Book Review: Giving is the Good Life by Randy Alcorn

Randy is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching principles of God’s Word and assisting the church in ministering to unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled, and unsupported people around the world. His ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthy time, money, possessions, and opportunitites to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity. While previously having been a pastor, his work for several decades has included the writing of more than fifty books in addition to speaking engagements and leading the ministry he founded.

In this book, Randy encapsulates much of the very best from his many books, articles and blog posts while tackling a Western cultural desire to “live the good life.” The difficulty for many is that “even Christ-followers suspect that spending our lives serving God and others might cost us our happiness” (p. 1). His goal in this book is to remind Christians that Jesus “calls us to do something radical: love others by giving away our money and time” for their eternal benefit and our eternal good (p. 3). The rest of the book is his argument, both from Scripture and the Christian experience, how Christians are pursuing the “good life” by showing this radical love.

In the first chapter, he shows that recognizing God’s ownership of everything we possess as Christians will drastically change how we use those resources to help meet physical and spiritual needs (p. 6). Beginning in the first chapter and continuing throughout the book is the author’s compelling case for the vast need in the world. Whether through the alleviation of poverty, meeting nutritional and medical needs, or the clear gospel-priority of reaching the unreached, all of these world-wide needs can be met when Christians give generously and joyously as Jesus commanded.

Early in the book, he makes a compelling argument for why the American dream or consumerism and materialism does not give the “good life” it promises. Among the wealthiest people in the world are contained higher suicide rates, unhappy marriages and higher levels of depression than anywhere else. Clearly, merely having money does not mean you are happy or living the good life – despite what we have been told (pp. 14-28).

Randy shows that only in Christ is there a much better kind of abundance (p. 43). Additionally, he persuades the reader that “loving others” not leaching off others is both part of what we were created for as well as what brings joy to the human frame. He encourages the reader with true stories of Christians who have lived this way, such as John Wesley. Over the course of several years, partially due to book royalties, his income increased 56 pounds annually to 1,400 pounds. Yet, he continued to live off of 30 pounds the entire time. His conviction to live frugally and give the rest to those who need it most, primarily through supporting gospel-centered ministry works, is a distinctly Christian vision. While generous Christians can sometimes face difficulties in life like every other person, Randy shows that you will not find a generous Christian with a gospel-focus in their heart who is chronically unhappy (p. 56).

Perhaps the statement that best captures so much of this book is contained in chapter 5. “It’s amazing but true: the eternal beneficiaries of our giving are not only God and other people. We benefit too. We need to ask ourselves if we’ve been making regular deposits into our accounts in Heaven” (p. 65).

Continuing through the book, the author points out the dangers of being rich (chapter 6), and the importance of eternal investments (chapter 7). He speaks of how important contentment is and how money is a blessing or a curse based on how you use it (chapters 8-9). He also confronts the good and bad news about money and what real wealth looks like according to God who created us (chapters 10-13). Then the adventures of giving and the saving of heavenly treasures are considered along the line of kingdom priorities (chapters 14-16).

Throughout the book are found example after example of those who sought to live out the truths that this book puts forward. Some of these Christian examples of generosity will move the heart and kindle a desire to have this kingdom mindset, but all of these examples will help the reader form a mental picture of the truly “good life”. In one sense, much of the content, the Scriptural arguments and principles contained in the book, have been repeated in other books by Randy Alcorn. What makes this book so helpful is the pictured vision, given through countless examples of Chrsitians who live by such guidelines, showing how this type of life is truly the good type of living. Additionally, the book contains many helpful suggestions and ideas for giving beyond the obvious Biblical instruction for Christians to give to their local church. Whether it is an encouragement to fund a first-time Bible translation for a new language group, reaching the unreached through gospel-preaching missions, or uniquely meeting needs in a given context around the world, the reader will have much food for thought.

This book, while dealing with some difficult topics and confronting the reader in some ways, remains positive in tone throughout. What Randy Alcorn gives us is a compelling vision that the reader immediately wants to act upon. While primarily targeted to the Christian, this book has also been written with a nonChristian audience in mind. The Gospel is woven throughout the book. All readers will come away with a vision of this Gospel-alternative approach to the failed attempts of Western Culture to live the “good life”. This is an excellent book for reading, thought and reflection and would serve as an excellent gift for any reader. It is one of the rare books that will encourage the soul of the reader and move them to action while also inspiring them with many examples.

Randy Alcorn, Giving is the Good Life: The Unexpected Path to Purpose and Joy. Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 2019. 292pp.