Great Begins
with Good
A Call to Spiritual Renewal
English Edition
Spanish Edition
Read Along Edition
"America was a free country because Americans were a good people. Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot."— Alexis de Tocqueville, as quoted in Great Begins with Good
About the Book
A Nation's character is formed one person at a time.
In the summer of 1776, a group of Americans signed a document that would launch the most remarkable experiment in self-government the world had ever seen. Two hundred and fifty years later, the question Alexis de Tocqueville asked when he arrived in America is still the right question: What makes a free people good enough to stay free?
This book is Dr. Brent Gentzel's answer. Drawing on ten virtues that have shaped America's story — and the real men and women who embodied them — Great Begins with Good is a call to the spiritual renewal that every generation must choose for itself.
It is not a book about politics. It is a book about character. And it begins, as it must, with the conviction that goodness begins where Jesus begins.
Ten Chapters
Ten virtues. Ten witnesses. One story.
Each chapter tells the story of an American who chose to be good when it was hard — and traces that goodness back to its only true source.
Available Now
Three editions, one message.
Great Begins with Good
English Edition
The complete adult edition, with full historical narrative, extended arguments, and deep theological grounding. For individual reading, small groups, and anyone who wants to go further.
Order on AmazonLa Grandeza Empieza con la Bondad
Edición en Español
The complete adult edition in Spanish. Edición Tejana en Español — written for Spanish-speaking readers who want to encounter this call to renewal in their first language.
Ordenar en AmazonGreat Begins with Good
Read Along Edition
Designed to be read aloud and discussed together, one chapter at a time. For families, classrooms, and churches — with discussion questions and a weekly prayer built into every chapter.
Order on AmazonThe Sermon Series
Sundays this summer at FBC Kaufman
The book and the series are designed to go together. Each week, Dr. Gentzel preaches on one of the ten virtues from the book — and families reading along at home encounter the same stories, the same Scriptures, and the same call.
Whether you are reading alone, reading as a family, or following along with the church, the conversation is the same. What does it look like to be a good people in this particular moment?