Review of The Secret Power of Kindness
Posted: 28 Aug 2023, 13:58
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Secret Power of Kindness" by Greg Atkinson.]
The Secret Power of Kindness: 10 Keys to Unlocking Your Capacity to Change the World by Greg Atkinson is a Christian book that calls for Christians to do more to decrease divisiveness in our world. Today, we see more school bullying, shootings, racism, gender inequality, political divides, and other social injustices. The coronavirus pandemic caused many people to live in isolation, fear, and anxiety. In this book, Greg Atkinson demonstrates from a Christian perspective what makes forgiveness, generosity, composure, acceptance, rest, wisdom, empathy, patience, love, and unity the ten keys of kindness that can create a better world for all of us. Read on to learn the answers to the following questions and many more. How can I be kind to Christians who judge everything I do? Can I be kind to my neighbor, whom I detest because they have a different lifestyle and beliefs from mine? How can I forgive and be kind to that person who hurt me or a member of my family?
Greg Atkinson adequately explains the ten keys of kindness with actual life stories and quotes from the Bible, analogies, books, magazines, and Twitter posts. My favorite quote in this book is from Mother Teresa: "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." I appreciate Greg Atkinson's honesty in addressing concerns of hypocrisy and abuse from people who claim to be Christians. One example is that no Christian should be racist because, in the Bible, it is written "that all men and women are created equal, and all bear the image of God." Interestingly, more people became mentally ill after the coronavirus pandemic. The comparison of the societal conflicts we are experiencing today to those before the Civil War was eye-opening. I enjoyed learning how the "power of eights" can help someone get more rest because a grumpy person can't be kind. The footnotes throughout the book provide more information and support the author's beliefs.
Parts of this book made me uncomfortable because I have always considered myself a kind Christian, but as Greg Atkinson pointed out, there are things I can do better regarding kindness. I noted one instance of repetitiveness when the story about the Good Samaritan was told twice: once to demonstrate loving your neighbor and then to demonstrate empathy. However, this was appropriate because of the two different topics.
I disliked nothing about this book except that it triggered my guilty conscience. I only encountered one minor error in this 161-page book, which tells me it was professionally edited. Due to this and all the positive aspects I mentioned, I have no reason not to give this book a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. No part of this book deserves to have any stars deducted.
If you want to learn how to make our world a better place to live with kindness, I recommend this book. However, this Christian book focuses on Christian beliefs and values, which makes it more suitable for Christians. This recommendation does not mean that non-religious individuals would not benefit from or not have an interest in learning about the ten keys of kindness and other material in this book, but they need to be aware of the religious content.
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The Secret Power of Kindness
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Secret Power of Kindness: 10 Keys to Unlocking Your Capacity to Change the World by Greg Atkinson is a Christian book that calls for Christians to do more to decrease divisiveness in our world. Today, we see more school bullying, shootings, racism, gender inequality, political divides, and other social injustices. The coronavirus pandemic caused many people to live in isolation, fear, and anxiety. In this book, Greg Atkinson demonstrates from a Christian perspective what makes forgiveness, generosity, composure, acceptance, rest, wisdom, empathy, patience, love, and unity the ten keys of kindness that can create a better world for all of us. Read on to learn the answers to the following questions and many more. How can I be kind to Christians who judge everything I do? Can I be kind to my neighbor, whom I detest because they have a different lifestyle and beliefs from mine? How can I forgive and be kind to that person who hurt me or a member of my family?
Greg Atkinson adequately explains the ten keys of kindness with actual life stories and quotes from the Bible, analogies, books, magazines, and Twitter posts. My favorite quote in this book is from Mother Teresa: "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." I appreciate Greg Atkinson's honesty in addressing concerns of hypocrisy and abuse from people who claim to be Christians. One example is that no Christian should be racist because, in the Bible, it is written "that all men and women are created equal, and all bear the image of God." Interestingly, more people became mentally ill after the coronavirus pandemic. The comparison of the societal conflicts we are experiencing today to those before the Civil War was eye-opening. I enjoyed learning how the "power of eights" can help someone get more rest because a grumpy person can't be kind. The footnotes throughout the book provide more information and support the author's beliefs.
Parts of this book made me uncomfortable because I have always considered myself a kind Christian, but as Greg Atkinson pointed out, there are things I can do better regarding kindness. I noted one instance of repetitiveness when the story about the Good Samaritan was told twice: once to demonstrate loving your neighbor and then to demonstrate empathy. However, this was appropriate because of the two different topics.
I disliked nothing about this book except that it triggered my guilty conscience. I only encountered one minor error in this 161-page book, which tells me it was professionally edited. Due to this and all the positive aspects I mentioned, I have no reason not to give this book a perfect 5 out of 5 stars. No part of this book deserves to have any stars deducted.
If you want to learn how to make our world a better place to live with kindness, I recommend this book. However, this Christian book focuses on Christian beliefs and values, which makes it more suitable for Christians. This recommendation does not mean that non-religious individuals would not benefit from or not have an interest in learning about the ten keys of kindness and other material in this book, but they need to be aware of the religious content.
******
The Secret Power of Kindness
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon