All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment
Winner of the 2018 TGC Book Award for Christian Living
“And God saw that it was good…”
Look out over the world today, it seems a far cry from God’s original declaration. Pain, conflict, and uncertainty dominate the headlines. Our daily lives are noisy and chaotic—filled with too much information and too little wisdom. No wonder we often find it easier to retreat into safe spaces, hunker down in likeminded tribes, and just do our best to survive life.
But what if God wants you to do more than simply survive? What if he wants you to thrive in this world, and be part of its redemption? What if you could rediscover the beauty and goodness God established in the beginning?
By learning the lost art of discernment, you can. Discernment is more than simply avoiding bad things; discernment actually frees you to navigate the world with confidence and joy by teaching you how to recognize and choose good things. When you learn discernment and develop a taste for all that’s good, you will encounter God in remarkable new ways. Come, discover the God who not only made all things, but who will also make all things good once again.
From the Back Cover
ARE YOU PURSUING WHAT’S SAFE…
OR WHAT’S GOOD?
One glance at the headlines will tell you that the world is a dangerous, confusing place. Forget the headlines—just look at your social media feed. From global tragedies to interpersonal conflict, it can feel like the only choice you have left is to hunker down and do your best to survive.
But what if God wants more for you in this life than survival? Better yet, what if He has a plan to restore the goodness of the world? What if you’re part of that plan?
In All That’s Good, Hannah Anderson invites you to embrace discernment as part of God’s larger work of redemption. By learning to see the world as He sees it—in all its brokenness and beauty—you’ll learn how to navigate it with hope and confidence. And when you learn to pursue whatever is true and lovely and pure and just, you’ll find yourself changed.
So come, join in this journey to wisdom. Come, find the freedom of discernment. Come, discover all that’s good.
Top Highlights
“Because here is the crux of the matter: the goal of discernment is not to simply avoid the evil in this life; it is to learn what is good so that we might embrace and enjoy it.” (source)
“Discernment does not overlook the brokenness of the world. It does not deny its need of redemption. It does not excuse sinfulness, live in a false reality, or pretend that a damaged statue is just as good as a carefully preserved one. What discernment does is equip us to see the true nature of the world and of ourselves—both the good and the bad. Discernment helps us see the world for what it was made to be and believe that God is powerful enough to restore it to its intended purpose. That somehow we are part of that process. That somehow we will be restored ourselves.” (source)
“Because here is the difficult truth: there are no shortcuts to skill and expertise. The ability to produce” (source)
“‘When we do not know, or when we do not know enough, we tend always to substitute emotions for thoughts.’7” (source)
“While He’s busy in the world around us, He’s also busy in the world within us. As certainly as He has a plan to restore the beauty and goodness of His creation, He has a plan to restore our ability to see and to know it. As the apostle Paul writes in Romans 12:2, He is busy transforming you, renewing your mind ‘so that you may discern what is [His] good, pleasing, and perfect will.’” (source)
Praise for All That’s Good
“When the topic of discernment arises, I get nervous. Maybe you do, too. Many of us have been on the receiving end of the well-intended comments of others, offered in the name of godly discernment. With the Bible as her steady guide, Hannah Anderson points us toward good definitions and good practices to help us obey the command to be people who know how to discern rightly. I’m so grateful for this clarifying book.”
—JEN WILKIN
Author and Bible teacher
“Few authors capture the nuances of Christian wisdom and avoid reducing it to the “do’s and don’ts of life” or “the five steps to sound decision-making.” Yet in All That’s Good, Hannah Anderson skillfully captures wisdom’s many sides, delivering a thoughtful, informed, and accessible approach to the art of discernment for all Christians. By grounding her approach in God’s good creation, Anderson calls readers to reconsider how God is at work in His world, how we experience the world around us, and especially how we think as we journey through life with God. For all who desire to cultivate virtue and grow in wisdom and discernment, move All That’s Good to the top of your reading list. As both professor and pastor, I strongly recommend it. ”
—BENJAMIN T. QUINN
Assistant Prof., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Pastor, Holly Grove Baptist Church
“All That's Good urges us to grow in true discernment by developing a taste for God’s goodness. Weaving nostalgic storytelling with wisdom and soul, Hannah beckons us to deep, biblical thinking. Readers will walk away looking for God’s pure, lovely, redemptive, restoring character in the world around them. This is a timely book on an always relevant topic. ”
—EMILY JENSEN AND LAURA WIFLER
Cofounders of Risen Motherhood
“All That's Good has arrived at just the right moment. In an age of tribalism and “fake news,” it’s more important than ever that Christians develop their discernment skills in order to follow Christ well in spite of the challenges of our current cultural moment. Hannah illuminates eternal truths in an accessible manner that all Christians will walk away from this book with tools to navigate this present age as better neighbors, citizens, and disciples.”
—KATHRYN FREEMAN
Director of Public Policy, Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission
“Once again, Hannah Anderson has written a book that not only points readers toward the good, the true, and the beautiful, but is all of these things as well. This book recovers life-giving, joy-generating applications of the Christian faith that have been lost for generations to the spirits of fear and enmity that have come to define the relationship of many believers to God’s good world. Anderson’s reminder to “taste and see” the goodness of God all around us is a welcome invitation for us all.”
—KAREN SWALLOW PRIOR
Author of On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life through Great Books and Fierce Convictions: The Extraordinary Life of Hannah More—Poet, Reformer, Abolitionist
“Hannah Anderson has long been a source of wisdom and insight into the spiritual nature of the public and the public nature of the spiritual. She captures the truth about things we all see, but can hardly explain. In All That’s Good, Hannah does it again, refusing the false public/private dichotomy that starves our public life and splits our souls in half. Reading this book will help you bring your whole self to the public, discerning what is good and what is not, and partnering with God to see His goodness become even more realized in the world. What a soul-nourishing read Hannah has provided for us in these pages.”
—MICHAEL WEAR
Author of Reclaiming Hope: Lessons Learned in the Obama White House About the Future of Faith in America
“I’ve always seen discernment as a basically negative thing: make sure you don’t embrace something bad. Hannah Anderson has convinced me that it is a positive thing: make sure you do embrace what is good. This book, like the biblical text it centers on, is good, true, honorable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Buy it, read it, and think about such things!”
—ANDREW WILSON
Teaching Pastor at King’s Church London
“Hannah Anderson presents a beautiful and needed guide for finding the good that’s often hidden within the world’s brokenness. In All That’s Good, Hannah’s signature storytelling revives the lost art of discernment and inspires us to hunt for His goodness in all the nooks and crannies of life. From family relations to community involvement to political discourse, All That’s Good trains us to sort through the constant barrage of information and opinion, so we can assess what’s good from what’s not. Rather than telling us WHAT to think, Hannah teaches us HOW to think—and with that skill, we are able to fully embrace the goodness of this life.”
—ERIN STRAZA
Author of Comfort Detox
Managing Editor of Christ and Pop Culture
Product Details
- Title : All That's Good: Recovering the Lost Art of Discernment
- Author: Anderson, Hannah
- Publisher: Moody Publishers
- Publication Date: 2018
- ISBN: 9780802497369