Designed for Good

Kevin J. Brown s Designed for Good is a study of classical virtue

ethics from a Christian perspective. This book shows Christians

that their faith contains resources to help them recover the

idea of virtue in the face of our modern moral bewilderment.

Although we may not realize it, we live in a world that is full of

competing ethical systems. Appeals to rights, personal freedom,

or even equality often come with their own meta-values. Each

of these values has something in common with the Christian

message, but none of them tells the whole story.

In this Christian take on classical virtue ethics, Brown weaves in

modern-day examples from economics, politics, and pop culture

to create a relevant framework that relates faith to contemporary

ethical questions. Brown argues that true virtue the kind we can

actually strive for in our day-to-day lives requires a holistic vision

of the good life, not a list of rules determined by our preferences

or the latest market trends. Instead, it is precisely what we were

designed for by our Creator: life in the community of Christ s body,

the church. Virtue then becomes the pursuit of wholeness in

harmony with God s design.

Brown introduces the problem of modern ethics and analyzes

common meta-values that readers will likely have encountered in

their workplaces, schools, and possibly even churches. Readers will

especially resonate with the second half of the book, where Brown

outlines the foundations of the holistic, Christian concept of virtue:

to act justly, and love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.

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