Kindness is not what we have been taught it is. It isn’t a soft virtue, expressed only by sweet grandmothers or nice Boy Scouts. Kindness is neither timid nor frail. Instead, it is brave and daring, willing to be vulnerable with those with whom we disagree. It is the revolutionary way that Jesus himself called us to live. The way of selfless risks. The way of staggering hope. The way of authenticity. Dr. Barry Corey, president of Biola University, believes we tend to devalue the importance of kindness, opting instead for caustic expressions of certainty that push people away. We forget that the essence of what God requires of us is to “love kindness.” In this book, filled with stories from his travels around the globe, Barry shows us the forgotten way of kindness. It is a life that calls us to put ourselves at risk. A life that calls us to hope. A life of a firm center and soft edges. It is the life Christ invites us to follow, no matter what the cost. "A warm, humane, funny but pungent book. Corey takes the reader into the real, day-to-day stuff of living and reflects on the practice of Christian kindness in the midst of all of this. He does so with poignant honesty and with real insight. Don't read this book if you don't want to be moved." - David F. Wells , Distinguished Research Professor, Gordon-Conwell Theological seminary "A thought-provoking, heart-stirring challenge to consider kindness as a barometer of a grace-shaped life." - Alistair Begg , radio host and pastor on Truth for Life "Having spent my career working in the media, I am convinced that one of the biggest reasons Christians are marginalized in our culture is the perception that we're bullies, trying to push our agenda on nonbelievers. That's why this could not be a better time for Dr. Barry Corey's new book, Love Kindness . This is more than a book. It's a strategy for transforming culture." - Phil Cooke , filmmaker, media consultant, and author of Unique: Telling Your Story in the Age of Brands and Social Media "We evangelicals need this book. And the folks who see us as mean-spirited people need it too--to get a good picture of biblical fidelity at its best. Barry Corey makes the case for kindness with clarity and courage. In this book he has both inspired me and taught me!" - Richard J. Mouw , PhD, president emeritus and Professor of Faith and Public Life, Fuller Theological Seminary "Niceness is quiet and passive, often to the demise of a person and of a culture. But kindness is courageous and truthful because of love. It will trade its own popularity to seek the highest good of others. In his life, in his face and voice, in his university, and in this good book, Barry Corey shows us the way of kindness. He leads." - Kelly Monroe Kullberg , author of Finding God Beyond Harvard: The Quest for Veritas "My friend Dr. Barry Corey has written an insightful and empowering book illustrating how kindness is a key that can unlock many closed doors. Everyone can and should strive to be kinder than we are. It's a fruit of the Spirit that requires deliberate effort to cultivate, but the results can be transformational." - Jim Daly , president of Focus on the Family Love Kindness Discover the Power of a Forgotten Christian Virtue By Barry H. Corey Tyndale House Publishers Copyright © 2016 Barry H. Corey All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4964-1196-9 Contents Introduction, xi, CHAPTER 1 A Father's Profound Lesson: The Way of Kindness Calls Us to Be Receivable, 1, CHAPTER 2 A New Job, a Road Trip, a Father and Son: The Way of Kindness Is Messy, 11, CHAPTER 3 The Security Officer on Day One: The Way of Kindness Looks like Humility, 35, CHAPTER 4 The Gay Conversation in Dhaka: The Way of Kindness When We Disagree, 53, CHAPTER 5 Unsuitably Intolerant: The Way of Kindness Often Takes Time, 75, CHAPTER 6 A Song for the Bereaved: The Way of Kindness Is the Power of Presence, 91, CHAPTER 7 "But Leah Had Weak Eyes": The Way of Kindness Sees Beauty in Ashes, 103, CHAPTER 8 The Religious Man in Seat 29E: Hypocrisy Spoils the Way of Kindness, 121, CHAPTER 9 The Fiddler and the German Boy in Waiting Room A: The Way of Kindness Mentors, 135, CHAPTER 10 Nehemiah and the Banquet: The Way of Kindness Comes with a Hot Meal, 157, CHAPTER 11 The Little League Game Gone Wrong: The Way of Kindness Is Sometimes Rejected, 173, CHAPTER 12 My Patron Saint of Kindness: The Way of Kindness Is Often Awkward but Always Right, 187, CHAPTER 13 The Kindness Experiment: Seven Thoughts on Softening Our Edges, 195, Conclusion, 223, Gratitude, 229, Notes, 233, About the Author, 235, CHAPTER 1 A FATHER'S PROFOUND LESSON: THE WAY OF KINDNESS CALLS US TO BE RECEIVABLE * * * Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. — MATTHEW 10:40, ESV For my father's final days, we checked him into a Boston hospice center, referring to it as "palliative care" to mask the gravity of his last home. It w