Gratitude to God: The Heart of Christian Formation

Why Our Understanding of Gratitude Must Be Reclaimed by Christian Theology

Is gratitude the path to a good life filled with happiness? Modern culture says yes. But what does Scripture say?

Gratitude to God invites us to move beyond pop psychology and reclaim a robustly biblical understanding of thanksgiving, one that transforms how we experience life, suffering, and God's generosity. This book will help you

● reclaim a biblical theology of gratitude rooted in Christian tradition;

● overcome the vices that block gratitude, including resentment, pride, self-loathing, apathy, and distraction;

● grow in spiritual formation through practical methods for cultivating gratitude to God, even in seasons of suffering and lament; and

● experience life--trials and all--as gift and favor from a generous God.

The positive psychology movement promotes gratitude as one of the keys to a good life--a posture that resonates with Christians seeking to live faithfully. But does our modern view of gratitude align with the experience, practice, and goals of gratitude described in Scripture?

Kent Dunnington argues that our understanding of gratitude must be reclaimed by Christian theology if we are to experience our lives as evidence of God's generosity. Recognizing that gratitude to God often feels less natural than gratitude to others, he invites readers to walk with him on his journey to cultivate gratitude, even in seasons of suffering and lament. Along the way, Dunnington traces how cultural understandings of gratitude have shifted and examines the vices that block it.

With a foreword by Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung, this book offers a robust theological and philosophical perspective on gratitude to God--showing why biblical thanksgiving is at the very heart of spiritual growth and formation.