Whether you’re a Christian, a sceptic or somewhere in between, you have a nagging sense that Western culture has lost something amid all its progress and change.
We find it hard to know how to talk, be present, apologise, be gentle or hope anymore. These are lost arts, and you’d love to recover them in your life and see more of them in the world at large.
This book explores 10 virtues that are much desired but prove elusive today, showing you how…
Thought-provoking, grounded and hopeful, this book will grow your cultural and spiritual awareness, giving you a vision for a life that matters. You will be changed, and so will your outlook and influence on the world around you.
Introduction: A Sense of Something Lost
Epilogue: The Art of Wondering
A Word from the Author
“Michael Jensen’s The Lost Art of Living Well carries a settled confidence in the power of the gospel and the beauty of the Christian faith. It’s an invitation to the good life—the life found only in the God who made us and, in Christ, redeemed us. Again and again, Jensen starts with the maladies of our culture and the ache of life in a fallen world, then lifts our eyes to something better, so we can finally see what we were made for.”
“Michael Jensen doesn’t dress up Christian apologetics as self-help—he makes the case, openly, for something rarer: why the ‘arts’ we’ve lost, from conversation to presence to happiness, were never self-improvement projects to begin with. Rarer still, he writes like he enjoys the company of people who disagree with him.”
“The internet gurus would have us believe the good life is a few buy-now clicks or courses away. But, as Jensen writes in these pages, the life we’re looking for is not found by distilling and endlessly improving its disparate parts. Rather, it’s that longing for transcendence—for something more than what can be bought or taught—that leads us to the life we actually want, one that consists of genuine conversations, in-person connections, and maybe the sort of community that’s found in not-so-new places, like the church. Writing to a post-Christian Western culture, Jensen gives fresh insights to those of us looking to describe what we’ve found in Christ. And he has fresh hope for those feeling lost yet looking to find the old ways again. A compelling read.”
“There are many voices in Christian publishing that sound a lot alike and only a few that sound very different. Michael Jensen is one of those different voices, and that is exactly what I most appreciate about reading his words, whether in his excellent newsletter or this excellent book. What he does exceptionally well is interpreting contemporary cultural and sociological realities through a theological lens. His concern in this work is the crucial subject of cultivating virtue. Whether you are a Christian or not, you’ll find a lot to ponder and appreciate about the lost art of living well.”
“We’re wealthier, healthier, and living longer than previous generations. Yet somehow we’re lonelier, unhappier, and less content than ever before. What if there’s a better way to live? Michael Jensen’s The Lost Art of Living Well offers us a powerful and convincing counternarrative that shows us how to live not just a good life but a beautiful life.”
“Michael Jensen has written a delightful ‘old book,’ which is high praise. Once upon a time, thinkers as diverse as Plutarch in antiquity and Chesterton in the last century applied their considerable insight to mundane matters of great importance: friendship, virtue, education, and much more. The Lost Art of Living Well achieves something similar for our day. With a beautiful turn of phrase, keen observation and a light smattering of biblical wisdom, Dr Jensen guides us like a good friend, who also happens to be an expert, through the conundrums of our moment: the art of conversation, how to offer an apology, finding substance when everything seems virtual, and so on. Regardless of their views, readers of all kinds will discover here why ‘old books’ can be timeless.”
“Modernity keeps chipping away at the things that once made human life and community worthwhile: friendship, conversation, reading, grieving, presence. In this artful and insightful book, Michael Jensen provides a compelling case for the recovery of such practices. He deftly weaves the case for faith through his narrative, making it that rare kind of book you can read as (or give to) a believer or a sceptic, confident you will find it absorbing and useful.”
“Many of us know that our culture has lost something, but struggle to explain what. In this beautiful book, Michael Jensen helps us navigate our distracted and restless age. With wit and wisdom and a storyteller’s eye, Michael has written a book that helps us discover (or rediscover) what really matters. Whether you’re a Christian, a sceptic, a seeker, or simply somebody wondering, ‘What’s it really all about?’, The Lost Art of Living Well will help you on your spiritual journey.”
“If living well is a lost art, then Michael Jensen can help us find it again. Turns out the secret has been hiding in plain sight, with the God-man killed on the cross and raised on the third day. You don’t need to be an expert in the Bible, history, or culture in order to benefit from this excellent book. Just bring an open mind and a willing heart.”
“A beautifully written book anchored in deep moral clarity. To borrow a phrase of Jensen’s, it’s a lesson in liveable wisdom in the age of information overload. Here is a book that shows how Christian faith remains deeply relevant to living well in an alienating and polarised world.”
"This much-needed book deals with some of the most profound and complex issues that we all must face, from how to forgive, how to die well, and how to have wisdom in an age of information-overload. Jensen manages to do this in a way that carefully and respectfully shows why the Christian faith is at the heart of the way we truly desire, and ought, to live. This is a great book to give to thoughtful friends, whether or not they are Christian."
