Reward and Faithfulness

Is Christianity just a form of Hedonism?

Since my first philosophy class (ok my only philosophy class unless you count ethics)I have thought about this. I even wrote my semester final saying that Christianity was Hedonism. My professor disagreed but gave me a good grade on the essay.

John Piper, in his book "Desiring God" makes a strong case for this truth theologically. That ultimately the Christian way is about living the way that brings us the most pleasure. He cites CS Lewis, Jonathan Edwards, and the Westminister Catechism in his defense. Yet there is something about this that has never set right with me.

It is the same thing that does not quite sit right about "fire insurance" evangelism. It seems that the Christian faith should be about more than getting good things from God. About more than escaping pain and increasing pleasure. But what is one to make of all these passages that appeal to my desire to be happy and avoid torment.

Part of what bothers me is that it does not seem that this is the type of person we are called to become when we follow Jesus. It seems to ignore the fact that our motivations form us. And if Christianity is a form of sanctified selfishness based on delayed gratification, then Christians will never be formed into the fearless, selfless, altruistic people that we are called to be. But what is one to make of all these obvious appeals to our desire to be rewarded and to avoid punishment?

Some go to Maslow's hierarchy of needs and Fowler's moral reasoning and say that we cannot move to more transcendant and others-driven motivation right away. That we need appeals to our more base and selfish motivations before we can move into other more mature motivations for the life of faith. I do not doubt this may be true for some, but I also see the byproducts of this felt-needs worldview. Just look at how many books in the Christian bookstore are driven by self-help motivations. Many Christians never mature out of this reward and punishment motivation. Their faith becomes about how they can be happier, have better Boundaries, and have mind-blowing organisms in the context of marital bliss. Yet, when I walk through a Christian bookstore I see is a half-ass imitation of the world. Built on solving problems in four-steps, listening to a rapper that sounds EXACTLY like Eminem only he preaches Jesus, and self-righteous t-shirts that are cheap, preachy rip-offs of beer commercials or candy bars.

So then, what role does the promise of reward have in the Bible? One word: trust. No I thought of an even better one word: hope. It is not there to focus us on the reward. It is there to remind us that when we feel like life has given us a raw deal, that the story is not over. It is there to remind us that what Jesus said is true, even when we do not feel like it is. That even when we feel alone we are not. Rewards in Scripture sometimes motivate us. But even more, they are meant to drive us into a relationship. A relationship that trusts even when one feels like we shouldnt, because in the end we are in love with a God that is utterly trustworthy and faithful.