Personal Philosophy

I call my philosophy Christian hedonism. (To those who may be suspicious that the term "Christian hedonism" relates to some sort of aberrant approach to Christianity, let me be quick to say that this is not the case. I am merely using this term to highlight a particular way of looking at the Christian life that is completely compatible with an orthodox Christian perspective. Click on Christian hedonism for further justification of this term from a Christian perspective.) This philosophy acknowledges up front that the desire for personal satisfaction and meaning is legitimate; in fact, it claims that this pursuit is inescapable. As Blaise Pascal noted:

All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves. (Pensees #425)

The satisfaction God offers is first of all the supreme joy of knowing the creator of the universe. God designed us specifically for fellowship with him. As the old Westminster Shorter Catechism states, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." To seek our highest satisfaction through other avenues is to insult God and to deny who we are -- and ultimately to fail to achieve any lasting satisfaction.

This is the grid through which I look at the world and make my personal decisions (or at least try to!).

This philosophy has implications in a number of areas, including the following:

• The need for reconciliation with God: Without a proper relationship with our Creator, we are doomed to be frustrated and unsatisfied in our pursuit of pleasure in God. We cannot possibly hope to enjoy God if our relationship with him is broken. We must seek a right relationship with God on his terms.
• The need for a divine revelation: A philosophy of hedonism is a recipe for disaster and disappointment if it is directed by our own fallible notions of what brings pleasure. We cannot know on our own what course is most pleasurable unless we try all reasonable options. Solomon, considered to be the wisest of men, tried to use his own wisdom to direct himself in the pursuit of pleasure and concluded that it was futile. (To read it in his own words, click here.) The problem is that we need an eternity to evaluate long-term satisfaction experientially, and this leaves no time to actually enjoy what we discover! Divine revelation provides the ultimate boon to a hedonist -- a guide to the highest possible long-term satisfaction written by the only one who is in a position to know how to achieve it.
• Philosophy of work: Is work merely a necessary evil and a distraction in our pursuit of satisfaction? Or is it the ultimate source of satisfaction for responsible and moral people? I say neither.
• Christianity and science: If science is right, doesn't that make the pursuit of pleasure in a supernatural being an exercise in fantasy? Not at all. In fact, Christianity rightly understood is a great encouragement to the scientific enterprise, as many Christian scientists through the centuries attest.

Acknowledgment