J.P. Moreland - Lost Virtue of Happiness: Discovering the Disciplines of the Good Life

The Lost Virtue of Happiness is rich in practical wisdom. It encourages us to embrace the way of other-centered self-denial springing from the practice of Gods presence and vital trust in Him.

KENNETH BOA, PhD, DPhil;
president, Reflections Ministries;
president, Trinity House Publishers

Myriad empirical studies underscore the fact that happiness is a highly valued virtue in our world today. This handbook to happiness begins with the ultimate biblical truth: to gain your life you need to lose it.

LUIS BUSH, international facilitator,
Transform World Connections

DISCOVERING THE DISCIPLINES of THE GOOD LIFE

J. P. M ORELAND , P H D

K LAUS I SSLER , P H D

O UR G UARANTEE TO Y OU

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2006 by J. P. Moreland and Klaus Issler

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ISBN 1-57683-648-7

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Cover photo by Istock

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Some of the anecdotal illustrations in this book are true to life and are included with the permission of the persons involved. All other illustrations are composites of real situations, and any resemblance to people living or dead is coincidental.

Unless otherwise identified, all Scripture quotations in this publication are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ( NIV ). Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Other versions used include: the New American Standard Bible ( NASB ), The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995; the King James Version ( KJV ); and Todays New International Version ( TNIV ). Copyright 2001, 2005 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved worldwide.

Moreland, James Porter, 1948

The lost virtue of happiness : discovering the disciplines of the good life / J.P Moreland and Klaus Issler.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-57683-648-7

1. Christian life. 2. Happiness--Religious aspects--Christianity. I. Issler, Klaus Dieter. II. Title.

BV4501.3.M6675 2005

248.4--dc22

2005015996

Printed in the United States of America

1 2 3 4 5 6 / 10 09 08 07 06

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To Bill Roth
Wise counselor, solid friend

The meaning of earthly existence lies not, as we have grown used to thinking, in prospering... but in the development of the soul.
A LEKSANDR I. S OLZHENITSYN

Were grateful for the wonderful editing Don Simpson did to help our ideas shine through more clearly. We would also like to thank our wives, Hope Moreland and Beth Issler, for their helpful feedback and support for this project. I (J. P.) want to thank my therapist, Dr. Christopher Linamen, for seeking the kingdom, loving me, and being excellent at what he does. Further, each of us received funds for writing from EIDOS Christian Center, and we are most grateful for this aid. Finally, we are thankful to God for each other. We have been friends and fellow soldiers for twenty-five years, and it was great joy to write this book together.

We have forgotten how to live life.

I (J. P.) dont mean that were not active, involved with friends, busy at work. I dont mean that were not spending time with family, meeting with coworkers at Starbucks, aware of whats new on television and in the theaters. We stay current with popular culture the trendsetters, the movers and shakers, the media idols of our age.

But they are not teaching us how to live life. Not even close. Most of what takes up the airwaves is the absence of life a constant reshuffling of relationships, a preoccupation with wiping out the opposition as violently as possible, the pursuit and spending of the almighty dollar in a system that Vaclav Havel calls totalitarian consumerism. We see example after example of empty, self-centered existence.

We also dont know how to teach our kids about living life. We expect them to figure it out on their own, to sort of fall into it. We expect them to learn life from their peers.

If we are going to recover real life the life that has been sucked out of us by technological gadgetry, vivid media images, and our passive kind of continuing education via sitcoms and advertising we are going to have to return to the wisdom of the ancients.

The key to living life is paradox. One of the most important paradoxes comes from the mouth of Jesus: For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it (Matthew 16:25). Thats a mouthful. Our aim in this book is to unpack the paradoxes for living true life and to begin to get good at it. If we do, we will also influence our kids. They will pick up a different set of values than what comes at them five hours a day over the tube.

Real life does not come naturally. It is counterintuitive. It is a skill we have to learn. Thats because the way to real life is not something we get, but something we give. And here is another paradox: We cant get the life we want by direct effort. We will need to learn spiritual disciplines that are, in the words of Dallas Willard, activities that are in our power that enable us to do what we cannot do by direct effort. Thats another mouthful but thats what Klaus and I want to unpack in this book.