Sample Chapter

About

How do we know if we’re making the best choices possible?

Over the centuries, Christians in different traditions have distilled scriptural guidance into five models for ethical decision-making. Memorable and biblical, profound and practical, these models give us clear questions to ask in every situation. They help us not only to improve our own choices but to better understand the choices of fellow believers—especially when they differ from ours.

Honed over years of teaching and supplemented by discussion questions, the contents of this short book will equip you to think biblically and choose better.

Endorsements

“Much of the literature on ethical systems and models for choice-making are helpful to the academy but leave laypeople scratching their heads as to how to apply them in real life. Not so with Choose Better! This is a fabulous contribution to the field of ethics and an invaluable resource.”

—Evan Lenow, Author, Ethics as Worship

“This book is without equal as an explanation of the God-given tools in Scripture that help people to make good and better choices. I have taught these tools to my congregation, and I have used them when helping people make serious choices. God has used Dr. Gordon to explain these tools in a thoughtful and practical way that should be extremely helpful to thinking Christians everywhere.”

—Stephen Migotsky, Pastor, Jaffrey Presbyterian Church, Jaffrey, New Hampshire

“Provides what every valuable teacher offers: scope. . . . For all who want a ‘knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness,’ I cannot think of a better place to start than this compact little gem.”

—A. Craig Troxel, Professor of Practical Theology, Westminster Seminary California

“My first exposure to Dr. Gordon’s five models was in the late 1990s when he taught the material in adult Sunday School in the church I planted, Amoskeag Presbyterian Church. I was impressed with the biblical breadth of his ethical proposal. The Reformed find an emphasis on the law to be a refreshingly concrete guide to the Christian life—but it is not the only guide. Gordon’s five models capture the nuances of biblical ethics and thus provide a significant aid to Christian pilgrims.”

—Gregory Edward Reynolds, Author; Editor, Ordained Servant

“Professor T. David Gordon is a gifted New Testament scholar and teacher. His new book provides five very helpful concepts that can help the believer to understand and apply biblical teachings in daily living. I am glad to see this book in print and commend it to pastors, seminarians, and church leaders who wish to deepen their knowledge of Christian faith and practice.”

—John Jefferson Davis, Senior Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

“In choosing to read Choose Better, you are making an excellent choice toward growing in both your desire and ability to live well before God and others. Asking better questions leads to discovering better answers, and so the five models in Choose Better bring the whole counsel of God to bear on ethics, leading beyond good decisions to better decisions.”

—Lee F. Veazey, Pastor, Grace and Peace Presbyterian Church, Bellevue, Kentucky

The Author

T. David Gordon

T. David Gordon was professor of religion and Greek at Grove City College for more than twenty years. Previously, he was an associate professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and, for nearly a decade, pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashua, New Hampshire. He is the author of several books and numerous theological articles.

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