In Chapter 1 of The Dangerous Duty of Delight John Piper is making the case for what he calls "Christian Hedonism." At first hearing the phrase "Christian Hedonism" sounds like a contradiction in terms. Surely one can't be both a Christian and a hedonist, both some one who follows Christ (a Christian) and someone who seeks pleasure  (hedonist)? But as we will see, this is what Piper will make a biblical argument for. The seeming contradiction comes from where we normally seek our pleasure: we seek it in sin. But we will see that we are to seek our pleasure in God! This makes us hedonists, pleasure seekers. The question is will we seek our pleasure not in the things of this world but in God Himself?

Probably the most controversial claim in Chapter 1 is that  "The pursuit of pleasure really is a necessary part of being a good person." But it's not pursuing pleasure at the expense of pursuing God. Rather, it is pursuing pleasure in God Himself. Piper is "crystal clear": "We are always talking about joy in God." What Piper is effectively pointing out along with other great Christian voices in history (Augustine, Pascal, Jonathan Edwards, and C. S. Lewis) is that we have a duty to delight in God! We see this in Scripture from Moses (Deut 28:47-48), David (Psa 16:11; 37:4), James (Jam 1:2), Paul (Phil 4:4), Peter (1 Pet 4:13), and Jesus Himself (John 15:11; Heb 12:2).

C. S. Lewis put it this way: "It is a Christian duty, as you know, for everyone to be happy as he can." And it is our duty, as you know, to be as happy as we can in God.