A Heart of Civility (Recovering Gentleness and Respect in an Age of Outrage)

Nobody in history has ever been insulted into agreement. – Arthur Brooks

We face a crisis of civility in our culture—and that tragic reality is an opportunity for us to become the peacemakers that Jesus calls us to be.

How can we hold firmly to our convictions and communicate them with compassion and gentleness?

A Heart of Civility explores how we can model an attractive alternative to today’s argument culture through a biblical approach to interpersonal communication. It calls us to be modern peacemakers in these turbulent times. This insightful and timely volume gathers together more than a dozen Christian thought leaders—from Arthur Brooks to George Yancey, from Kyle Strobel to Sean McDowell—to explore ways to disagree with gentleness and respect.

With A Heart of Civility, you will learn how to:

• practice spiritual disciplines to form our own hearts before we argue
• find common ground with those who are hurting
• ground ourselves in the truth, while being gracious to others during conflict
• diagnose the spiritual battles behind our arguments
• identify the sources of our culture’s contempt and anger addiction
• pray honestly about our enemies and ourselves

The book includes a discussion guide for small groups or personal use designed to foster dialogue and conversation about how to recover the lost Christian art of civility.