considers the implications of his ideas for several questions: the nature of God, the relation between Christian love and political violence, the place of forgiveness, and the morality of abortion. Arguing that agapic love is to be construed as a gift of grace as well as a divine commandment, Jackson concludes that love is the "eternal life" that makes temporal existence possible and thus the "first" Christian virtue. Though foremost a contribution to Christian ethics, Jackson's arguments and the issues he takes up will find a broader readership.

A fresh translation of quaestiones from the Summa theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, edited by Robert Miner. This volume provides direct access to the medieval theologian’s deepest thinking about the supreme goal of human life—blessedness—and the virtue most intimately related to this goal—charity. The edition also contains Aquinas’s treatment of charity’s effects—love, joy, peace, and mercy—and the vices opposed to them, such as hatred, envy, and war. Featuring five supplementary essays by noted Aquinas scholars, the volume will enable readers to engage more thoroughly with the thought of Thomas Aquinas. (Publisher).

Charity Means Love lives up to every word of its title, a remarkable call to action for anyone who cares deeply about a cause. It was written with everyone who gives a damn in mind. Each paragraph takes you on a journey that leads to a solution. The pages will cause you to feel the pain described and smell the dust on the floor. When you are done, you'll be ready to pick up a broom and get to work!No matter whether you are just beginning in the world of nonprofit work or you are a veteran service provider, this book will sing to your heart and help you not feel so alone. Masterfully written to highlight every corner of the nonprofit world, Charity Means Love looks to be a unique call to action as our world faces new and unique challenges in the face of the postmodern age.Nathan Monk brings a fresh perspective for how to care in a way that is compassionate, loving, and wise. His first book, Chasing the Mouse, was designed to shine a light on the harsh realities of the daily struggles for those experiencing homelessness and poverty. This bold new book seeks to answer the question of how we can make an impactful difference in how we respond and give in crisis situations.Set within the framework of evaluating all charity work in the confines of the "Love Verse" First Corinthians 13, it poses the challenge to our outreach, asking us to self-examine if we are truly being patient, kind, slow to anger, and keeping no records of wrongs in how we reach out to others in their time of need.This is a manifesto that tells a unifying story: love is the answer to all the questions.

No Love, No Charity: the Success of the 19th child, is the riveting debut book by Paul Lamar Hunter. Though many would consider Paul to be an unlikely candidate to become successful, this thrilling autobiographical account describes how he made it, despite overwhelming odds. As the 19th child of twenty-one, his troubled life traversed the perils of poverty, neglect, dysfunction, and even deaths. Paul describes what it was like growing up in the shadows of a famous yet detached mother whose affections were focused on the homeless shelter that she founded. Though the shelter was supposed to be a haven for the downtrodden, it was actually the breeding ground for dysfunction and despondency. Despite Paul’s misfortunes and failures, his determined spirit and his unshakeable faith lifted him above the fray to become the first in his family to graduate from college. Now moving full-speed ahead, Paul Lamar Hunter is living proof that neither limits nor lineage determine the quality of one’s life—but faith, fortitude, and determination do.

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