The Greener Grass Conspiracy added May 1, 2011

I was recently given a free review copy of The Greener Grass Conspiracy, a new book by Stephen Altrogge. In exchange for my agreement to post a review of the book on my blog, Crossway sent me the book. I am fond of books in general and I was interested in this particular book even before becoming aware of this possibility of obtaining a copy. With that disclaimer out of the way, here are some of my impressions from various sections of the work: {(Introduction) The Conspiracy} The problem of contentment is pervasive. It is enduringly etched into human nature. Stephen Altrogge describes the problem as "a conspiracy between the world, my heart, and Satan to steal my happiness." He writes that "These three are plotting and scheming together to make me perpetually discontent. They're stubbornly determined to poison the joy I have in God and to deceive me into believing that I can find happiness somewhere other than God. They want me to dishonor God by gorging on the unsatisfying pleasures of the world instead of finding true joy and satisfaction in Christ." One's natural disposition is to think of oneself as deserving of incredible bounty. Though one ought to consider the serious judgment one deserves and the remarkable blessings of Providence despite the distinct lack of merit for any of them, prideful assertion of personal worth abounds in the human heart. This problem remains an enduring struggle for the entire length of one's life. Various books have been written on the topic, and more will surely be produced. Being familiar with The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment and Desiring God (among other related books), I cannot say that I consider The Greener Grass Conspiracy to present significantly new material, but it remains timely nonetheless. It is helpful to be continuously reminded of the real battle against discontentment. Discontentment robs one of genuine joy in the apprehension of transcendent external realities, and Altrogge's bringing up of this topic in the introduction provides a useful foundation for considering the topic as addressed in the rest of the book. {Why Am I So Unhappy?} Externalities are of minimal relevance in considering issues of great importance. Those areas of thought and practice which are most significant tend to be precisely those areas which have to do with the nature of one's heart (one's innermost or core being). As I consider this first chapter, I am reminded of John Calvin's introduction to his Institutes of the Christian Religion, in which Calvin discusses two great areas of knowledge: the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of oneself. Understanding oneself is necessary for understanding one's necessary battle for contentment, and an excellent summary of one's nature is presented in Mark 7:21-13 (as quoted by Altrogee):

"For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person." (Mark 7:21-13) What is the problem with me? My heart is an idol factory. The solution, of course, is to shut down the factory. As the Apostle Paul learned to be content in every situation, so also ought all Christians to learn true and lasting contentment.

{I'm Not the Center of the Universe} Man is naturally inclined to think of himself as the measure of all things and to assert his dominance. This is a universal problem for humanity. Entire books have been written on the topic of the glory of God as the end of all things, but Altrogge's second chapter serves as a useful summary of the topic. The chapter concludes with these thoughts:

"We need God to let us see, I mean really see, his majesty, splendor, holiness, beauty, fierceness, and greatness, so much so that God captivates our hearts. We also need to ask God to help us love his glory. In other words, we need God to give us the desire to honor him. We need God to give us a holy obsession with bringing him glory and increasing his reputation. I can't manufacture love for God on my own. I love my life too much. I count my life as too precious. I need God to help me love his honor above everything else. The beautiful thing is that as we pursue the glory of God, we're fulfilling our life's purpose. When we seek to honor God by being content in prosperity and suffering, we're doing what we were made to do. We're glorifying God."

{So What Am I, a Monk?} Contentment is sometimes portrayed as the squelching of one's desires. Asceticism is sometimes seen as a necessary path in the pursuit of contentment. This chapter discusses a superior construction of contentment as a disposition of the heart that freely and joyfully submits to God's will, whatever that will may be. Because of the nature of contentment and desire, it is easy to focus on the necessity of contentment in the midst of undesirable circumstances. Painful realities reveal the true nature of one's dispositions. While the chapter provides an example of a disposition of contentment demonstrated by Jonathan Edwards in the midst of painful rejection by a church congregation, it is also important to consider contentment within a context of plenty, as was documented in a sad way by Solomon in Ecclesiastes. The hope of the Christian in this area of growing in contentment is not found in the resources that one may seem to possess; it is found in the gracious disposition of God toward His people and His reliable purposes concerning them. {I Worship My Television} This chapter deals specifically with the identification of idols in one's life, and with their removal. The consistent theme is to question oneself on one's desires. The motivations for desires are important and can provide significant insight into the nature of one's contentment.The necessity of a work of God in the heart of man concerning the area of idolatry is mentioned with a citation of Romans 8:13. One of Altrogge's paragraphs deals with a particularly dangerous idol:

"We take action by repenting of idols and turning away from them. To repent is to change both your thinking and your behavior. Repenting of idol worship takes different forms depending on the idol. If your idol is pornography, repentance looks like asking Jesus to forgive you for loving sex more than him. It means getting down on your knees every morning and asking God to deliver you from your sexual slavery. It means having hard-hearted resolve not ot fill your eyes with putrid images. It means thinking biblically about sex and lust byinforming your mind with Scriptures such as Job 31:1, which reads, "I have made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl" (NIV). It means obliterating every shred of pornography you own and asking others to help you stop worshipping sex. It might mean turning off your computer. Or destroying it. To repent of pornography is to make every effort to be pure."

Whether a particular area of idolatry ensnaring a person is categorized as a scandalous personal vice or as a seemingly innocuous or even beneficial desire or objective, the root issue remains the same, and this chapter does deal to some degree with that fundamental problem. {The King's Madness} Solomon had everything, yet his cautionary instruction recorded in Ecclesiastes demonstrates the folly of pursuing pleasure outside the enjoyment of God. {Bloody Contentment} This chapter deals with foundational Gospel reality, the matter of the cost of sin's forgiveness. The redemption of the saints (believers) is costly. Every sin is serious, and ought to be taken seriously. {Some People Have to Learn the Hard Way} Adversity is often the crucible used by God in the formation of precious character that would otherwise be thoroughly foreign to a person. God's designs for the sanctification of His people will succeed. {In Search of the Secret} Philippians 4:13 is a precious verse, yet it is frequently misused. The assertion that a Christian's doing of "all things through Christ" means that a Christian is capable of doing anything which he or she desires misses the gist of the passage. The chief matter is not that the believer is "successful" in accomplishing certain things, but rather that the believer finds his joy in one thing, and one thing only: in Christ, in Whom the believer has is or her spiritual identity. Specific encouragements and disciplines are addressed in the chapter, making it quite useful. {Eat the Meat and Die} The Old Testament account of the people of Israel in the desert is filled with manifestations of their murmuring spirit against God. Complaining is a serious affront to the character of God. It asserts divine insufficiency. It presumes human authority. It violates sanctified reasoning. {Count Your Blessings—Literally} In this chapter Stephen Altrogge enumerates specific blessings in his own life. The example is useful for exploring detailed thoughts on the blessings God has bestowed upon onself. You need to discipline yourself to practice this sort of blessing enumeration, at least periodically, in order to more sincerely glorify God for that which He has graciously and generously done for you. This is a humbling practice of high benefit. {The End of Tears} For the Christian, there is a preeminence of hope in a future reality, an eternal kingdom in which all things are resolved according to divine decree. Eternal citizenship in a spiritual nation, a kingdom not of this world, is an important theme throughout the New Testament. While details concerning heaven are minimal in Scripture, and much harmful speculation has been published and continues to be published, the existence of questionable or dubious speculation should not discourage joy in what is knowable from Scripture. Summary: The Greener Grass Conspiracy references The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment (Jeremiah Burroughs) and The Art of Divine Contentment (Thomas Watson) and is far less rigorous than either book. (Sorry, Stephen.) Those books stem from an earlier period in history, however, and this book is a worthy library addition from the present addressing an age-old problem. If you are reading this, you are in a struggle over contentment, or at least you should be. That should be enough to motivate you to pursue wholesome encouragements toward the realization of greater enjoyment of God and satisfaction in Him, concerning which this book should provide at least valuable material for thoughtful deliberation.