God wants you to be happy. Pope Francis explains why

In I Want You to Be Happy, Pope Francis makes the bold claim that God desires our happiness. Blending scripture, tradition, and everyday wisdom, this is a thought-provoking and helpful book for everyone - not just Catholics, says Jonty Langley

The fact that it’s controversial in some Christian circles to say God wants us to be happy is perhaps a sign of why our witness to the unchurched and de-churched world has so often been ineffective. Many popular theological cliques - especially those with a preference for firmness - are wary (and often hostile) toward any vision of God or Christianity that appears ‘too soft’ on sin or indulgence. A legitimate concern that sin won’t be taken seriously can subtly morph into a suspicion of mercy itself. In our pursuit of truth, we can, if not careful, become reflexively suspicious of any Christian voice that affirms people and tells them they are loved. In our eagerness to remind the world that personal desires aren’t central to the universe, we risk becoming accidentally anti-grace.

Into this dogmatic culture - so popular among young Calvinists, conservative evangelicals, and hard-line traditionalists, enters Pope Francis, not with radical pluralism or infinite license, but with some old-fashioned Good News. The Pope wants you to be happy, because, he insists, God wants you to be happy. His “recipes” for happiness are a blend of comfort, grace, and reassuring orthodoxy.

That’s not to say the book will sit easily with all conservatives. Conservative Catholics may well find points to contest - though only if they go looking. Protestants of certain indoctrination, might be surprised to see this progressive Pope brush aside ritual and religious commitment in favour of merciful action. He asks whether we really think we can buy our way into the Kingdom through rituals alone. Yet the same Protestants might be equally challenged, horrified or potentially…