Desiring God (Audio-book Review)

Audio-books are an excellent gift, as they can be listened to and enjoyed many times and places reading cannot. I bought this as a wedding gift for a dear friend and his new bride. To be honest I don't read as much as I should, but I am always listening. The narrator is supurb and strangely delightful to hear.

John Piper is without a doubt one of the most influential authors and speakers in the Evangelical Church today, and a man to whom I owe a great debt of thanks. When I read a book for the first time, especially theological works, I try to keep my guard up against letting a book "get to me" or affect me in any real meaningful way without time to ponder and pray before discussion and review. Desiring God broke down all my defenses and had me on my knees before I knew what hit me! It took all my will to finish it completely I was so eager to read it again. This book has restored true joy and fulfillment in my life and relationship with my Lord and Savior. Piper sees clearly that the majority of Christians today are "too content" with their relationship to God and that their real longing and desires (where their "joy" is found) are misplaced in the lusts of the world. Piper's book, Desiring God, has brought a new light to my understanding of who our Triune God really is, the source and overflowing fountain of true desire and joy He has in Himself. To desire what God desires is to find true happiness in this life and the next eternal (and THAT is not evil). Read it at least twice.

Piper's book was shallow, repetitive, and not useful. He also has a painfully bad writing style that was tiring to wade through. He advocates disturbing things like wives always being submissive to their husbands. He warns wives not to be "cocky" in their behavior to their husbands. Repellent, ugly stuff.

Such a great book. My only complain is that it can get a little repetitive. The last few chapters are EXCELLENT! I hope that you can at least read the last few chapters, if not the whole book. Worth the money. Very moving and very biblical. A way at looking at things your might now expect, but you will wonder why the thought had never crossed your mind before, haha.

Enjoy!

If your looking to understand your relationship with God you have to read this book.

~Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist~ is the book that started it all. Christian minister John Piper offers a profoundly controversial teaching of 'Christian Hedonism' popular in some evangelical circles, particularly amongst Reformed Protestants. The teaching of Christian Hedonism was first advanced in this book.

What might you ask is a 'Christian Hedonist'? 'Christian Hedonism' at its core sounds contradictory. Piper has stated that such a provocative appellation is "appropriate for a philosophy that has a life changing effect on its adherents." Piper notes: "Christian Hedonism is a liberating and devastating doctrine. It teaches that the value of God shines more brightly in the soul that finds deepest satisfaction in him. Therefore it is liberating because it endorses our inborn desire for joy. And it is devastating because it reveals that no one desires God with the passion he demands. Paradoxically, many people experience both of these truths. That certainly is my own experience (p. 13)."

Piper underscored the message of his works with a theme that the Puritan minister Jonathan Edwards was adamant about: "God is most satisfied in us, when we are most satisfied in Him." Piper elucidates, "This is the essence of what it means to love God -- to be satisfied in him. In him! Loving God may include obeying all his commands; it may include believing all his Word; it may include thanking him for all his gifts; but the essence of loving God is enjoying all he is" (p. 24).

For the philosophically minded, it is worthy of notation that this book was born out of a subliminal opposition to philosopher Immanuel Kant's deontology. Kant suggested: "An action is moral only if one has no desire to perform it, but performs it out of a sense of duty and derives no benefit from it of any sort." Piper is adamant that Scriptures contradict this assertion. Actions can indeed be moral when a Christian pursues them for spiritual gain. It's a heartfelt expression of faith to covet spiritual treasures in Heaven, and seek them as a humble servant. And through faith, walking in the footsteps of God, men can and should strive for spiritual treasures, and Crowns of Righteousness in light of the promises of God. How can we accrue eternal rewards? By obeying God, being ambassadors for Christ, striving to labor for His kingdom, taking pleasure in that work, and being diligent in our appointed station in life as servants of God. In doing so, we are laying hold of 'Future Grace,' which is a subject of another Piper book that later capstoned his 'Desiring God' trilogy.

This review has Dr. Piper's "Desiring God" book in mind, but I am spreading this post around for those who, like me, feel uneasy with Dr. Piper's main point. I am restricting my review to that because--from what I can tell--it has become central to his whole outlook on God and life. It appears to have metastasized into almost all his writings. He spoke at a plenary session of our denomination and if I remember correctly he said something like, "this is my theology." Here it is:

"What is the chief end of man? To glorify God BY enjoying Him forever." And, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him."

Dr. Piper teaches that this is the supreme testimony of Scripture regarding glorifying God. He would have us adopt it as the highest priority in our lives. He is saying, in effect, God being glorified in us ultimately rests on whether or not this is happening.

I read this years ago and the more I have thought about it in the light of the life of Christ the more uneasy I have become. But it has taken me years to find words for my uneasiness. Here is my best attempt so far.

My question has been, What does Jesus Himself have to say about glorifying God? Or, more specifically, did He say anything about HOW He personally glorified God? If Dr. Piper's theme is, in truth, at the heart of glorifying God on earth, then we can be sure Jesus certainly would have spoken to it. I cannot believe that He would have left the question open on a matter of such transcendent importance.

What did Jesus say about how He brought glory to God on earth? One reference emerged in my study. He said, in His High Priestly prayer: "I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." John 17:4, niv. (If I missed a passage please point it out in the comments. I welcome correction.)

Do you read anything in those statements to the effect that the Son of God glorified God primarily through enjoying Him or through being satisfied in God? I have no doubt that Jesus certainly did. But I don't see here or in any aspect of His life and teaching that He made that foundational.

As I see it, my Master brought glory to God by completing His Father's assignment, and so with me as His disciple. I do not doubt that He will give me joy and satisfaction in Him throughout the journey. He has already--far more than I can possibly contain--but if that were the main point in glorifying God, I am convinced that Jesus would have told us explicitly that that is the main point.

Why only a one star review? Because how we glorify God is immeasurable in terms of its significance and impact. We are talking about ultimate reasons that affect everything we do all day long. Like having the right motive in something--if we get that wrong, everything is wrong. Dr. Piper, in my estimation, has substituted in a secondary good for the primary one Jesus revealed in His prayer. And whereas in other matters in life that may not do much damage, with ultimate concerns it ends up being a colossal distraction.

In stark contrast to "Christian Hedonism," consider what Thomas Kelly wrote in his "Testament of Devotion:" "When you are obeying to the uttermost you even forget about yourself."

There is a lot of Scripture in every page and just by reading this I feel closer to God, understand Him more and love to spend time with Him. If you are hungry to learn more about the Bible and understand Christ more you will love this book.

It is a tremendous grace that a friend directed me towards this dear book, and because of it I will never be the same. This book is a jar that has been carefully filled at the fountain of living waters. "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good." I have tasted and seen here...

This book will take you soaring on the winds of the manifold Glories of God. He is the treasure to be ultimately delighted in now and for eternity.

Any resource that helps one to see more clearly that God alone can completely satisfy the heart's infinite thirst is priceless. This book is such a resource and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

This one book is worth 50 stars. It is that great and wonderful a read. What I love about Dr. Piper is his exegetical skills. He is able to work with the language and context to bring out what is normally overlooked.

In this book, you will find that God is to be desired in every facet of your life. Desiring God, after all, is command by God (Psa. 37:4).

This book is so life-changing that I bought copies for everyone in our church and am leading a book study on it.

It will answer many questions you've had for years and some you didn't know you had on the glory of God and why we worship Him.

It will also help you understand better the relationship between us and him and will help you see who you are in Christ.

In my opinion, this book is required reading for all Christians.

I have a hard time rating this book lowly because the concept that it teaches is sorely needed in the modern church. However, although I think John Piper makes his points clearly and the book is probably readable for most people, I am giving a rating based on my own tastes. The intention of the two star rating is not to discourage others from buying this book, but to communicate my personal opinion of it.

I have read about half-way through the book and have decided to stop trying to feign interest. The reason I have difficulty reading the book really is stylistic. Mr. Piper makes his points and tries to commit them to the reader's memory by reiterating those same points over and over again. Although new biblical text or references are made each time, the points become lost in the tedious labor of revisiting them four of five times before moving on to the next point.

Again, this writing style is probably perfectly acceptable, and even desirable, to many readers. So don't let my review discourage you if you are interested in learning about the ideology of the true enjoyment of God. After all, there really is no other way to experience Him.

Once in a while, a privileged person happens to read a magnificent book at just the right point in their life, and it permanently changes them for the better. In 2005, I was that person, and Desiring God was that book.

In it, Piper plumbs the Bible to find the purpose for which the universe and in particular mankind was created, concluding that "the chief end of man is to glorify God *by* enjoying Him forever," paraphrasing the old Westminster confession. He then develops the philosophical, theological, and practical implications of this stunning phrase.

I cannot recommend any non-canonical book more highly.

John Piper wisely asserts that to praise God we must enjoy God. He also shows that we are commanded to enjoy God and to be happy, but twist the command to enjoy God into a command to seek happiness. We do not become happy by seeking happiness. We become happy when we are not seeking our own happiness. As Jesus said those who seek their life will lose it and those who lose their life will find it.

John Piper wisely asserts that to praise God we must enjoy God. He also shows that we are commanded to enjoy God and to be happy, but twist the command to enjoy God into a command to seek happiness. We do not become happy by seeking happiness. We become happy when we are not seeking our own happiness. As Jesus said those who seek their life will lose it and those who lose their life will find it.

W. Roese

The thesis of this book is "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him." Some of the premises he uses to prove this however are false. For example, he starts with the desire for happiness as the basis for all motivation. While this may seems to make sense at first, suppose you could be delusional and happy or unhappy and non-delusional. If you chose the later than there must be some motive above happiness. He then goes on to state "seeking one's one happiness is not a sin; it is a simple given in human nature" I think the error in this statement is obvious. Happiness is good, but the way to happiness is not to seek happiness but to seek God.

I ordered it on the 13th of Apirl and the estimated date for it arriving, in Slovakia, was sometime in middle May. I recieved it on the 23rd of April. Then I read the book and it was amazing. It revived a desire for God within. And I jumped several canyons along my spiritual journey with God. And now I getting one for my sister as well. A must read!!!

I loved this book! I wouldn't want to go about my walk with Jesus without believing the principles taught herein.

Desiring God presents what real Christianity is at it's core, namely a change of the heart which includes affections, desire, and will. This book deals with basic disciplines of the Christian life and explains them from a Bible-saturated God centered perspective. If you want the real thing, you need to read this book; it can shape the way you view life altogether, not to mention the way you view God and Christ.

I love this book. I can't put it down. If you are wanting a great Christian book to read that really will help you in your christian walk this is the book for you. I am not book junkie... but this book was recommended to me and I am so glad. I love it. THis is not just an easy reading book. You have to read a chapter and think about it. Let it sink in and think about what difference this information you just read will make in your life. This will change the way you look at the world. (for the positive)

This book came highly recommended from a number of sources, so I was eager to read it after my purchase. I consider myself somewhat of a theologian (by no means an expert) having recieved a BA in theology from a Christian liberal arts school. The book really didn't inform or inspire me the way I had hoped. Piper who is unquestionably academic and holds a PhD from Munich wrote the book in a scholarly format (Chicago/Turabian style) packed full of footnotes. But I really didn't learn anything from this particular work. It my have to do with me be brought up in the Reformed Christian tradition. I kept begging him to tell me something I didn't know, but I was unable to find anything fresh and new. I'm not trying to come across as a snob, but if you have studied and are familiar with the basics of reformed theology you will not find anything in this book you don't already know. That said many have raved about this book and found inspiration from it. Though scholars of theology need not bother.

This is a highly popular book, one I was told to read dozens of times in my undergraduate and post-graduate fellowships. I give all due respect to John Piper, whose intention to help us love God more is unquestionable. Although I celebrate that this message reaches a wide Christian audience, there are a couple of issues here that I would want others to be aware of before buying.

First, I am deep believer in our need to live a life full of passion for God and his purposes, but I believe that Piper's idea of "Christian Hedonism" takes this one step beyond Scriptural warrant and into a self-centered kind of Christianity. A purified selfishness is selfishness nonetheless. While we do want God to be our passion and to enjoy ourselves in Him (i.e. as the Westminster Catechism rightfully emphasizes), the idea that we can somehow indulge ourselves in God still allows our selves and our passions to be the center of our world rather than God and His passions. Piper makes it sound as though we can somehow mesh God and self on the same throne, as if by being redeemed they are suddenly compatible. But Scripture denies that this can ever be so, and commands us to crucify ourselves daily with the flesh and its passions and desires.

Second, potential readers should be aware that the heart of this book is a variety of double-predestination Calvinisism which has God ultimately as the cause of evil along with the good, and decreeing everyone who is condemned and who is elect before the foundations of the world. God as the "first cause" of all things makes Him sound glorious, but does attributing the decrees of evil and the condemned to God actually reveal God as more loving and more worthy an object of our love? Or does it ascribe a cruel aspect to His sovereignty that is not really His?

The impact of both these aspects of the book is to glorify the message of this particular brand of Calvinism and make it seem as though it is the only theology that can allow someone to fully desire God and enjoy Him forever. Indeed in some places, it is as if we are supposed to be "scared" into loving God more. In other places it is the opposite, as if we are being baited to love God more because He supposedly lets us hang onto some part of our sacred selves.

I would recommend instead, Sam Storms' "Pleasures Evermore." He writes from a Reformed perspective on a similar message, but much more personally and practically. Nor does he make his particular theology the center and requirement for loving God more.

This is a highly popular book, one I was told to read dozens of times in my undergraduate and post-graduate fellowships. All due respect to John Piper, whose intention to help us love God more is unquestionable. Although I celebrate that this message is reaching the wider audience, there are a couple of issues here, I would like others to be aware of before buying.

First, the heart of this book is a variety of double predestinarian Calvinistic which has God ultimately the cause of evil along with good, decreeing the condemned along with the elect before the foundations of the world. God as the first cause of all things makes Him sound glorious, but a less Calvinistic reader would ask whether we need to attribute the decrees of evil and the condemned to God in order to love Him and esteem Him more.

Similarly, the premise of "Christian Hedonism" which forms the basis of the book is purified selfishness but selfishness nonetheless. While we do want God to be our passion and to enjoy ourselves in Him (i.e. as the Westminster Catechism rightfully emphasizes), the idea that we can somehow indulge ourselves in God still allows our selves and our passions to be the center of our world rather than God and His passions. Piper makes it sound as though we can somehow mesh God and self on the same throne, as if by being redeemed they are compatible. But Scripture denies that this can ever be so, and commands us to crucify ourselves daily with the flesh and its passions and desires.

The impact of both these aspects of the book is to glorify the message of this particular brand of Calvinism and make it seem as though it is the only theology that can allow someone to fully desire God and enjoy Him forever. Indeed in some places, it is as if we are supposed to be "scared" into loving God more. In other places it is the opposite, as if we are being baited to love God more because He supposedly lets us hang onto some part of our sacred selves.

I would recommend instead, Sam Storms' "Pleasures Evermore." He writes from a Reformed perspective on a similar message, but much more personally and practically. Nor does he make his particular theology the center and requirement for loving God more.

If there is ONE book that all Christians should have to know the matrix of the Christian life, then this book is it. This book covers various issues that are pertinent to the Christian life: God's happiness, conversion, worship, love, scripture, prayer, money, marriage, missions, and suffering. The key that wraps all these topics together, according to Piper, is this: "The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever." To be a Christian hedonist, according to Piper, is to find the utmost pleasure in God. Not in the sense of finding pleasure in God because He gives things to people (like the way health-wealth preachers teach) but finding pleasure in God for who He is! God wants to share His happiness as a result of His grace and Christians are the recipients of this happiness. Also, one will find Appendix 3 ("Is God Less Glorious Because He Ordained That Evil Be? Jonathan Edwards on the Divine Decrees") to be very informative and insightful. This section answers the "why" regarding the existence of evil in this world. It is basically an apologetic for the Calvinistic view of God and providence and shoots down the god of Openness theology. I highly recommend this book to all believers - new and old. Whatever issues you are facing in life, this book will make you became theocentric in your outlook on life and how you live your Christian life.

Piper sums life in a sentence: God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. "Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist" (a subtitle to die for!) is one of the most profound and provocative books of the last 100 years. In fact, not since Jonathan Edwards' "Religious Affections" has anyone so brilliantly and convincingly united head and heart, rationality and relationality, cognition and affection.

Piper, because of his stature as a Reformation thinker and conservative pastor, very akin to Edwards, can reach conservatives with the message of desire and affections, like few others. In other, less-respected and less-able hands (or pens), the message might be dismissed or missed. In Piper's hands, we find that the grand theme of all of history, Yahweh Elohim's Opus, is relationship. It shouldn't be surprising, given that all of history has been shepherded by the Trinitarian God who has always and forever related within the Divine Community.

It really is true, God's glory and humanity's good are not mutually exclusive. To discover how they coexist and cohere read "Desiring God."

Reviewer: Dr. Robert W. Kellemen is the author of "Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," "Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction," and the forthcoming "Sacred Companions: A History of Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

Dr. Piper lays the truth of the gospel out on the table in a way that is both accurate and convicting. His sweeping statements about the nature and characteristics of God demand a response from the reader. The response is worshipping God. Dr. Piper hits you where you need to be hit: our pride. He challenges us to be humble and respectful to God while realizing that the only way to glorify Him is to have our thoughts completely immersed in Him. I would recommend this volume without reservation. You will be challeged and stretched to think differently about worship and God. Excellent work.

In this work, John Piper has drawn a biblically accurate blueprint for Christian living from the foundation up. Dr. Piper starts with a crucial, and often neglected, premise -- that God is infinitely happy and infinitely lovely -- and from that premise establishes that a God-centered life must therefore be a gloriously happy one. Even suffering on earth cannot detract from the joy that comes from the hope of spending eternity with God.

I should note that Dr. Piper emphatically does not advocate a non-biblical hedonism in this book. I suspect that the reviewers who trash the book for that reason have not really read it. Dr. Piper is very realistic about the fact that Christians will suffer and that Jesus calls us to suffer for His sake. If anyone has any doubt on that score, notice that the last chapter of the book (before the wonderful appendices) is devoted to suffering. This work does not advocate do-as-you-please, eat, drink, and be merry hedonism, nor does it encourage people to ask God to give them the weak, godless pleasures they enjoy. Rather, it accurately observes that because God is all-pleasing, running the race set before us will, with its hardships, be incredibly happy so long as we "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith."

C. S. Lewis once warned his readers that "theology is practical." In this book Dr. Piper neatly demonstrates that Lewis was right. In an era in which practical and devotional books without any significant theological content abound, Dr. Piper freely mingles exhortation and theology, life and doctrine. The result? An excellent work that is worth anyone's time to read.

Dr. Piper has devoted another book--The Pleasures of God--exclusively to establishing the foundation of this book (and of the Christian life): the happiness of God. I would therefore recommend that if you have yet to read Desiring God, consider reading The Pleasures of God first. This isn't absolutely necessary; Dr. Piper devotes Chapter One of Desiring God to establishing God's happiness. For readers who want a deeper foundation, though, it could prove helpful.