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Happiness
Christians are supposed to be happy. In fact, we are supposed to radiate joy, peace, and contentment that is so unmistakable and so attractive that others are naturally drawn to us because they want what we have. And yet, in today’s culture, the vast majority of Christians are perceived as angry, judgmental people who don’t seem to derive any joy from life whatsoever. So why aren’t we happy?
Unfortunately, many Christians are taught early on that God doesn’t want us to be happy (he wants us to be holy). In fact, many Christians are laboring under the false notion that God himself is not happy. But nothing could be further from the truth! God does want us to be happy. The Bible is filled with verses that prove that ours is a happy, joy-filled God who not only loves celebrations but also desperately wants his children to be happy. Why else would He go to the lengths He did to ensure our eternal happiness in His presence? We know that we will experience unimaginable joy and happiness in Heaven, but that doesn’t mean we can’t also experience joy and happiness here on earth.
In Happiness, noted theologian Randy Alcorn dispels centuries of misconceptions about happiness and provides indisputable proof that God not only wants us to be happy, He commands it. The most definitive study on the subject of happiness to date, this book is a paradigm-shifting wake-up call for the church and Christians everywhere.
Unfortunately, many Christians are taught early on that God doesn’t want us to be happy (he wants us to be holy). In fact, many Christians are laboring under the false notion that God himself is not happy. But nothing could be further from the truth! God does want us to be happy. The Bible is filled with verses that prove that ours is a happy, joy-filled God who not only loves celebrations but also desperately wants his children to be happy. Why else would He go to the lengths He did to ensure our eternal happiness in His presence? We know that we will experience unimaginable joy and happiness in Heaven, but that doesn’t mean we can’t also experience joy and happiness here on earth.
In Happiness, noted theologian Randy Alcorn dispels centuries of misconceptions about happiness and provides indisputable proof that God not only wants us to be happy, He commands it. The most definitive study on the subject of happiness to date, this book is a paradigm-shifting wake-up call for the church and Christians everywhere.
450 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2015
About the author
Randy Alcorn
223 books1,487 followersRandy Alcorn is the founder of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world.
"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."
Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.
Randy is a best-selling author of 50 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.
Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.
Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.
Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org
"My ministry focus is communicating the strategic importance of using our earthly time, money, possessions and opportunities to invest in need-meeting ministries that count for eternity," Alcorn says. "I do that by trying to analyze, teach and apply the implications of Christian truth."
Before starting EPM in 1990, Alcorn co-pastored for thirteen years Good Shepherd Community Church outside Gresham, Oregon. He has ministered in many countries, including China, and is a popular teacher and conference speaker. Randy has taught on the part-time faculties of Western Seminary and Multnomah University, both in Portland, Oregon.
Randy is a best-selling author of 50 books including Heaven, The Treasure Principle and the 2002 Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written numerous articles for magazines such as Discipleship Journal, Moody, Leadership, New Man, and The Christian Reader. He produces the quarterly issues-oriented magazine Eternal Perspectives, and has been a guest on more than 650 radio and television programs including Focus on the Family, Family Life Today, The Bible Answer Man, Revive Our Hearts, Truths that Transform and Faith Under Fire.
Alcorn resides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci. The Alcorns have two married daughters, Karina and Angela.
Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons. Randy enjoys hanging out with his family, biking, tennis, research and reading.
Taken from the Eternal Perspective Ministries website, http://www.epm.org
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
December 23, 2015
When the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) for Happiness arrived in my mailbox, I remarked to the publicist who sent it: “Wow, it’s…big.” Yes, she said, it’s the result of years of research by the author, and she imagined it would be one of those books that remained on readers’ shelves for years to refer to again and again.
Now, having read it, I say to that: yes and amen.
Friends, this is one for your forever shelf, and it’s worth the investment as well as whatever space it consumes on your bookshelf. This book changed not only the way I think, but the way I live. How many books can claim that distinction?
In his introduction, Alcorn states the happiness problem, as well as his goal: “My hope is that this book will bring balance to your worldview and your walk with Christ by correcting–through Scripture and Christian history–widespread and deep-seated misconceptions about happiness.”
What startled me was to learn how for years I’ve been given wrong information–misguided at best, downright false at worst. Perhaps you’ve been told similar stuff: that the Bible says that God cares more about my holiness than about my happiness. That the Bible says nothing about being happy–joyful, yes, but not happy. That there’s a distinction between joy (which is holy) and happiness (which is not).
Not true. And in a two-pronged approach–referencing the vast and layered teaching of great biblical scholars and fathers of the faith, as well as the Bible’s original-language roots (Hebrew and Greek)–Alcorn spends 500+ pages defending that position.
It turns out that the misconception of happiness is a fairly modern problem–about 100 years old. Which means that whatever teaching you and I have likely received on the subject is not what our great-greats understood to be true. The Puritans, for instance, were HUGE believers in the rightness of happiness. Their documents are filled with their pursuit of it, the pure delight they found in being happy. Who knew?
How did this misunderstanding occur? Well, Alcorn outlines that trajectory in detail, but more importantly, he helps to correct it.
Don’t left this book’s heft scare you. Alcorn’s style is both highly personal and accessible. What accounts for its size? The razor-thin slices by which Alcorn examines every little nuance of both Scripture and the topic. It’s well structured, well indexed, and easily understood. Promise.
On a final note, I have to remark on the fact that this big, fat book has disproportionately brief title–with no subtitle at all. As if only one word is needed to convey its big import. Which, in and of itself, speaks to me of the very contemporary relevance of Happiness.
Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.
Now, having read it, I say to that: yes and amen.
Friends, this is one for your forever shelf, and it’s worth the investment as well as whatever space it consumes on your bookshelf. This book changed not only the way I think, but the way I live. How many books can claim that distinction?
In his introduction, Alcorn states the happiness problem, as well as his goal: “My hope is that this book will bring balance to your worldview and your walk with Christ by correcting–through Scripture and Christian history–widespread and deep-seated misconceptions about happiness.”
What startled me was to learn how for years I’ve been given wrong information–misguided at best, downright false at worst. Perhaps you’ve been told similar stuff: that the Bible says that God cares more about my holiness than about my happiness. That the Bible says nothing about being happy–joyful, yes, but not happy. That there’s a distinction between joy (which is holy) and happiness (which is not).
Not true. And in a two-pronged approach–referencing the vast and layered teaching of great biblical scholars and fathers of the faith, as well as the Bible’s original-language roots (Hebrew and Greek)–Alcorn spends 500+ pages defending that position.
It turns out that the misconception of happiness is a fairly modern problem–about 100 years old. Which means that whatever teaching you and I have likely received on the subject is not what our great-greats understood to be true. The Puritans, for instance, were HUGE believers in the rightness of happiness. Their documents are filled with their pursuit of it, the pure delight they found in being happy. Who knew?
How did this misunderstanding occur? Well, Alcorn outlines that trajectory in detail, but more importantly, he helps to correct it.
Don’t left this book’s heft scare you. Alcorn’s style is both highly personal and accessible. What accounts for its size? The razor-thin slices by which Alcorn examines every little nuance of both Scripture and the topic. It’s well structured, well indexed, and easily understood. Promise.
On a final note, I have to remark on the fact that this big, fat book has disproportionately brief title–with no subtitle at all. As if only one word is needed to convey its big import. Which, in and of itself, speaks to me of the very contemporary relevance of Happiness.
Thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me a free copy to review. All opinions are mine.
May 23, 2016
Happiness! What a wonderful read. This 400+ page book was a book I had put off for quite a few months until I heard someone comment about the book and ask me if I had ever read it before. I decided to go ahead and read it at that point. I'm so very glad I did.
"Happiness" is the desire of the human heart. But so few are truly happy. Actually, a lot of Christians are anything but happy. I love the idea of happiness and have historically thought of myself as a fairly happy person. But, sadly to say, I've often wondered if being happy is somehow contrary to being a strong Christian. Over 26+ years of ministry, I've interacted with thousands of people and I would say that many of them would consider happiness as something that should not really be characteristic of a strong Christian. Blessed? Yes. Joyful? Yes. Happy? Many believers have wondered if it is wrong for them to be happy. Oh, sure, they know that they are to be joyful, but being happy is another thing. Or so their reasoning goes. I don't fault them, because that was a common struggle in my own heart. I often looked at some of my unbelieving friends and thought, "Why are they the ones who always seem to be happy?" I realize that their happiness is temporal. That their happiness is illusive and that they have to often go back to the broken cisterns to try to obtain that happiness again.
I believe that Randy Alcorn, the author of Happiness, did a masterful job in demonstrating that Happiness is really what we as believers should be. He quotes person after person throughout church history to build his case. He references scholarly works, ancient works, modern works, puritan works, etc., to build his case for understanding that happiness for us as believers is something we should pursue. Alcorn does an interesting thing in quoting translation after translation, paraphrase after paraphrase of Scripture to illustrate how the scholars who did the work on the translations/paraphrases, really struggled with putting into English, an accurate translation of the original language. I highly recommend Happiness, by Randy Alcorn. It was a great investment into my own life and my personal walk with Christ.
"Happiness" is the desire of the human heart. But so few are truly happy. Actually, a lot of Christians are anything but happy. I love the idea of happiness and have historically thought of myself as a fairly happy person. But, sadly to say, I've often wondered if being happy is somehow contrary to being a strong Christian. Over 26+ years of ministry, I've interacted with thousands of people and I would say that many of them would consider happiness as something that should not really be characteristic of a strong Christian. Blessed? Yes. Joyful? Yes. Happy? Many believers have wondered if it is wrong for them to be happy. Oh, sure, they know that they are to be joyful, but being happy is another thing. Or so their reasoning goes. I don't fault them, because that was a common struggle in my own heart. I often looked at some of my unbelieving friends and thought, "Why are they the ones who always seem to be happy?" I realize that their happiness is temporal. That their happiness is illusive and that they have to often go back to the broken cisterns to try to obtain that happiness again.
I believe that Randy Alcorn, the author of Happiness, did a masterful job in demonstrating that Happiness is really what we as believers should be. He quotes person after person throughout church history to build his case. He references scholarly works, ancient works, modern works, puritan works, etc., to build his case for understanding that happiness for us as believers is something we should pursue. Alcorn does an interesting thing in quoting translation after translation, paraphrase after paraphrase of Scripture to illustrate how the scholars who did the work on the translations/paraphrases, really struggled with putting into English, an accurate translation of the original language. I highly recommend Happiness, by Randy Alcorn. It was a great investment into my own life and my personal walk with Christ.
October 3, 2019
This is a huge, well-researched book worthy of the time I spent immersed in its pages. It is filled with interesting quotes, stories about real Christians, and information from the Bible. It feels as if the author left no stone unturned in his search and completely proved his point that Christians should be the happiest people on earth. He also did a wonderful job of explaining what is wrong with the idea that Christians should be holy—not happy—we should be both. There are pages devoted to proving that happiness comes from being freed from sinful living.
I spent a good amount of time in the pages of this book, and I quickly discovered it wasn’t meant for me to read straight through. I devoted some time every morning to reading a chapter or two, and that gave me so much to think about during the day. As I read, a lot of my erroneous thoughts about Christianity and happiness would come to mind. I can honestly say this has been one of the most helpful books I have ever read, and I recommend that every Christian should buy a copy and read it.
I spent a good amount of time in the pages of this book, and I quickly discovered it wasn’t meant for me to read straight through. I devoted some time every morning to reading a chapter or two, and that gave me so much to think about during the day. As I read, a lot of my erroneous thoughts about Christianity and happiness would come to mind. I can honestly say this has been one of the most helpful books I have ever read, and I recommend that every Christian should buy a copy and read it.
October 2, 2015
God commands His people to be happy and therefore being 'happy' is a matter of obedience for Christians. Such is the argument of Randy Alcorn's newest book "Happiness". It seems that he has encountered a lot of Christians who seem to think, or imply, that happiness is sin and that God's purpose is for us to be holy, not happy. He declares that the oft cited difference between happiness and joy is in reality a nonexistent difference, that the terms are so alike in meaning they are synonymous. "The distinction between joy and happiness is not biblical".
He critiques the view that 'joy' is more 'contentment' without reference to the emotions, while 'happiness' is primarily circumstantial and emotional. He makes a case that the word "joy" is also emotional in meaning. He also believes that "happy" is the better term to use in the case of many of the Greek and Hebrew words translated in many Bibles as "blessed". Perhaps the term "blessed" isn't the best term to express the actual meaning behind the original words, but is "happy" truly the best? I don't deny that the words do, perhaps even often, denote 'joy' or 'happiness', but do those terms always express their primary meaning? Alcorn quotes from dictionaries and lexicons to show that the definition of "happy" corresponds with aspects of the lexical definitions of the Greek and Hebrew terms. One of the elders at my church (also a biology teacher at a Christian school) pointed out that the lexical meaning of a word is not necessarily the common usage/evolution of the word. He used the word 'gay' for example: the dictionary still includes 'happy' as one of the definitions, but nowadays, to use the term in reference to happiness would be unwise as its primary usage in our society refers to homosexuals.
So, when Mr. Alcorn makes statements like, "God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy" and "A Gospel that promotes holiness over happiness isn't good news. " and, "our happiness is a measure of our obedience" what picture does that convey? When I think of "happy" I picture an emotion ,a beaming face, a person in a state where they are prone to laugh merrily. I suspect that others may have the same idea of 'happiness'. Am I sinning if I am not in a jolly state? Am I disobeying God when I am simply content with His will and am in a serious, not a merry, condition of mind? What if I changed the quotes above using a synonym for happy, "Our merriness is a measure of our obedience", "A Gospel that promotes holiness over jolliness isn't good news." This is along the lines of what Mr. Alcorn's statements imply to me.
Again, maybe he is right and "blessed" isn't the best English word to use to translate words like 'makarios', but are the words 'happy' and 'joyful' the best ones to use? For instance in the beatitudes, is the best translation truly, "happy are the poor in spirit…" or would expressions like "content", 'favored by God' or 'fortunate', fit better?
Alcorn says that, "Maybe by defining joy as unemotional, positional, or transcendental, we can justify our unhappiness in spite of God's command to rejoice always in him" But is having the 'happiness' emotion to be our primary goal? Or can we admire and be in awe of God without having a feeling of merriment or jocularity? Can't one serve God without being jolly and yet not be sad? "…feelings are not the entirety of joy, but since God's joy involves his emotions, shouldn't our joy involve ours?" Alcorn asks. Maybe this is the case, but does the emotion have to be "happiness" or can it be emotions of "awe", "contentment", "peace", or can it be an action of the mind/thought processes like focusing on God's will and submitting to it, loving others, praying to God, or even weeping with those who weep? But does delighting and rejoicing in the Lord always take the form of great emotional happiness? I'm sincerely asking these questions, not just using them as counters to Alcorn's arguments.
Alcorn seems to think that a major problem among Christians today is that they are against happiness. Maybe the ones he knows of are, but the ones that I know of aren't. Actually, I've thought that a major problem amongst Churches has been the focus upon drumming up emotions and feelings, like happiness, over and above seriously trying to be intent upon learning and doing what God says. The statement is made in the book that the word happiness has been, "a bridge between the church and the world - one we can't afford to burn". Alcorn makes a great case that Christians should be happy in the Lord, and that true happiness can only be found in Him and doing His will. But Happiness, even happiness in the Lord, isn't the beginning of wisdom, rather, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". Our witnessing to bring others to Christ will not, and should not (I think) always be presented as an offer of happiness, but rather out of our reverence for the Lord, we may witness by warning of His judgement: "having known, therefore, the fear(not the happiness) of the Lord, we persuade men…"(2Co 5:11). " And our motivation in serving the Lord will not always be our emotional happiness in Him: Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. "(2Co 7:1) Not, "perfecting holiness in the happiness you have in God".
I am NOT against Christians being happy, I just don't see the biblical proof that we're necessarily sinning if we are not in that particular state. If he had presented it from the standpoint of the many reasons Christians have to be happy in the Lord and used material that he has presented in sections of this book like, "Ways to Cultivate Happiness", "Happiness Comes From Meditating on God's Word," and "Happiness Through Confession, Repentance and Forgiveness." I would have liked it much better. A lot, and I truly mean a LOT, of good points were made in this book, I just didn't like how Alcorn presented the concept of happiness as an obligatory state for Christians to be in, and I wasn't convinced of the exegetical necessity for all of the Greek and Hebrew words dealt with in the book as needing to be translated as 'happy'.
Many thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for sending me a complimentary review copy of this book (My review did not have to be favorable)
He critiques the view that 'joy' is more 'contentment' without reference to the emotions, while 'happiness' is primarily circumstantial and emotional. He makes a case that the word "joy" is also emotional in meaning. He also believes that "happy" is the better term to use in the case of many of the Greek and Hebrew words translated in many Bibles as "blessed". Perhaps the term "blessed" isn't the best term to express the actual meaning behind the original words, but is "happy" truly the best? I don't deny that the words do, perhaps even often, denote 'joy' or 'happiness', but do those terms always express their primary meaning? Alcorn quotes from dictionaries and lexicons to show that the definition of "happy" corresponds with aspects of the lexical definitions of the Greek and Hebrew terms. One of the elders at my church (also a biology teacher at a Christian school) pointed out that the lexical meaning of a word is not necessarily the common usage/evolution of the word. He used the word 'gay' for example: the dictionary still includes 'happy' as one of the definitions, but nowadays, to use the term in reference to happiness would be unwise as its primary usage in our society refers to homosexuals.
So, when Mr. Alcorn makes statements like, "God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy" and "A Gospel that promotes holiness over happiness isn't good news. " and, "our happiness is a measure of our obedience" what picture does that convey? When I think of "happy" I picture an emotion ,a beaming face, a person in a state where they are prone to laugh merrily. I suspect that others may have the same idea of 'happiness'. Am I sinning if I am not in a jolly state? Am I disobeying God when I am simply content with His will and am in a serious, not a merry, condition of mind? What if I changed the quotes above using a synonym for happy, "Our merriness is a measure of our obedience", "A Gospel that promotes holiness over jolliness isn't good news." This is along the lines of what Mr. Alcorn's statements imply to me.
Again, maybe he is right and "blessed" isn't the best English word to use to translate words like 'makarios', but are the words 'happy' and 'joyful' the best ones to use? For instance in the beatitudes, is the best translation truly, "happy are the poor in spirit…" or would expressions like "content", 'favored by God' or 'fortunate', fit better?
Alcorn says that, "Maybe by defining joy as unemotional, positional, or transcendental, we can justify our unhappiness in spite of God's command to rejoice always in him" But is having the 'happiness' emotion to be our primary goal? Or can we admire and be in awe of God without having a feeling of merriment or jocularity? Can't one serve God without being jolly and yet not be sad? "…feelings are not the entirety of joy, but since God's joy involves his emotions, shouldn't our joy involve ours?" Alcorn asks. Maybe this is the case, but does the emotion have to be "happiness" or can it be emotions of "awe", "contentment", "peace", or can it be an action of the mind/thought processes like focusing on God's will and submitting to it, loving others, praying to God, or even weeping with those who weep? But does delighting and rejoicing in the Lord always take the form of great emotional happiness? I'm sincerely asking these questions, not just using them as counters to Alcorn's arguments.
Alcorn seems to think that a major problem among Christians today is that they are against happiness. Maybe the ones he knows of are, but the ones that I know of aren't. Actually, I've thought that a major problem amongst Churches has been the focus upon drumming up emotions and feelings, like happiness, over and above seriously trying to be intent upon learning and doing what God says. The statement is made in the book that the word happiness has been, "a bridge between the church and the world - one we can't afford to burn". Alcorn makes a great case that Christians should be happy in the Lord, and that true happiness can only be found in Him and doing His will. But Happiness, even happiness in the Lord, isn't the beginning of wisdom, rather, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom". Our witnessing to bring others to Christ will not, and should not (I think) always be presented as an offer of happiness, but rather out of our reverence for the Lord, we may witness by warning of His judgement: "having known, therefore, the fear(not the happiness) of the Lord, we persuade men…"(2Co 5:11). " And our motivation in serving the Lord will not always be our emotional happiness in Him: Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. "(2Co 7:1) Not, "perfecting holiness in the happiness you have in God".
I am NOT against Christians being happy, I just don't see the biblical proof that we're necessarily sinning if we are not in that particular state. If he had presented it from the standpoint of the many reasons Christians have to be happy in the Lord and used material that he has presented in sections of this book like, "Ways to Cultivate Happiness", "Happiness Comes From Meditating on God's Word," and "Happiness Through Confession, Repentance and Forgiveness." I would have liked it much better. A lot, and I truly mean a LOT, of good points were made in this book, I just didn't like how Alcorn presented the concept of happiness as an obligatory state for Christians to be in, and I wasn't convinced of the exegetical necessity for all of the Greek and Hebrew words dealt with in the book as needing to be translated as 'happy'.
Many thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for sending me a complimentary review copy of this book (My review did not have to be favorable)
February 13, 2018
I first picked up this book because Randy Alcorn’s previous books, especially Heaven, have been so life-changing for me, but I must admit I thought this one might be a bit of a stretch. After all, the past few years have been the most difficult years of my life and it seemed very clear that God doesn’t just give us what we want. As a result, it sat untouched for over a year.
As I entered a new season of trial, I decided that reading this book might be an encouragement, so I picked it up again. I had no idea! Randy Alcorn builds on his previous works and unveils, for many of us, the gospel of the glory of the Happy God, something that has gotten buried beneath more traditional religious language. But, what a revelation the Happy God is!!
Most of our versions use the word “blessed” there in 1 Tim 1:11 - the gospel of the glory of the blessed God - but Alcorn clearly demonstrates that Happy is the better modern translation. In years past, that was the meaning of blessed, but the word has become one of those religious words only used by Christians and spiritualized to mean some form of “joy” that isn’t really happy, or even really all that desirable. Just one of those things we’re supposed to want and feel mildly guilty that we don’t as much as we should.
This is not some “health and wealth” gospel book. Far from it, it has great depth and staying power for those who suffer. But over the course of 500 pages, Alcorn establishes from Scripture that God does, in fact, want us to be happy, not in the enemy’s counterfeit pleasures, but in God himself and the good, pure pleasures that He created for us as good gifts to enjoy with thanksgiving.
If you’ve come to believe that this life is to be endured “like a man” and that God is going to just give you hard things now because He has to make you holy first, you need to read this book. Happiness and holiness go together! The reality is that God promises us the kind of happiness that every person on earth is looking for, and it doesn’t just start in Heaven.
Time for the church to get to know the Happy God!
As I entered a new season of trial, I decided that reading this book might be an encouragement, so I picked it up again. I had no idea! Randy Alcorn builds on his previous works and unveils, for many of us, the gospel of the glory of the Happy God, something that has gotten buried beneath more traditional religious language. But, what a revelation the Happy God is!!
Most of our versions use the word “blessed” there in 1 Tim 1:11 - the gospel of the glory of the blessed God - but Alcorn clearly demonstrates that Happy is the better modern translation. In years past, that was the meaning of blessed, but the word has become one of those religious words only used by Christians and spiritualized to mean some form of “joy” that isn’t really happy, or even really all that desirable. Just one of those things we’re supposed to want and feel mildly guilty that we don’t as much as we should.
This is not some “health and wealth” gospel book. Far from it, it has great depth and staying power for those who suffer. But over the course of 500 pages, Alcorn establishes from Scripture that God does, in fact, want us to be happy, not in the enemy’s counterfeit pleasures, but in God himself and the good, pure pleasures that He created for us as good gifts to enjoy with thanksgiving.
If you’ve come to believe that this life is to be endured “like a man” and that God is going to just give you hard things now because He has to make you holy first, you need to read this book. Happiness and holiness go together! The reality is that God promises us the kind of happiness that every person on earth is looking for, and it doesn’t just start in Heaven.
Time for the church to get to know the Happy God!
December 22, 2015
A long read with a minute focus on original languages and translations of specific words, but overall very profitable and worth the effort. I learned where the superimposed separation between joy/happiness came from in the Christian subculture and how to understand the biblical call to human happiness.
February 22, 2018
Alcorn’s book is an attempt to reconcile the evangelical tendency to separate (holy) joy from (worldly) happiness. At its best, Alcorn’s book reminds us that God is not “unhappy” or indifferent. He provides many anecdotes that will be helpful for pastors and teachers searching for tangible examples to communicate a variety of theological points.
Nevertheless, there are profound problems that run through the length of Alcorn’s text. Despite attempts to hedge himself away from the following accusation, Alcorn’s God is a product of the 1960s movement in social trinitarianism (cf. Moltmann and Elizabeth Johnson). En fin, he presents a thoroughly anthropomorphic God (referring to the trinity as a “team,” p. 131) that borders on being out of step with traditional Christianity.
The book is excessively long for its projected goal, at times rambling and incoherent, replete with mis-contextualized quotations from Protestant shibboleths. Despite his unconvincing protestations to the contrary, Alcorn portrays happiness as an emotional state, which isn't the Christian or classical understanding of eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία), not even a little bit.
Alcorn’s book contributes absolutely nothing to Christian understandings of mental health and well-being. He places unbiblical burdens on otherwise faithful Christians by engaging in systematic misinterpretation of scripture. This may even venture into a form of “emotional terrorism” at certain points in the manuscript.
Nevertheless, there are profound problems that run through the length of Alcorn’s text. Despite attempts to hedge himself away from the following accusation, Alcorn’s God is a product of the 1960s movement in social trinitarianism (cf. Moltmann and Elizabeth Johnson). En fin, he presents a thoroughly anthropomorphic God (referring to the trinity as a “team,” p. 131) that borders on being out of step with traditional Christianity.
The book is excessively long for its projected goal, at times rambling and incoherent, replete with mis-contextualized quotations from Protestant shibboleths. Despite his unconvincing protestations to the contrary, Alcorn portrays happiness as an emotional state, which isn't the Christian or classical understanding of eudaimonia (εὐδαιμονία), not even a little bit.
Alcorn’s book contributes absolutely nothing to Christian understandings of mental health and well-being. He places unbiblical burdens on otherwise faithful Christians by engaging in systematic misinterpretation of scripture. This may even venture into a form of “emotional terrorism” at certain points in the manuscript.
March 12, 2018
This book has significantly increased my understanding of God and his happiness. For that I am ever grateful.
November 22, 2023
I loved this book so much. I wasn’t ready to finish it so I am now listening to the audiobook on my morning walks. This may rank my favorite non-fiction of 2023.
January 29, 2016
The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.
If you are a Christian, you may have heard or even said the following. God is not concerned with your happiness but your holiness. Happiness and Joy are not the same. I know for myself, I have thought this very same thing because many have been taught our happiness is selfish and not God-centered. Randy Alcorn gives a wonderful argument on that. It is our happiness in Christ that we express salvation to the lost. It is our happiness in Christ, that we give glory to God.
If you are note fiend, you will love the over 900 notes and references. Happiness is a big subject and it is a doctrine of God. With all that the bible has said about happiness and the great teachers from reformed to popular teachers today, there is much ado about happiness. Happiness in Christ is what draws us to the gospel.
Our happiness or lack of happiness is what we draw from. What is our source? The battle of happiness is our primary and what is our secondary. When God is our primary source of happiness, we can enjoy the secondary. Maybe you have heard this line. "God wants me to be happy! Because my spouse doesn't make me happy so I have found happiness in another! What is the primary and what is the secondary? Of course these kind of statements are not easy to deal with, but they do reveal our hearts and how we love others well or in this case not so well.
Do we believe that God is happy? What does that mean for us and what does that look like? The pursuit of God's glory answers these questions well as they pertain to his attributes as God.
The prodigal son and the older brother reflect the heart in regards to happiness. I loved this insight. Yet the older brother, offended by grace and poisoned by ingratitude remained unhappy. It leaves me asking, am I offended by grace. How the offense of grace is a bitter pill that we swallow.
How many of us look at happiness inward instead of outward. I again was encouraged by the testimony of the spouse who says no to temptation and cares for the spouse with Alzheimer's. Is that spouse sacrificing happiness for faithfulness? It is choosing a path of greater happiness through faithfulness.
Some of the quotes and they are many (get your highlighter out) that encourage a tired weary soul.
Gratitude unleashes the freedom to live content in the moment, rather than being anxious about the future or regretting the past.
Holiness doesn't mean abstaining from pleasure; holiness means recognizing Jesus as the source of life's greatest pleasure.
Suffering is the icy cold splash that wakes us up from the complacency of living this life.
I believe prosperity theology is straight from the pit of hell. Centered on giving people what they want, this worldview treats God as a genie or a cosmic slot machine; insert a positive confession, pull the lever, catch the winnings.
Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness, you will get your own happiness.
To better know, follow, worship and love Christ, produces happiness in Christ.
He that serves God for money will serve the devil for better wages.
The Puritan's understood their source of happiness. A prayer that reflects
O Lord
Help me never to expect any happiness from the world, but only in thee.
Let me not think that I shall more happy by living to myself.
For I can only be happy if employeed for thee.
Teach me that if i do not live a life that satisfies thee,
I shall not live a life that will satisfy myself.
As you can see from this review, there is much ado to say about happiness. We all want it. Where are we getting it? If you struggle with the tension of happiness or want to express the happiness of Christ to others, you will be happy reading this wonderful, descriptive, soulful study on happiness. We need more happy people for the Kingdom. Can I get an Amen!
A Special Thank You to Tyndale House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
If you are a Christian, you may have heard or even said the following. God is not concerned with your happiness but your holiness. Happiness and Joy are not the same. I know for myself, I have thought this very same thing because many have been taught our happiness is selfish and not God-centered. Randy Alcorn gives a wonderful argument on that. It is our happiness in Christ that we express salvation to the lost. It is our happiness in Christ, that we give glory to God.
If you are note fiend, you will love the over 900 notes and references. Happiness is a big subject and it is a doctrine of God. With all that the bible has said about happiness and the great teachers from reformed to popular teachers today, there is much ado about happiness. Happiness in Christ is what draws us to the gospel.
Our happiness or lack of happiness is what we draw from. What is our source? The battle of happiness is our primary and what is our secondary. When God is our primary source of happiness, we can enjoy the secondary. Maybe you have heard this line. "God wants me to be happy! Because my spouse doesn't make me happy so I have found happiness in another! What is the primary and what is the secondary? Of course these kind of statements are not easy to deal with, but they do reveal our hearts and how we love others well or in this case not so well.
Do we believe that God is happy? What does that mean for us and what does that look like? The pursuit of God's glory answers these questions well as they pertain to his attributes as God.
The prodigal son and the older brother reflect the heart in regards to happiness. I loved this insight. Yet the older brother, offended by grace and poisoned by ingratitude remained unhappy. It leaves me asking, am I offended by grace. How the offense of grace is a bitter pill that we swallow.
How many of us look at happiness inward instead of outward. I again was encouraged by the testimony of the spouse who says no to temptation and cares for the spouse with Alzheimer's. Is that spouse sacrificing happiness for faithfulness? It is choosing a path of greater happiness through faithfulness.
Some of the quotes and they are many (get your highlighter out) that encourage a tired weary soul.
Gratitude unleashes the freedom to live content in the moment, rather than being anxious about the future or regretting the past.
Holiness doesn't mean abstaining from pleasure; holiness means recognizing Jesus as the source of life's greatest pleasure.
Suffering is the icy cold splash that wakes us up from the complacency of living this life.
I believe prosperity theology is straight from the pit of hell. Centered on giving people what they want, this worldview treats God as a genie or a cosmic slot machine; insert a positive confession, pull the lever, catch the winnings.
Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness, you will get your own happiness.
To better know, follow, worship and love Christ, produces happiness in Christ.
He that serves God for money will serve the devil for better wages.
The Puritan's understood their source of happiness. A prayer that reflects
O Lord
Help me never to expect any happiness from the world, but only in thee.
Let me not think that I shall more happy by living to myself.
For I can only be happy if employeed for thee.
Teach me that if i do not live a life that satisfies thee,
I shall not live a life that will satisfy myself.
As you can see from this review, there is much ado to say about happiness. We all want it. Where are we getting it? If you struggle with the tension of happiness or want to express the happiness of Christ to others, you will be happy reading this wonderful, descriptive, soulful study on happiness. We need more happy people for the Kingdom. Can I get an Amen!
A Special Thank You to Tyndale House Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
October 2, 2015
Randy Alcorn's 'Happiness' didn't change my life. I was already more or less happy--more so since having converted to Christianity. I have heard of the happy vs. holy vs. joy argument before, so none of these nearly 500 pages (!) came out of left field for me. Every so often I did have to text a verse to my husband for clarification, context, or his opinion whenever a reference felt off to me, but whenever he replied it made sense with what Alcorn was stating.
If you're a new Christian, this is a great book. This is a great book if you're an old Christian too. But because I found a lot more meaning and fulfillment in getting input on certain passages, I think this book would be even better as a discussion or book club book. Certainly something I'd like to see in a church gift shop or library.
I've read some varied early reviews, and I do somewhat agree and disagree with other's opinions. For instance, I don't think Alcorn is stating "if you're not happy in life you're sinning". I think he meant more along the lines of "if you deny your happiness in what God has given you in the name of being holy instead of happy, you've basically slapped God in the face." But that's what makes this book such a good discussion/book club book. We could talk about these things with friends or colleagues at the same time, maybe over the course of a month as you read this because again it is a pretty long book.
My tip for reading this book: get a binder clip to act as both a bookmark and a page holder. It will save your fingers/hands from getting cramped or tired.
Book source: Tyndale Blog Network
If you're a new Christian, this is a great book. This is a great book if you're an old Christian too. But because I found a lot more meaning and fulfillment in getting input on certain passages, I think this book would be even better as a discussion or book club book. Certainly something I'd like to see in a church gift shop or library.
I've read some varied early reviews, and I do somewhat agree and disagree with other's opinions. For instance, I don't think Alcorn is stating "if you're not happy in life you're sinning". I think he meant more along the lines of "if you deny your happiness in what God has given you in the name of being holy instead of happy, you've basically slapped God in the face." But that's what makes this book such a good discussion/book club book. We could talk about these things with friends or colleagues at the same time, maybe over the course of a month as you read this because again it is a pretty long book.
My tip for reading this book: get a binder clip to act as both a bookmark and a page holder. It will save your fingers/hands from getting cramped or tired.
Book source: Tyndale Blog Network
February 13, 2018
I might have given this book 5 stars had it been a fifth the length. Instead, I found it be a slow and excruciating exercise in mental anguish. That’s ironic being as I picked up the book to assist me in incorporating a greater degree of the happiness which comes from a relationship with God through Jesus Christ into my life. I found reading this garbled mess to be more painful than the average trip to the dentist.
Why? Alcorn consistently offers 5 to 10 quotations when just one or two would do. The oncoming onslaught of chapters assault the reader mercilessly while offering very few fresh insights or new developments along the way.
7 years ago I read “Heaven” by the same author and found it likewise to be rambling and repetitive. Yet I still gave it 3 stars because it had some good points (although far inferior to N.T. Wright’s similar book “Surprised by Hope”).
Not so much this work. I'll give it one star. However, I must admit I’m still bogged down in chapter 21 (about 45% or a little over 10 hours through the 45 chapters, not including the sizable appendices). Maybe I’ll try to listen to more later in the year since I put out good money to buy the book, but for now I prefer to spend my time with better authors who can write concisely (Note: I listened to both the audiobook as well as reading the e-book).
Why? Alcorn consistently offers 5 to 10 quotations when just one or two would do. The oncoming onslaught of chapters assault the reader mercilessly while offering very few fresh insights or new developments along the way.
7 years ago I read “Heaven” by the same author and found it likewise to be rambling and repetitive. Yet I still gave it 3 stars because it had some good points (although far inferior to N.T. Wright’s similar book “Surprised by Hope”).
Not so much this work. I'll give it one star. However, I must admit I’m still bogged down in chapter 21 (about 45% or a little over 10 hours through the 45 chapters, not including the sizable appendices). Maybe I’ll try to listen to more later in the year since I put out good money to buy the book, but for now I prefer to spend my time with better authors who can write concisely (Note: I listened to both the audiobook as well as reading the e-book).
February 7, 2022
This is absolute must for everyone. It dispeles huge misconception that many Christians and Churches have about pursuit of happiness. It is long read but well worth it. Detailed and biblical argumentation why we left happiness out side of our Churches. Life changing...
March 26, 2018
Very beneficial one-time read
Before ready Alcorn's Happiness I had no idea the topic of happiness is so prevalent through Scripture. Alcorn goes through all the Greek and Hebrew terms for happiness and compares them to our English synonyms for happiness (joy, blessedness, cheerfulness, gladness, etc...)
The biggest takeaway for me was realizing that the common "Christian" distinction between "happiness" as something mundane and "joy" as something spiritual is completely unfounded Biblically. It is harmful to say that a Christian need not seek happiness, because joy is what God really expects of us. Happiness is a fruit of the Spirit and should be one of the defining differences between a believer and nonbeliever.
Before ready Alcorn's Happiness I had no idea the topic of happiness is so prevalent through Scripture. Alcorn goes through all the Greek and Hebrew terms for happiness and compares them to our English synonyms for happiness (joy, blessedness, cheerfulness, gladness, etc...)
The biggest takeaway for me was realizing that the common "Christian" distinction between "happiness" as something mundane and "joy" as something spiritual is completely unfounded Biblically. It is harmful to say that a Christian need not seek happiness, because joy is what God really expects of us. Happiness is a fruit of the Spirit and should be one of the defining differences between a believer and nonbeliever.
February 11, 2020
This excellent book challenges the common notion that God is not concerned with our happiness. Alcorn shows that happiness is a thoroughly biblical concept and that Christians, of all people, have reason to be happy. Leaning on ancient and modern church teachers, and on careful exegesis, and good lexical analysis, Alcorn shows that God does indeed want His children to be happy. If I have any criticism of this book, it is that it i longer than necessary, and often redundant. I believe a more concise work would have reached a broader audience with this important truth. However, it is truly worth the time it takes to read it.
November 1, 2021
Randy Alcorn truly changes the way you view Christianity in this book. He addresses how only God can fulfill the universal human need for happiness. Randy strips away the religiosity and legalism that often push people away from the Gospel and instead offers a new perspective of Bible reading, prayer, and worship as ways to experience supernatural happiness and joy in God. He backs up this perspective with various Scripture verses about happiness and joy, even going to the original Hebrew and Greek words to prove his point that God wants us to be happy.
September 6, 2022
All I can say this was a life-changing book for me. After reading this book I didn’t even realise how much my circumstances affected my happiness in Christ. Happiness I think is one of the biggest misconception in our reformed circle today, and this is one of the reason why every Christian should read this! You will not be disappointed! This is definitely the best book I’ve ever come across! Although, I listened to this on audible I got so much out of it! I’m speechless to be honest - no mere words can describe this book, it’s amazing!
February 24, 2024
Read this book if you want to unravel the mystery of “finding your happiness in God”. Alcorn explains this in a very accessible yet scholarly and pastoral manner, and this is a message I would love all Christians to hear.
After reading the book, I unironically feel happier. Easy 5 stars.
After reading the book, I unironically feel happier. Easy 5 stars.
May 3, 2020
I love how Randy Alcorn thinks, and I appreciate the work of compiling so many quotes, so much scripture, and organizing such a rich and thoughtful book.
May 16, 2017
This 450 page, three-year project purports to be the most extensive work on the topic of happiness to date (2015). It is chock full of quotes from theologians, scholars, ancients and moderns, believers and unbelievers, Calvinists and Arminians. It contains abundant Hebrew and Greek linguistic evidence to support its claims.
I admit that when beginning this book I was a bit skeptical. The subject matter could easily be taken in a superficial direction, used as an endorsement of the “prosperity gospel,” or simply come across as shallow pop-theology. However, none of these ended up being the case.
From the intro:
The book’s premise can be summarized in four points.
1) All people desire happiness. This desire is instinctive and universal. It is a God-given and undeniable. The person who pursues sin does so in (a misguided) search for happiness. Likewise, the person who comes to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life does so to escape the misery of sin---ultimately, to find the happiness that their heart longs for.
Alcorn seeks to dispel the myth that holiness and happiness are incompatible. In fact, he effectively argues that holiness and happiness walk hand-in-hand. He who pursues holiness is truly happy. I point this out because it has become an evangelical mantra that God isn’t concerned about the Christians’ happiness; He wants us to be holy. Alcorn posits that in fact, God desires both for His people. Neither holiness nor happiness negate the other. They are complementary.
2) The gospel of Jesus Christ offers people both eternal happiness and present happiness. The people of God are often viewed as somber and stoic. Unfortunately, this is because there are Christians who in actuality are not very happy people. Moreover, there is a tendency to make a differentiation between joy and happiness.
This distinction between the two terms is a modern one and does not, Alcorn argues, garner biblical support. The words for happiness, joy, cheerfulness and gladness are largely interchangeable in the Hebrew and in the Greek, with only minor distinctions. He illustrates this point through using various translations of the same verses addressing the topic. In fact, when William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English (which later became nearly 80% of the King James Version), blessed literally meant happy.
3) People are drawn to Christ when they see true happiness in His followers and pushed away when they see us chronically unhappy. This is so obvious I feel we as Christians often miss it. The gospel is “good news” and the good news of the Cross and empty tomb should make us happy people.
4) God is the sole origin of true happiness, and we should wholeheartedly seek our delight in Him. Where does happiness ultimately come from but from the God who created us in His image? If God is the source of happiness, it only makes sense that we seek and find our happiness (joy, delight, gladness) in Him.
Though Happiness is inundated with Scriptural references, quotes from Puritans and word studies, there is a certain amount of speculation on Alcorn’s part concerning the happiness of God. God’s attributes are necessarily anthropomorphized in Scripture in order to be intelligible (i.e. “The LORD is my shepherd”).
We do have Scriptural precedent for using our imaginations to aid in our understanding of God’s abstract attributes and qualities. However, the imagination must still be sanctified by Scripture. When it comes to how God’s attributes are manifested to His creation, we should be careful assuming or speculating where the Bible is silent.
That said, this a book that if I don’t reread in its entirety, I’m sure I’ll return to as a reference. It would be hard to have read it and not walked away with a deeper appreciation for the biblical call to happiness. Alcorn has done us a service by researching the topic and compiling the information in such accessible and readable form.
Perhaps a quote from Tozer on the dedication page is a succinct summary: “The people of God ought to be the happiest people in all the wide world! People should be coming to us constantly and asking the source of our joy and delight.”
Amen.
As a Christian I confess that too often the people of God (myself included) don’t live up to this expectation. Our failure to “rejoice always” not only affects our own attitudes and actions, but even more tragically, our witness for Christ.
I admit that when beginning this book I was a bit skeptical. The subject matter could easily be taken in a superficial direction, used as an endorsement of the “prosperity gospel,” or simply come across as shallow pop-theology. However, none of these ended up being the case.
From the intro:
Rest assured, this book is not about pasting on a false smile in the midst of heartache. It’s about discovering a reasonable, attainable, and delightful happiness in Christ that transcends difficult circumstances. This vision is realistic because it’s built on God’s all-encompassing sovereignty, love, goodness, grace, gladness, and redemptive purposes in our lives.
The book’s premise can be summarized in four points.
1) All people desire happiness. This desire is instinctive and universal. It is a God-given and undeniable. The person who pursues sin does so in (a misguided) search for happiness. Likewise, the person who comes to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life does so to escape the misery of sin---ultimately, to find the happiness that their heart longs for.
Alcorn seeks to dispel the myth that holiness and happiness are incompatible. In fact, he effectively argues that holiness and happiness walk hand-in-hand. He who pursues holiness is truly happy. I point this out because it has become an evangelical mantra that God isn’t concerned about the Christians’ happiness; He wants us to be holy. Alcorn posits that in fact, God desires both for His people. Neither holiness nor happiness negate the other. They are complementary.
2) The gospel of Jesus Christ offers people both eternal happiness and present happiness. The people of God are often viewed as somber and stoic. Unfortunately, this is because there are Christians who in actuality are not very happy people. Moreover, there is a tendency to make a differentiation between joy and happiness.
This distinction between the two terms is a modern one and does not, Alcorn argues, garner biblical support. The words for happiness, joy, cheerfulness and gladness are largely interchangeable in the Hebrew and in the Greek, with only minor distinctions. He illustrates this point through using various translations of the same verses addressing the topic. In fact, when William Tyndale translated the New Testament into English (which later became nearly 80% of the King James Version), blessed literally meant happy.
3) People are drawn to Christ when they see true happiness in His followers and pushed away when they see us chronically unhappy. This is so obvious I feel we as Christians often miss it. The gospel is “good news” and the good news of the Cross and empty tomb should make us happy people.
4) God is the sole origin of true happiness, and we should wholeheartedly seek our delight in Him. Where does happiness ultimately come from but from the God who created us in His image? If God is the source of happiness, it only makes sense that we seek and find our happiness (joy, delight, gladness) in Him.
Though Happiness is inundated with Scriptural references, quotes from Puritans and word studies, there is a certain amount of speculation on Alcorn’s part concerning the happiness of God. God’s attributes are necessarily anthropomorphized in Scripture in order to be intelligible (i.e. “The LORD is my shepherd”).
We do have Scriptural precedent for using our imaginations to aid in our understanding of God’s abstract attributes and qualities. However, the imagination must still be sanctified by Scripture. When it comes to how God’s attributes are manifested to His creation, we should be careful assuming or speculating where the Bible is silent.
That said, this a book that if I don’t reread in its entirety, I’m sure I’ll return to as a reference. It would be hard to have read it and not walked away with a deeper appreciation for the biblical call to happiness. Alcorn has done us a service by researching the topic and compiling the information in such accessible and readable form.
Perhaps a quote from Tozer on the dedication page is a succinct summary: “The people of God ought to be the happiest people in all the wide world! People should be coming to us constantly and asking the source of our joy and delight.”
Amen.
As a Christian I confess that too often the people of God (myself included) don’t live up to this expectation. Our failure to “rejoice always” not only affects our own attitudes and actions, but even more tragically, our witness for Christ.
April 21, 2020
Our church adopted this book as a church wide subject, taught from the pulpit and reviewed in our small groups. Never mind that Randy Alcon gave the church a hefty discount on materials in exchange for being taught. (Wink!)
I hate this book. I hate these videos. Despite the faulty lexicon interpretations, the entire book used joy and happiness interchangeably. No. He misused the Puritans overall meaning and view of what they meant about happiness.
Here are the confusing terms we had to sift through:
-pure happiness
-real happiness
-ultimate happiness
-true happiness
-joy and happiness (aren't these the same, Mr. Alcorn?!)
-proper happiness
None of that....none of that, tells me what happiness means.
I hated the broad stokes he painted of the church disliking happiness and focusing only on holiness. Who?! Who are these people?
Overall there are a few okayish points if you have the patience to dig them out among the disjointed mess of ideas. I feel like Mr. Alcorn popped out of bed one day and said, "hey! I should write a book!" Then he looked at an emoji and said, "yes! Happiness!" And the rest is disjointed, undefined, unfounded history.
It will give me great happiness to use this book as kindling, rejoicing in the knowledge that there is one less out there.
I hate this book. I hate these videos. Despite the faulty lexicon interpretations, the entire book used joy and happiness interchangeably. No. He misused the Puritans overall meaning and view of what they meant about happiness.
Here are the confusing terms we had to sift through:
-pure happiness
-real happiness
-ultimate happiness
-true happiness
-joy and happiness (aren't these the same, Mr. Alcorn?!)
-proper happiness
None of that....none of that, tells me what happiness means.
I hated the broad stokes he painted of the church disliking happiness and focusing only on holiness. Who?! Who are these people?
Overall there are a few okayish points if you have the patience to dig them out among the disjointed mess of ideas. I feel like Mr. Alcorn popped out of bed one day and said, "hey! I should write a book!" Then he looked at an emoji and said, "yes! Happiness!" And the rest is disjointed, undefined, unfounded history.
It will give me great happiness to use this book as kindling, rejoicing in the knowledge that there is one less out there.
December 27, 2015
Happiness
by Randy Alcorn
Tyndale House Publishers
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Christian
Pub Date Oct 1, 2015
Randy Alcorn reminds us in the Introduction that although we are often taught as Christians to be Holy,God also wants us to be Happy the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.
This book points out that we often think the desire of happiness may have come from the fall of man, but what if in fact our desire for Happiness comes from God. Happiness reminds us too that we should not be searching for Happiness with things like money, sex or power.
This book points out that God does in fact want us to be happy.
Alcorn also reminds us too that we should not go around following people blindly because that could lead to a dangerous situation. This book reminds us too that Gods best is ultimately our best.
Happiness points out that God does have a sense of humor, that he does in fact find things funny.
I found Happiness to be a great book one that works well with either individual or group study,one that reminds us that in fact it is okay to be Happy, that in fact God wants us to be Happy.
Five out of five stars
Happy reading friends
by Randy Alcorn
Tyndale House Publishers
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Christian
Pub Date Oct 1, 2015
Randy Alcorn reminds us in the Introduction that although we are often taught as Christians to be Holy,God also wants us to be Happy the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.
This book points out that we often think the desire of happiness may have come from the fall of man, but what if in fact our desire for Happiness comes from God. Happiness reminds us too that we should not be searching for Happiness with things like money, sex or power.
This book points out that God does in fact want us to be happy.
Alcorn also reminds us too that we should not go around following people blindly because that could lead to a dangerous situation. This book reminds us too that Gods best is ultimately our best.
Happiness points out that God does have a sense of humor, that he does in fact find things funny.
I found Happiness to be a great book one that works well with either individual or group study,one that reminds us that in fact it is okay to be Happy, that in fact God wants us to be Happy.
Five out of five stars
Happy reading friends
August 20, 2023
A very well researched book! Lots to think about as it is very thought-provoking. Definitely lots to chew and ponder about. So, so good!
January 16, 2016
As excited as I was to read this book, it saddens me to only give it three stars. If there was a way to rate each of the four parts, I would have given five stars to.the last part. Alcorn seems to spend touch time proving an easy-to-prove point in the first two parts. The third part was great for a language nerd like myself, but would hardly appeal to a non-language nerd or a new/non believer. The fourth part was priceless. If it could be printed on its own, I would order it in bulk and give it away often and to many. Overall, I am thankful that I read this. Regardless of my thoughts on the first three parts, any who have questions of any nature regarding the happiness of believers should read this book.
November 29, 2015
I enjoyed this book, and I did feel like I learned some things by reading it. The author explains that God created happiness, and that too many Christians today feel happiness is not Biblical. He explains the Greek meanings of words to show how many times happiness is referred to in the Bible. Blessed used to mean "happy" when the King James Bible was written, but we don't usually think of "happy" when we hear the word "blessed" now. It is somewhat technical at times, and not the fastest reading, but definitely worthwhile. It just isn't my favorite Randy Alcorn book, although I love him as an author.
December 26, 2015
The basic thesis of the book is that it is unbiblical to separate "happiness" and "joy," that it is incorrect to say that the concept of happiness or the word is not found in the Bible. The book is exhaustive. There is some repetition. At times you almost feel like saying, "I get it, I get it." At times the reading is tedious. The author even suggests that people may want to skip the third section of the book which is largely a word study. Nevertheless, the book is a much needed corrective for the church today. And there are some real gems. For instance, the author says, "Seeking happiness without God is like seeking water without wetness or sun without light."
December 11, 2015
I really liked the way the book was organized into four parts. I must admit that I did not read the book in order. The sections made it easy and enjoyable to read them in a different order. My favorite part was the last section because of the applications. Being reminded that happiness is our choice is refreshing. This a great read to reflect on God's goodness and His gift of happiness to His people.
August 21, 2016
How I wish every believer could read this book... I am not the same person I was when I started it. The longing for happiness is so deeply ingrained in every human heart that it is undeniable. It only follows that we were created by and for a happy God, in whom we find overwhelming and true happiness.
April 19, 2023
I would give this book a million stars if I could. It changed my life, and inspired my latest book, "Hope is the First Dose" in many ways. Randy is a treasure, and all of his books are required reading in my opinion!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews