A Eudaimonistic Vision of Christian Discipleship 

     Alasdair MacIntyre in his seminal book After Virtue severely criticizes the impact of enlightenment exegetes on moral philosophy. Separating moral ethics from its quintessential telos, modern philosophy lies in a fractured state of incoherence and salient contradictions. For MacIntyre, moral philosophy's only hope is to return to the its Aristotelian origins, rooted in telos, a Eudiamonistic vision of human flourishing and virtue. This Aristotelian view provides a new and enlightening vision for Christian discipleship, one focused upon telos and the intentional embrace of virtue in the transformation of the individual into the Image of Christ.

     One of MacIntyre's most severe criticisms of the contemporary state of moral philosophy is directed towards the ethicial paradigm of emotivism. Essentially, emotivism states that all moral judgements do not function as statements of fact, but rather expressions of individual emotions and preferences[1]. Emotivism, seeking to provide a theory of all moral judgements, is simply a framework examining the meaning of sentences used to make moral judgements. For MacIntyre, this theory is fraught with inherent contradictions, as moral judgements and the statement of feelings are two different things.

As MacIntyre continues his critical analysis of emotivism, he questions the quintessential claim of the theoretical model:

Emotivism thus rest upon a claim that every attempt, whether past or present, to

provide a rational justification for an objective morality has in fact failed. It is a

verdict upon the whole history of moral philosophy and as such obliterates the contrast between the present and the past embodied in my hypothesis[2].

Emotivism's repudiation of the existence of any objective morality is consistent with the Post-Modern idea of moral relativism prevalent in the modern age.

     Interestingly, emotivism stands in sharp contrast to the theoretical model of Divine Command Ethics. The underline assumption of emotivism is that there are no concrete, absolute moral principles that are factual, true. The Divine Command Ethics paradigm postulates that true moral ethics are rooted in the Trinity, the ultimate authority that defines what is right, true and moral. Such repudiations of Divine ethics is nothing new in a world that boldly rejects revelation of the Triune God who rules creation in splendor and majesty.

                                      Emotivism and the Contemporary Landscape

     One of the greatest challenges of fulfilling the Missio-Dei, making disciples in the 21st century is the ubiquitous presence of emotivism in American culture. Like the 1st century Christians, we live in world where there are many competing models of truth, moral ethics. It is a fractured world of moral ethics where many subscribe to the autonomous individualism of enlightenment philosophers like Nietzsche. Many embrace the falsehood that all moral judgments and claims are simply based on personal feelings and preferences, not fact or reality. This view purports that morality and truth are purely subjective-we create on own moral universes. Such fractured perspectives on truth and morality present major challenges for contemporary Christian leaders who dare to make truth claims about the Scriptures and the atoning work of Christ. Many individuals in and outside of the Church are quick to regard Christian doctrines as mere "opinions" that can be easily dismissed in the public square if debate.

                   A Eudiamonistic Vision of Christian Discipleship and Human Flourishing

     Aristotle's concept of Eudaimonia, rooted in telos, underscores the importance of focusing on the goal of human action in Christian discipleship. Aristotle taught that every activity and practice of humankind aims at some good, a telos-a goal. He referred to this goal as Eudaimonia, a state of blessedness, happiness, human flourishing. Thus, MacIntyre asserts:

Human beings, like the members of all other species, have a specific nature;

And that nature is such that they have certain aims and goals, such as they

move by nature towards a specific telos. The good is defined in terms of their

characteristics[3].

For Christians, Eudaimonia, human flourishing is achieved in personal and intimate relationship with the Triune God of creation. This quintessential telos of the Christian life is beautifully summarized in Mark 12:28-29:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.[e] Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'[g] There is no commandment greater than these." (NRSV)

For Christ, the telos of Christian discipleship is centered in the Jewish Shema, a complete devotion of heart, soul, mind and strength in serving Yahweh. It requires the highest fidelity of commitment and obedience to the Triune God of creation who through the cross claims us, purchases us through the atoning work of the cross. Moreover, this level of commitment in discipleship is beautifully articulated in Revelations 3:15-17:

15 "I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, 'I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.' You do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

The Lord severely rebukes the Church in Laodicea for their lack of passion in religious devotion. Their earthly riches have dulled their sense of dependence on the Divine and their passionate engagement with the Trinity.

     For Aristotle, achieving Eudaimonia, the state of blessedness, and flourishing was possible through the cultivation of the classical virtues of fortitude, justice, prudence and temperance. Similarly, the Christian telos is made possible through cultivation of Divine virtues outlined in Galatians 5:22:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (NRSV)

Fundamentally, Christian discipleship is a call to transformation, metamorphosis, whereby we grow into the likeness of Christ who perfectly exemplifies all virtue. This comports well with Eastern Orthodox understandings of theosis whereby Christians progressively share in the Life and nature of the Divine Trinity. Thus, one commentator asserts:

Theosis ("deification," "divinization") is the process of a worshiper becoming free of hamartía ("missing the mark"), being united with God, beginning in this life and later consummated in bodily resurrection. For Orthodox Christians, Théōsis is salvation. Théōsis assumes that humans from the beginning are made to share in the Life or Nature of the all-Holy Trinity. Therefore, an infant or an adult worshiper is saved from the state of unholiness (hamartía ) for participation in the Life (zōé, not simply bíos) of the Trinity-which is everlasting[4].

Theosis, sanctification is the ultimate goal of the Christian discipleship. As disciples of Christ, we embark on the most important spiritual journey of our lives, metamorphosis, as we grow into the likeness of Christ. This comports well with the wisdom of the Patristic Father St. Athancious who asserted, "The Son of God became man, that we might become god." Athanasius wasn't claiming that disciples would in fact become divine, rather that we would become like the divine in nature, in holiness and virtue.

     Alasdair MacIntyre in his seminal book After Virtue severely criticizes the impact of enlightenment exegetes on moral philosophy. Post modern philosophy has separated moral ethics from its quintessential telos, resulting in a fractured and incoherence state of affairs. For MacIntyre, moral philosophy's only hope is to return to the its Aristotelian origins, rooted in telos, a Eudiamonistic vision of human flourishing and virtue. Fortunately, this Aristotelian view provides a new and enlightening vision for Christian discipleship, one focused upon telos and the intentional embrace of virtue in the transformation of the individual into the Image of Christ.

[1] After Virtue (Indiana, University of Notre Dame Press, 2007)12

[2] After Virtue (Indiana, University of Notre Dame Press, 2007)19

[3] After Virtue (Indiana, University of Notre Dame Press, 2007)148

[4] https://orthodoxwiki.org/Theosis, accessed 2/15/21 your text here... your text here...