The Lifted Life

Preaching Happiness in an Epicurean Age

Ben Pugh

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2026
• Print ISBN:
  9798385237050
  9798385237067
• eBook ISBN:
  9798385237074
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

The apostle Paul’s most common phrase was “in Christ.” Yet Paul never unpacks exactly what it means. What does being “in Christ” and in union with Christ entail or effect? In this enlightening book, Ben Pugh works to mine what Paul meant by the phrase and what it might mean in our current setting. Pugh begins by exploring how much of Paul’s world—and much of ours—is defined by Epicureanism: individualism, utilitarian ethics, a conviction that only the material world (and not God) exists, and the downplaying of death, all in the pursuit of imperturbable happiness. Pugh then explores how the Orthodox, Western mystical, and evangelical traditions have interpreted union with Christ. He gleans from biblical and traditional sources how we might, as Christians, most effectively speak of happiness and its pursuit in today’s world. Being “in Christ” offers “the lifted life,” true and ongoing, lasting flourishing. Pugh concludes with rich ruminations on passages from Galatians, Romans, and the Gospel of John. Readers of The Lifted Life will come away with a deepened and expanded appreciation of Paul’s most common phrase.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• 1. What Is Western Culture?
• 2. The Orthodox Tradition
• 3. The Western Mystical Tradition
• 4. Evangelical Holiness
• 5. Bringing It Together
• 6. Session 1: John 1:14
• 7. Session 2: Galatians 2:19–20
• 8. Session 3: Romans 6:7–11
• 9. Session 4: John 15:4–5
• Conclusion
• Bibliography