New Church Life Nov/Dec 2014 | Page 53

    D r. Soni Werner takes this well-known passage from the Gospel of Matthew and uses it to explore the concept of altruism. Looking at examples from her own life, from worldwide efforts, from literature, and from psychological studies, she conveys ideas about applying the ways that Jesus asks us to serve our fellow human beings. Then, using theological insights from Emanuel Swedenborg, she digs even deeper to help us understand ways that we can relieve spiritual hunger, thirst, estrangement, nakedness, sickness and imprisonment, as well as the physical forms of these afflictions. Dr. Werner guides us to see the “many kinds of kindness” that we have to choose from to make the most of this life we have been given. In reaching out to the people around us, we can grow closer to them and closer to God at the same time. As with her other books, Dr. Werner makes Altruism: Many Kinds of Kindness user friendly and visually appealing with her own powerful illustrations. Icons mark the beginning of each section, alerting the reader as to which angle on the topic is being discussed. The paintings in