As Americans, from womb to tomb, we are ever encompassed by and bombarded with the value dynamics set forth in the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Moreover, what complicates things all the more these days is that these sacred, American words are most commonly viewed through a relative, postmodern lens. So, in a nutshell, this means that they are up for private, arbitrary interpretation, apart from any ultimate principles or sources.Accordingly, during the last several decades, our culture has increasingly embraced postmodern values, and such has led to an observable shift in the typical pursuit of happiness in America. When it comes to the pursuit of happiness, as a people, generally speaking, Americans now tend to look more within (subjectively) and less without (objectively) for an answer to their moment-by-moment problems with happiness. Sadly, often this is even true of conservative, church-going Christians, people who usually appreciate ultimate principles and sources.
Consequently, as a serious student of the Scriptures, I want to offer my readers another perspective on the problem of happiness. Accordingly, these posts will be rooted in the ultimate propositions of the light of Scripture, the king of truth (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20-21), as well as the light of nature, the queen of truth (Rom 1:20).
Finally, I want to address the reason why I've titled these posts, "The Problem of Happiness." This is a play on words from the philosophical world. In the philosophical world, the "problem of evil" is an argument that points to the existence of evil in the world as proof that God does not exist. Moreover, the "problem of pain" is also presented similarly, as yet another philosophical argument against God's existence. Such philosophical views often maintain that the realities of evil and pain in the world cannot possibly be reconciled with the Bible's truths of a good, merciful God who is also omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Similarly, the "problem of happiness," as I define it, is perhaps best captured by this question: If God truly exists, why would He hard-wire human beings to pursue happiness with every breath they take, and then make it seemingly impossible for them to find it and keep it?
Note: This post is one in a series of posts entitled, "The Problem of Happiness." Sometime soon I'll post another installment, so be sure to come back and finish reading the series. On Sunday evenings, as part of the ministry of Park Woods Presbyterian Church, I'm currently leading a Bible-study/Fellowship on this topic. These weekly Bible studies are an even deeper look at The Problem of Happiness, so if you are interested in a fuller treatment of this subject, access the more elaborate study notes here: comprehensive "Problem of Happiness" study notes.
