Happiness

Alcorn (Heaven), director of Eternal Perspective Ministries, serves as a guide on the road toward true happiness and fulfillment in this hefty but appealing tome. He examines the life of Jesus for clues regarding how to lead a truly happy life. Transcending oneself to serve others plays a key role in his version of obtaining happiness, but Alcorn refreshingly wants to shift the focus of religion away from pure duty and obligation. Christians should observe the gospel through the happiness of their lives, he explains, not just the deeds they accomplish or the acts they avoid. One step in this direction is to eradicate the myth perpetrated by many Christians that emotion is bad. Alcorn attempts to diminish the divide between sacred and secular that's found in certain strains of Christianity. His approach is progressive in many ways, but when discussing marriage and homosexuality, Alcorn checks in as a traditionally conservative Christian. Still, Christian readers of all kinds may find that happiness is not as elusive as they once thought. (Oct.)