Simon Vibert Online

John Piper Book Reviews

Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist

John Piper
I.V.P. 1986

The central thesis of this book is that our pleasure or delight in God is not a secondary, peripheral issue in the Christian life, but rather it is central.

‘God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him’

is Piper’s life mission statement and the foundation of this book.

Piper starts with the premise that Question One of the Westminster Shorter Catechism should read: ‘Man’s Chief end is to Glorify God by (not ‘and’) enjoying Him forever’. This is the foundation of what he calls ‘Christian Hedonism’. Subsequent chapters of the book work out the implications of ‘Christian Hedonism in the experiences of conversion, worship, love, Scripture, Prayer, Money, Marriage and Missions.

The most contentious claim Piper makes in his book is that Christians should be hedonists. Even when this phrase is couched in the biblical theology which Piper uses (and in the context of the many responses to criticisms of using the phrase that he has received! See Appendix 4), it remains a loaded phrase and at best open to misunderstanding and at worse open to abuse. Ironically the abuse of the concept subtly focusses the believer back on their own pleasure and delight in God rather than on God himself which is precisely what Piper is seeking to avoid!

Despite the comments above this is a provocative book. Particularly challenging is the refutation that our indifference to ‘religious affection’ is a sign of maturity! Being a typical British stoic (!), I have found his writings a breathe of fresh air! Reading his books has lead me to look for intense emotional responses to understanding truth - not just emotional-less intellectual assent.

"For God, praise is the sweet echo of his own excellence in the hearts of his people. For us, praise is the summit of satisfaction that comes from living in fellowship with God." (p.41)