What is Joy?

What is Joy? A series of scholars offer their thoughts on this cardinal question as part of our Theology of Joy consultations.

[BillDonaghy]

I'd add that our longing for beauty and thirst for joy is not escapism or a childish naïveté. It's our courageous rebellion against the soulless machine of scientific reductionism. It's also a kind of recumbent rebellion that sees the reception of reality as the way to joy rather than an attempt to get our grubby hands in there to try and change reality. Joy is our taking in the evening breeze from Eden that still, despite our sins, circles this weary world!

[omarwilliams]

TO ME, JOY IS A SUSTAINED HAPPINESS. HAPPINESS IS MORE REACTIVE

[ftcharvest]

Joy is part of the reality we once had, but lost. To get it back, you have to defeat your inner dragon. Read fairy tales, legends, and Matthew 7:3-5. Stop listening to your dragon mind. I got my joy back in 2012, and it's still there, growing every day!

[johanlewin]

:ove you Tata Tutu Joy comes in the morning BigBearHugz to you

[whitebearp]

An incoherent disjointed collection of opinionatings about a subject these people hardly know anything about. Else they'd have some intelligible notions to share. Thank you for proving that even learned theologians rally dont understand the topic.