What does it mean to love? This is the question I have been asking myself for the last few months. The reason I've asked it is two fold:
1. I've felt sub-par in my ability to love.
2. How the word today is defined is not what is meant in the Bible; this goes for the world's definition, to be sure, but it also goes for the commonly accepted Christian definition as well.
So, I've been on a quest of sorts to solidify my understanding of that word. As I stumble down the road on this quest I am becoming ever more convinced that the prostitution of the "word"; indeed the flipping of the word onto its head, is a prime reason for the unraveling of our society. To wit, another denomination instituted sin just this past week in the name of love. Western civilization is drowning in red ink, in the name of love. Truth and sound doctrine have been evicted from many, if not most churches, in the name of love. Today a bunch of rot-gut sermons will be preached, in the name of love. Families are being laid waste, in the name of love. As one talented poet/musician asks, "what more in the name of love?" Sadly, much much more.
Here are some of the posts I've written as a result of this quest:
Leaving The Church
TULIP - I
-
We're up to "I" in this series. We started with the problem: Man's radical
depravity that cuts him off from God without any means of remedying it
himself. ...
Posts
12 comments:
looks like you were hit by the blogger 'zapper' too-
left a comment on a post below-wish I had saved it - it was profound - you know :-)
Carol-CS
I am aware, and have experienced the presence of, people, but not churches, that have put doctrine on a pedestal above God. I say this because of a recent correspondence I've engaged in that made me aware that this is just as possible in our walk as we seek God and are knocked off coarse. Others have put spiritual gifts, money, personal peace, politics, (mostly, but not all, liberal in my opinion) and experience on a pedestal above God. All of these are a missing of the mark, and are, I think, the very reason I Corinthians 13 is located between 12 and 14. Paul is dealing with Church unity here, and love's part in that unity. Love must be gotten right lest we end up loving the world to death.
Hi CS
I was just making this little addition to my post. Yes, I was hit, but not as hard as others.
yes, I read your comment. I erase all blogger notification from my email right away once I read them, so I lost it there as well.
Dan,
The pattern concerning your consideration of love definitely caught my attention.
This is such a huge topic and, I believe, one that is absolutely central to the Christian faith.
You are right in acknowledging that our culture has reworked the meaning of "love" in order to suit a myriad of uses...even most English translations I've read have simply substituted "love" for more than one Greek word and can cause confusion if passages are not read with care.
I have a post written on Love as this is something I needed to really examine myself a few months back. Due to the heavy-duty inclusion of scripture passages, it was one of the articles I privatized when I had my "I hope I don't look like I'm trying to be a teacher" meltdown. But, if you are interested, I can haul it out of the mothballs for a bit and leave you a link...
Heather
Dan
Love is .... well, love is a mini-splendored thing! All together now!Let's give wuv a chance. Why bring us post hippie types down with reality. Really, Dan ... climb on the bandwagon ... delusion is so peaceful. Oops! I kinda relapsed for a minute there. Wonderful post.
Heather, that'd be great if you can provide the link.
Thanks Christian Ease. I think we may have some threads in our tapestry taken from the same piece of cloth.
Good stuff. I'm looking forward to your explanation of the real meaning of "love".
(Oh, by the way, it wasn't just comments that took a hit over the last few days. Blogger failed to post my two entries during that time as well. I had to go in and repost them later. Messy, messy.)
I am planning to read all that you have linked in your post. Just wanted you to know that. Oh and I have you in my Google Reader. So now I can read your blog on my phone too. Good Stuff.
http://onmysoapbox2.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/why-love-2/
(apologies...I never figured out how to create a link on a comment)
By way of explanation, this was a result of my own struggle with attempting to develop a working understanding of "love". There are actually several good comments that you might find more edifying than the OP.
H
Dan, I said to a 23 year old yesterday "I can't stand GROUP HUGS".....In some ways, love is greatly under respected.
I don't want to HUG 3 people hello and goodbye or in agreement.....it feels cheap and hallow to me, does that make sense? "GROUP HUG" Blech. "lest we end up loving the world to death" (great phrase, Dan, by the way)
He later came up when leaving the church picnic and looked me right in the eye and opened his arms...I hugged him and said "This is a HUG"
We're good friends, we 'love' each other, there was value and sweetness and specialness in our hug. But we make love impotent when everyone says "Love ya!" In Germany, parents don't generally tell their children "I LOVE YOU"...Love is strictly between man/woman, that's the truth!
Funny, now that I think of it, I think I understand love even better now that I've lost my husband and his love. Missing it makes you realize what it truly was. hmmm Got to think about that.
Stan
that might take awhile. Come talk to me in about 30 years!
Thanks Divapalloza, Iv'e had you in my google reader for some time. Thanks.
Thanks Heather. I obviously missed that one.
Z
You injected a different perspective. Though I have considered that the Biblical word has been cheapened, I'd never considered how that might play itself out as those ripples emanate across culture, i.e. shallow relationships being mistaken for love, as well as lust and infatuation. Speaking of infatuation, your comment concerning your husband reminded me of an occasion in my own life. My wife and I had been married for several years when I got out the videos we made on our honeymoon and watched them. I was totally amazed. As I watched those videos I remembered how I felt about my wife at that moment. Compared to how I felt then after sharing two or three years of life together, the feelings I had then seemed almost superficial. That love has only grown deeper with the fifteen years we've had since. I simply can't imagine the pain one must endure when faced with the reality of loosing a spouse. Just how deep one person loves another, I think, remains hidden in the roots of our daily lives until one day they are pulled from the ground and those deep roots are exposed.
THanks, Dan....A good marriage's love grows and grows, doesn't it. Cherish it, Dan.xxx
re society and cheapening LOVE...don't forget, first-time daters will have sex that first (and probably only) night, and say "....then we made love"....as IF.
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