My friend, Ryan, wanted to read through Desiring God a second time to try to digest it more. So he, another buddy, and I starting meeting at Starbucks on Tuesday mornings this past summer to discuss a chapter at a time. I confessed, that at first, I wanted to do it not because of the paper and ink itself but because I wanted to hang out with him and that I should probably read something I wouldn’t normal chose to put time into.Desiring God reads like a thesis paper with a twist of devotional in it. It was semi annoying during the first couple chapters where he kept talking about the book itself and defending his catch-phrase, Christian Hedonism. I guess he’s gotten some slack from it over the years (first publish in '86) but at least the topic is important enough to him to respond to some of the criticism instead of just ignoring it.
It wasn’t until half way through the book [Chapter 6 on Prayer] that I started appreciating whole sections. Before then there had been some really great quotes, mostly from other authors that Piper cited such as Lewis or Edwards (hence the term paper feel). But Piper did a good job in articulating some sacraments like marriage suffering and the common fundamentals of prayer, missions, and money while adding a challenging twist AND supporting it biblically for the most part.
There were some things that the book talked about that I must have read a hundred times in the Bible, but for one reason or another, maybe due to where I am in life right now, they stood out like a neglected thumb. Like Ephesian 5:28: He who loves his wife loves himself. For a guy like me who has identity issues in the sinner/sainthood, those seven words give me a lot to think about; so does the everyone seeks happiness phrase [Pascal].
Then there were other verses that I didn’t even know existed, and had a hard time understanding them at first. The prominent one for me was 1 Corinthians 15:19. Paul writes: If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most pitied. Now the verse and context in itself is heavy enough, but Piper joins it with a contrast that made it weigh on me like a 14 year old fat kid who sits on a 10 year old scrawn as he eats his ice cream. Pipers’ simplified contrast to Paul was this: an abbot was being interviewed and was asked the question “what if you’re wrong and there is no God?” The abbot’s answer was to the effect of “I still would have lived a good and holy life.” BLAM!!! Take me back six years to the food court at the mall sitting with a friend from high school, John Ryan. I’d been an actual Christian for a few months now and wasn’t oppressed about talking about faith yet with unbelievers. John Ryan asked the same question as the interviewer and I had the same response as the abbot. It’s crazy inside when you read something that is you and it is harder to take when you get your butt slapped by it. On the surface this is a good answer I suppose. But Paul’s answer, as Piper goes onto explain, is contradictory. While I say that the life is still honorable, Paul says that we should be pitied. Paul’s Christianity wasn’t a matter of comfort and ease, nor convenience and prosperity, but one of suffering for the Gospel and hoping for the resurrection. Even if I side step the laborious guilt at the door, I still have to deal with how much I actually stand for Christ which means standing against a host of other things including gluttony.
By the end of Desiring God I can recommend it to certain people, but not all. Piper is very “evengelical” some of his stuff might be considered cheese ball or just another pat answer. However there is some real meat in here to chew on - some fundamentals that seem to grow dim with an imbalance of heart and head are revisited. I've already used the book as a reference for small talks and will revisit it I'm sure as an aid to assist myself and others in their desire of holistic spiritual growth.
In Paul's radically different viewpoint I saw an almost unbelievable indictment
of Western Christianity. Am I overstating this? Judge for yourself. How many
Christians do you know that could say, “The lifestyle I have chosen as a Christian would be utterly foolish and pitiable if there is no resurrection”? How many Christians are there who could say, “The suffering I have freely chosen to embrace for Christ would be a pitiable life if there is no resurrection”?[suffering]
What is specifically called for today is a “wartime lifestyle.” I used the phrase “simple nessesities if life” earlier... But this idea of simplicity can be very misleading. I mean it to refer to a style of life that is unencumbered with nonessentials—and the criterion for “essential” should not be primitive “simplicity,” but wartime effectiveness. It is more helpful to think of a wartime lifestyle than a merely simple lifestyle. Simplicity can be very inwardly directed and may benefit no one else. A wartime lifestyle implies that there is a great and worthy cause for which to spend and be spent. [money]
If a minister has light without heat, and entertains his hearers with learned discourses, without a savour of the power of godliness, or any appearance of fervency of spirit, and zeal for God and the good of souls, he may gratify itching ears, and fill the heads of his people with empty notions; but it will not be very likely to reach their souls. And if, on the other hand, he be driven on with a fierce and intemperate zeal, and vehement heat, without light, he will be likely to kindle the like unhallowed flame in his people, and to fire their corrupt passions and affections; but will make them never the better, nor lead the better, nor lead them a step towards heaven, but drive them apace the other way. [Edwards on worship – heat in the heart and light in the mind]
The chief end of man is to glorify God by enjoying Him forever.
1 comment:
that is perhaps my dad's favorite book. he is always seen reading it. i think that i should go look into reading it...........hmmm.....
oh by the by,
thank you very much for the birthday song. it really did make my day much brighter. : )
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