"Desiring God - Meditations of a Christian Hedonist" by John Piper (Kindle Edition)

John Piper presents a most perplexing theology in his book "Desiring God - Meditations of a Christian Hedonist." The book actually contained very little about desiring God, but it did speak a great deal about desires. The entire contention of the book is that all men desire to be happy, and this desire must come from God. So, the ultimate happiness that man may find is in God Himself. God, on the other hand, has created all things to glorify Himself, and He gets the greatest glory when we are happy in Him. That sounds great on the surface. But other statements just struck me as odd. Among them, that no one does a good deed for any other reason than that it will make them happy. (He actually said this, "...the pursuit of pleasure is an essential motive for every good deed." - at location 1933-1934 in the Kindle edition). Does that include a soldier diving on a grenade to save his fellow warriors? How much pleasure was expected in that good deed?

The first issue I had with the book is that the first couple of chapters are really an explanation of Piper's form of Calvinism. Apart from my own disagreements with this view of theology, the chapters were not really necessary. (Actually, nearly ALL of the chapters were too long. Much of the content was not related to the theme or title of the book).

Although the main theme of the book (that man should find his ultimate happiness in God) is fine with me, I was amazed at the way Piper harshly condemned the performance of the Christian disciplines out of the sense of duty. He contends that it leads to legalism (even though telling Christians to pursue their own pleasures can lead to other things, as well). However, he goes on to recommend doing the "duty" anyway, in the case of a Christian who has no joy! (location 5267, Kindle edition) Basically, Piper is caught in a balancing act that is not sustainable.

For one thing, he kept reiterating that we are commanded to delight in the Lord! ("...the pursuit of pleasure is not just tolerable; it is mandatory..." - location 1871-1872, Kindle edition) But this is highly destructive to his own argument. After all, if it is mandatory, then we have a "duty" to pursue pleasure.....but Piper says that it should not be out of a sense of duty... Um...so why the command to do it? If true worship is made void when performed out of duty, why does God keep telling us (and Piper keep reminding us) that we are commanded to seek happiness in worship?

Also, he said at location 2131: "Joy in ministry is a duty." This is astounding in light of his demeaning statements against worship and service out of a sense of "duty"! So, JOY in ministry is a duty, but the ministry itself is not? He condemns the thought of Christian duty, yet says we have a duty to be joyful....

There are other problems I had with the book, not just the Calvinism and the holes in the arguments. But it is not necessary to state them all here. In short, this book was disappointing. I should have realized that I wouldn't like it after reading his chapter on "Christian hedonism" in his book "Brothers, We are Not Professionals" (which is a great book; I highly recommend it for ministry leaders). In "Desiring God," he overstated his Calvinism and understated the serious Biblical and theological problems with his view.

I received this e-book free from the Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.

"Brothers, We are not Professionals" by John Piper

I'm very glad John Piper wrote this book. This is probably one of those ministry-related works that I will re-read often. The author tackled some issues that desperately needed a strong defense from a conservative theological standpoint.
The best way to describe the book is that it is a collection of roughly thirty short articles, each focusing on a different area. The title of each chapter is addressed to fellowservants in the ministry, like the very title of the book.
The topics covered are very broad - everything from baptism to abortion. Piper is a skillful wordsmith, and his arguments are very sound both Biblically and logically. One of my favorite chapters was "Brothers, Sever the Root of Racism." This is a passionate issue for me, and I believe that his chapter should be read from every pulpit - including my own church - at least once a year. Racism is killing our churches and reflecting poorly on the body of Christ and Christian unity.
Another great chapter was on loving our wives. So many pastors and ministers have wives who seem to sit in the shadows of the man's "ministry." Pastors, of all people, should have Christ-honoring relationships with their wives... My former and current pastors both stressed to me the importance of ministering to my wife before ministering to others, and I have tried hard to do so.
But perhaps the greatest chapter - and most convicting - was the chapter on God's glory... How could I have missed the fact that the thing God loves most of all is not people, but His own glory? This was an earth-shattering lesson for me to learn, and I was greatly convicted.
If you are a pastor or minister, you would be greatly blessed, encouraged, and challenged by this great book. It is (so far) the only book by John Piper I have read, but it will not be the last. Highly HIGHLY recommended!