Great stuff from Maggi: our doctrine is love. If you feel that doctrine compells you to violate Jesus' new commandment, then you need to wonder if your doctrine is in error. Love - especially for sisters and brothers in Christ - is as central a Christian doctrine as just about anything else you might name: the trinity, the incarnation, the atonement - heck, the existence of God, since God is love. If you think the most effective way to express love for your brother or sister is to spew venom in his or her direction, then brother, you have issues. If you admit that your venom-spewing betrays a lack of love for the person you're aiming at, then you've got doctrinal issues. Or so it seems to me.
Thanks, Maggi!
2 comments:
having heard now hundreds of "its all about love" sermons i have to sound a word of caution everytime i see love being lifted up above all else. mainly because our working definition of love is so weak in western/nothern culture. there are times when loving someone means saying no or holding them accountable to the light of Christ.
i agree however that spewing venom is never the means to the end of love. thanks for the link, i'll read on.
Hey, Steve, thanks for the important cautionary note. You're right. If love is so central to our faith (and I really don't think you'll find many Christians claiming it isn't, at least in theory), then where is our deep theology on just what "love" means, in important biblical contexts like the New Commandment in John and the Great Commandment in the synoptics? (That's a rhetorical question, because I know there are some excellent theologies out there, but it's also a practical question 'cause I bet you can direct me to one or two. I've yet to read Dallas Willard's Renovation of the Heart, for example, but I bet it addresses this subject.)
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