Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The Gospel Coalition
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Why Does God Ordain Suffering for His People?
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![Andrew Wilson Wants to Help You Pursue Happiness [Gospelbound Ep. 186]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/w55Hdq3KWQc/mqdefault.jpg "Andrew Wilson Wants to Help You Pursue Happiness [Gospelbound Ep. 186]
Andrew Wilson is one of the happiest guys I know. So it only makes sense that he would write a book called Happiness: What It Is, Where to Find It, and How to Make It Last Forever, published by Crossway. He’s the expert. I’m delighted when I see Andrew at a TGC conference, or a retreat for The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. I look forward to every chance to spend time with him. He writes in this book, “Nothing is more honoring to a friend, a child, or a spouse than saying they make you happy. Nothing is more demeaning to them than telling them they don’t.” I can say, with no reservation, Andrew makes me happy when we’re together.
Ok. But where does that leave the rest of us? If we’re not naturally happy? If we’re not feeling happy right now? If we’re not hanging out with Andrew? The Declaration of Independence, 250 years ago, put happiness at the center of life’s aim: “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.”
Andrew covered that statement in his excellent earlier book, Remaking the World: How 1776 Created the Post-Christian West. Given the anniversary, I plan in this interview to sneak in a question or two about that fateful year. And we’ll discuss much more, including the difference between joy and happiness, whether God promises happiness, and why millennials grew up to be sad.
*In This Episode*
00:00 – What makes us genuinely happier
00:40 – Why Andrew Wilson wrote a book about happiness
04:29 – Happiness, sorrow, and biblical examples of deep joy
07:26 – Is joy different from happiness?
11:53 – Does God promise happiness to Christians?
13:35 – Why millennials became less happy as adults
19:41 – Freedom, responsibility, and the limits of liberation
23:21 – The “problem of superfluous happiness”
26:01 – How pursuing happiness helps us fight sin
29:23 – Why virtue, gratitude, and humility make us happier
32:53 – Compassion versus empathy
34:15 – Turning delights into disciplines
37:06 – Remaking the World and America’s 250th anniversary
39:48 – What makes the United States unique?
47:08 – Discovery, defense, temperament, and optimism
48:55 – Closing and book recommendations
*Resources Mentioned*
_Happiness_ by Andrew Wilson - https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-What-Where-Find-Forever/dp/1433599961/?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Remaking the World_ by Andrew Wilson - https://www.amazon.com/Remaking-World-1776-Created-Post-Christian-ebook/dp/B0BY3K4XQ5/?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Generations_ by Jean M. Twenge - https://www.amazon.com/Generations-Differences-Millennials-Silents_and-Americas/dp/1982181613?tag=thegospcoal-20
_The Happiness Hypothesis_ by Jonathan Haidt - https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/dp/0465028020?tag=thegospcoal-20
_The Expulsive Power of a New Affection_ by Thomas Chalmers - https://www.amazon.com/Expulsive-Power-Affection-Crossway-Classics/dp/143357067X?tag=thegospcoal-20
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![How Kevin Vanhoozer Bridges Biblical Studies and Theology [Gospelbound Ep. 189]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/wwozrnrq47U/mqdefault.jpg "How Kevin Vanhoozer Bridges Biblical Studies and Theology [Gospelbound Ep. 189]
Back in 2024 Kevin Vanhoozer’s book (https://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christian-Hermeneutics-Transfiguring-Theologically/dp/0310234387/?tag=thegospcoal-20) Mere Christian Hermeneutics: Transfiguring What It Means to Read the Bible Theologically won the Christianity Today book award in the academic theology category and also won The Gospel Coalition book award in biblical studies. I couldn’t even begin to account for all the other awards he’s won for earlier works.
I had the blessing of studying under Dr. Vanhoozer at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. And I was challenged in this book just as I was challenged and encouraged in his courses. Mere Christian Hermeneutics helps all of us who live on the far side of the “demise of biblical civilization.” When Westerners want to tell the story of the world, we no longer open the Bible. Vanhoozer aims to reconnect us with Scripture as our means of enjoying “covenant fellowship with the triune God.” I loved this summary in the book: “How an unholy people can come into the presence of a holy God is the chief complication in the biblical narrative to which the gospel is the solution.”
So let’s get into mere Christian hermeneutics, reading the Bible spiritually, the Transfiguration, and much more.
*In This Episode*
00:00 – The transfiguration of Jesus and the way Christians read Scripture
00:39 – Introducing Mere Christian Hermeneutics
01:58 – What makes this approach to hermeneutics “mere”?
03:26 – How different reading cultures divide Christians
05:01 – Polarization among Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians
06:52 – The loss of Christianity’s cultural influence in the West
07:46 – Does Catholic authority solve Protestant interpretive pluralism?
10:43 – What does it mean to interpret the Bible spiritually?
13:23 – How the transfiguration guides Christian interpretation
16:08 – Why Christians should not separate Jesus from the Bible
18:24 – Johannes Oecolampadius and Scripture’s Christ-centered scope
21:57 – Bridging the divide between biblical scholars and theologians
25:05 – Kant, critical thinking, and the rise of biblical criticism
27:34 – The hidden assumptions modern readers bring to Scripture
30:14 – Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and teaching systematic theology
32:37 – Cultural hermeneutics and the formative power of culture
36:24 – The current state of theological interpretation of Scripture
39:29 – Potential dangers in theological retrieval
41:40 – Protestant catholicity and unity amid secondary disagreements
42:02 – Vanhoozer’s work with the Alexandrian Institute
44:35 – His four-volume systematic theology project
46:19 – Brahms, young theologians, and reasons for hope
47:13 – What pastors can learn from Henry James
48:54 – Outro
*Resources Mentioned*
_Mere Christian Hermeneutics_ by Kevin Vanhoozer - https://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christian-Hermeneutics-Transfiguring-Theologically/dp/0310234387/?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Mere Christianity_ by C. S. Lewis - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926?tag=thegospcoal-20
_Meditation in a Toolshed_ by C. S. Lewis - https://www.cutsinger.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/3_saints_1.pdf
_The Bible Made Impossible_ by Christian Smith - https://www.amazon.com/dp/158743329X?tag=thegospcoal-20
_The Death of Scripture and the Rise of Biblical Studies_ by Michael C. Legaspi - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199845883?tag=thegospcoal-20
_The Portrait of a Lady_ by Henry James - https://www.amazon.com/dp/0141439637?tag=thegospcoal-20
_The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics_ - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/thekellercenter/
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🎁 Help The Gospel Coalition build up a renewed church for tomorrow. Lets Build Together: Donate Today at https://www.tgc.org/together
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![Ancient Remedies for the Ills of Modernity [TGC Podcast Ep. 421]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/x9YA8pIuPUA/mqdefault.jpg "Ancient Remedies for the Ills of Modernity [TGC Podcast Ep. 421]
For centuries, readers have been struck by how modern the book of Ecclesiastes sounds. It diagnoses the human condition with stunning depth and timeless relevance.
In this message recorded at a TGC Nashville regional gathering, Bobby Jamieson argues that by addressing our experiences of the absurd, alienation, and resonance, Ecclesiastes offers fresh pathways to the gospel and equips us to evangelize secular neighbors.
📝ON THIS VIDEO:
0:00 – Opening remarks
1:40 – Blaise Pascals insights on apologetics and evangelism
4:49 – Ecclesiastes and the deep roots of discontents and delights
10:04 – The absurdity of life and the insatiable heart
27:39 – The gifts and gift of life
35:32 – The joys of resonance
41:02 – Christ as the answer to lifes absurdity
47:37 – Conclusion and call to faith
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![Worship Is More than a Playlist (with Emily Jensen) [The Deep Dish - Ep. 35]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xGCO6volqo0/mqdefault.jpg "Worship Is More than a Playlist (with Emily Jensen) [The Deep Dish - Ep. 35]
Melissa and Courtney talk with Emily Jensen about how to broaden our understanding of worship to think of it as a response to God’s worth. They discuss how worship is more than singing on Sunday morning, but that corporate worship is an essential part of the worship God desires. They talk about the role that our feelings should play in how we think about worship and how to offer up the mundane moments of our lives to the glory of God.
📝ON THIS VIDEO:
0:00 – Exploring Worship Beyond Music in Everyday Life
6:38 – Living a Life of Gratitude and Devotion to the Lord
8:50 – The Purpose and Challenges of Worship Beyond Feelings
20:29 – Worship Through Daily Tasks and Gods Presence in Mundanity
25:35 – Cozy Earths Buy One Give One Sheet Set Offer
26:39 – The Importance of Worshiping God in the Right Way
33:01 – Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth Through Christ
41:43 – Gods Delight in Our Imperfect Offerings
44:19 – The Timeless Power of Worship and Hymns
Resources Mentioned:
Worship (Disciplines of Devotion) by Emily A. Jensen - https://www.amazon.com/Worship-Disciplines-Devotion-Emily-Jensen/dp/B0FTZFL4G2/?tag=thegospcoal-20
“God Moves In a Mysterious Way” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v 8k1pQxT2lI
“Holy Forever” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ngQETNj_bE
“We Rest on Thee” - https://hymnary.org/text/we_rest_on_thee_our_shield_and_our_defen
Related Resources:
A Biblical Theology of Worship - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/tgc-podcast/a-biblical-theology-of-worship/
Leading Worship Is Worship - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/leading-worship-worship/
Gospel-Shaped Worship - https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/series/gospel-shaped-worship/
For more resources, visit our website.
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/podcasts/deep-dish/
———
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