CBB Review – The Gospel of Happiness

It seems many people today are not happy. I mean truly genuinely happy. They may think the accumulation of material goods will satisfy that internal longing but in the end they find it does not. So this naturally leads to the question of how does one obtain true happiness? Dr. Christopher Kaczor attempts to define how positive psychology and faith overlap and in fact go hand in hand to providing that true happiness people so desperately want in his new book The Gospel of Happiness: Rediscover Your Faith Through Spiritual Practice and Positive Psychology . I can say after reading his book that his attempt was more than successful.

The opening chapter of the book sets the tone for what is to come. Christopher covers positive psychology. Specifically he discusses the five elements of happiness: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning and achievement. As you proceed through the book you will become familiar with this and its acronym PERMA. Now I honestly can say that psychology has been far from one of my personal interests. I say that to ensure the general reader that this book is highly approachable for everyone. Not only is it approachable, but after reading this, it is a book that takes a welcome and unique approach showing how ones happiness can be directly influenced by their faith.

In the books remaining chapters Christopher covers six Christian “virtues” and how they directly impact one’s general outlook on life. These chapters are: The Way of Faith, Hope and Love; The Way of Prayer; The Way of Gratitude; The Way of Forgiveness; The Way of Virtue and The Way of Willpower. Here are some brief synopses of each.

The Way of Faith, Hope and Love takes these three theological virtues and shows how the Christian may have what I’d call a “happiness advantage”. Having faith in a divine creator and hope for an eternal existence can only lead one to joy. Love fosters a desire for unity. In the case of a Christian this unity translates into a desire for a relationship with God.

The Way of Prayer is how one can experience that unity mentioned in the previous chapter. An active prayer life nurtures our relationship with God. When one has this relationship it naturally leads into a deeper communion with God. Christopher takes a deep look into the Our Father that is exceptional.

The Way of Gratitude is all about giving thanks for everything we have. “If we believe in God, we have more for which to be grateful, since something as basic as our being alive is not a mere happening, but ultimately the result of a loving God’s providential care.” To have this “attitude of gratitude” one must be humble. Christopher includes a list of practices for cultivating humility from positive psychologist Paul Wong. It is a thought provoking list that is of great benefit to study.

The Way of Forgiveness is perhaps one of the hardest for us to achieve. We must remember however that forgiveness is something Jesus emphatically taught and led by example on while on the cross. We must remember that forgiveness though hard is necessary. “The teachings of Jesus about forgiveness are given to heal human relationships, to heal the hurts that we so often carry within ourselves, and to help us be more like God, who offers his rich mercy to people.”

The Way of Virtue are the positive habits we form that lead us to happiness. Two key points are made in this chapter. “A virtue is a habit of choosing activities that are conductive to authentic happiness and human flourishing. A vice is a habit of choosing what undermines authentic happiness and human flourishing.” It’s helpful to know that we can take up new beneficial habits or break vices at anytime to help foster our eternal happiness.

The Way of Willpower is our own natural drive to achieve but in the spiritual sense and can lead us in either a positive direction or a negative one. “Given the weakness of human nature, we will all from time to time suffer from failures of willpower. How we handle our failures can be a step toward greater virtue and happiness or toward greater vice and despair.”

The Gospel of Happiness is an insightful read into how our faith can lead us to genuine happiness. The topic of positive psychology is a deep one but Dr. Christopher Kaczor presents it in a manner that is both approachable and understandable for the average person. Whether you find that you are searching for some bright spots in your day or you know someone that is, this book would be a timely read. To be happy one must know how to become happy. As Christopher points out the reasons for happiness may be within arm’s reach if you only stretch yourself a little further.

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