Gilbert Meilaender holds the Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Chair in Christian Ethics at Valparaiso University, Indiana. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Christian Ethics, as an Associate Editor of Religious Studies Review, and as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Religious Ethics. He is also a Fellow of the Hastings Center and was a member of the President's Council on Bioethics from 2002 to 2009. He is a Distinguished Fellow with The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity. He is the author of Friendship: A Study in Theological Ethics (Notre Dame Press, 1981), The Theory and Practice of Virtue (Notre Dame Press, 1984), and Faith and Faithfulness: Basic Themes in Christian Ethics (Notre Dame Press, 1991). Meilaender has been a member of the President's Council on Bioethics since its inception in January 2002.

"A superb theological essay addressing the nature and goodness of the particular love of friends." —The Christian Century"Creative and suggestive . . . the quality of analysis of the issues treated make this small volume well worth attention." —Journal of Religious Ethics"A welcome addition to the literature of theological ethics." —Theological Studies"A worthy juxtaposition of ancient and modern ideas about both friendship and Christian love." —Ethics"Provocative . . . Meilaender makes use of some of the best pagan and Christian reflection on friendship in order to illustrate the persistent tensions between philia and agape." —Journal of Religion