Customer Reviews

The Dangerous Duty of Delight: Daring to Make God Your Greatest Desire (LifeChange Books)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This condensed version of Desiring God is Piper-lite. It's the essence of Christian Hedonism without the more intricate exegesis of Scripture and the fuller, lengthier illustrations from history. It serves as a good introduction to Piper's writings and/or as a good book for a new believer who is not used to heavier reading.

Readers should not stop here, however. This book is like the shallow water on the shore of Christian Hedonism, whereas Desiring God, The Pleasures of God, and Future Grace plummet the depths. So, if this book grips you, move on to the meatier version.

Unlike some of Piper's critics, I do not find him proof-texting Scripture (its more like the critics are proof-texting Piper). There is absolutely no relish in Piper for emotion-driven worship abstracted from a life of reflection or holiness. What Piper aims for, rather, is to free Christians from the silly notion that it is wrong to pursue pleasure in the All-Satisfying God. That would be like saying it is wrong for me to take my wife out to dinner because it makes me happy to be with her. How in the world could my pleasure in the person of my wife (not what she does, but who she is) fail to honor her? It is the same with God. When we worship Him without any emotional counterpart, we fall under the indictment of Jesus: "these people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." As Piper says, "where feelings for God are dead, worship is dead."

Finally, a comment on why the duty of delight is dangerous . . . It is dangerous, because it compels us to sell all for the treasure of Christ and count everything as rubbish for the surpassing value of knowing Christ and embrace suffering as a means of multiplying the joy of knowing Christ in the lives of others. It is this element in Piper that sets him apart from the rest. For Piper, joy is that which compels us to live a life of radical sacrifice in the service of God and others.

I highly recommend this book. It is one of the better "small books . . . big change" books out there. Just don't stop here. That would be like settling for an appetizer before dinner. There are several courses to the meal Piper prepares that you don't want to miss!

The Dangerous Duty of Delight is a condensed version, a distillation (if you will), of John Piper's classic book Desiring God. I read Desiring God while studying in seminary. I must admit, it did not really convince me of his claim that every Christian should be a Christian Hedonist. I do not disagree with Piper on this point. However, his attention to detail was, I felt, too great in Desiring God. He lost me in the minutia of his arguments.

This brings me to the tiny little book with big impact - The Dangerous Duty of Delight. If you will pardon the pun, this book is de-light version of Desiring God. I found this book very readable, very agreeable, and very clear. You get the great thinking of Piper without the minutia. What could be better?

Piper lays out his thinking on Christian Hedonism - the belief that every Christian should live for the fullest experience of pleasure possible (which is only found in living a life fully pleasing to God). He is fond of the notion that our fault is not in seeking pleasure, but that we settle for being too easily pleased, thereby missing the depths of true pleasure that await us in deeply experiencing God. After laying out the initial thoughts of Christian Hedonism, Piper applies the idea to four areas of life.

I will confess to the reader of this review that I am not Piper's biggest fan. I usually read Piper to keep me on my toes. His strong and persuasive Calvinism (largely absent from this book) has not convinced me that Calvinism presents the complete and true teaching of the Bible. However, reading authors with whom I disagree keeps me sharp. That being said, I would recommend The Dangerous Duty of Delight to every reader. Not because I am a fan of Piper, but because it is a wonderful, concise and understandable presentation of the truth that every Christian should pursue deepest fulfillment found only through deeply following God's instruction in the Bible.

The reason I give five stars for this book is because I think it accomplishes what it sets out to do; namely, put Desiring God in a nutshell. This is very useful for exposing people to the crucial concept of Christian Hedonism. On the other hand, I give it four stars because those looking for deep end-notes and greater clarity will be found wanting. However, since this is meant to be an introduction, or a highlight, it does exactly that and merits five stars.

I had read Desiring God (twice), The Pleasures of God, and Future Grace, and the Holy Spirit has changed my affections to come to love how our delight and satisfaction in God spills over into wanting to share this joy with others. If you are like me, you too have longed with a great desire to share this passion with others. Handing someone Desiring God can initially be very intimidating. With this book, however, I was able to read the basic message of Desiring God to my family while on vacation in a car in under two hours. My mother said, "Now I really want to read Desiring God!" If your desire is to spread the gospel of the all-satisfying Christ, this book is both economical on you and easy-to-read for most anyone (though I'd venture to say: it does not involve light *thinking*).

In other words, if your heart's desire is like that of Psalm 34:3, which says "O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together," then grab this book by the dozens and be a channel of His glory.

Hey, I'l admit it, anything Pastor Piper writes is going to get some serious star action from me. Frankly he deserves it. He's been writing eloquently on some of the most important topics in the universe. Don't let the Jabez-like cover fool you. Piper isn't focusing on one small verse in scripture. He's giving us the meat of Christianity: Hedonism. That's right, pure and unadulturated pleasure. Piper defends it Biblically and shows us why it is the only life that can be truly glorifying to God. In the book, Piper shows the application of this doctrine in four areas: worship, money, missions, and marriage. This book is perfect for those who are little afraid of the bulky intellectual mass known as Desiring God.

from the back cover:

Jesus is Not Safe, but He is SATISFYING!

Each of us has a restlessness, an inconsolable longing within. Some try to satisfy it with scenic vacations, creative accomplishments, huge cinematic productions, sexual exploits, sports extravaganzas, hallucinogenic drugs, ascetic rigors, managerial excellence, and more.

Yet our longing remains.

Why?

John Piper turns your heart toward the one true Object of human desire - God.

He shows how fulfilling your duty to delight in Him can change your attitude toward worship, toward marriage, toward material goods, toward your very mission and purpose on earth! Join him on a journey from desperate desire to infinite delight!

'Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.' --Saint Augustine

In our world, where we are falling in love with shadows and neglecting the sun [Son] Piper comes to us with a timely word of hope; i.e, Turn and look to Christ for the ultimate fulfilment of your soul. If we are all honest with ourselves, the fleeting pleasures of this world are at best that--fleeting. The only lasting, and in the final anaylsis, real joy lay in being satisfied in all that God is for us in Jesus. Dare to read this book and come away with a changed perspective and a refreshed spirit.

"For Thou hast creates us for Yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee" Saint Augustine.

How often do you read something that changes your life? We think we have a handle on God and life then along comes a book that removes the scales from our eyes and forces us to see God more clearly. Our lives can never be the same again.
The Dangerous Duty of Delight by John Piper is a book that has the potential to change the way you think about God, the way you see Him in Scripture, and the way you live your life. Don't expect a formula, and don't expect your ears to be tickled. Beware! The word "dangerous" is certainly appropriate for you may lose your life in reading this book. The good news is, the life you gain is a life of genuine pleasure and ultimate purpose.

This book got better as I read. I love any book that challenges me to live by a higher, more godly standard, and this one did.

from the back cover:

Jesus is Not Safe, but He is SATISFYING!

Each of us has a restlessness, an inconsolable longing within. Some try to satisfy it with scenic vacations, creative accomplishments, huge cinematic productions, sexual exploits, sports extravaganzas, hallucinogenic drugs, ascetic rigors, managerial excellence, and more.

Yet our longing remains.

Why?

John Piper turns your heart toward the one true Object of human desire - God.

He shows how fulfilling your duty to delight in Him can change your attitude toward worship, toward marriage, toward material goods, toward your very mission and purpose on earth! Join him on a journey from desperate desire to infinite delight!

'Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.' --Saint Augustine

This is vintage Piper. It serves as a condensed introduction to his larger work: Desiring God. By-in-large, the book is quite good. As always, Piper teaches through Scripture some very profound Biblical truths. He is not quite clear at a few places in explaining things, and a couple of the chapters are rather short and offer little. Overall, the work is good, and is a nice primer for Desiring God.