The theo-logic of God’s love says divine love is relationally full-orbed rather than one-dimensional. Three forms of love — agape, eros, and philia — demonstrate this theo-logic. And the Bible gives witness to them. AGAPE God expresses the agape form of love by responding to sin with forgiveness and healing. Those are activities that assume God relates with […]

In contrast to Aquinas and Anselm, I think God’s love involves more than outgoing benevolence. God’s love also involves incoming empathy, receiving, and sometimes suffering.

I’ve been in conversation lately with people thinking through my theology of God’s uncontrolling love. Many like my view that God cannot control others. But they think the biblical writers say God sometimes controls. Two examples of God’s alleged control often arise in our conversations. Both are claimed to be supported by the Bible. I […]

We need a revolution.  Actually, we need revolutions (plural). The status quo must be overcome. I don’t pretend to think we will all agree upon the precise strategies that might best overcome destructive ways of living. Nor do I think we will all agree about which dimensions of life, structures of society, or ways of loving need […]

I think about love nearly every day. As a love scholar and professor, I talk about love so much some students call me “Dr. Love.” But when Valentine’s Day arrives each year, I can get annoyed. The language of love I hear can be confusing! Sex and Romance I hear the word “love” used in […]

It has become acceptable in some circles to ridicule attempts to be “politically correct.” One prime example of such political correctness, say some, is use of gender-inclusive language. Communication Communication is a two-way street.  It involves the communicator’s choice of language and a recipient’s interpretation of that language. Communication occurs in a polis, or what we […]

Madonna, Perry Como, and the Powerpuff Girls sing songs titled, “Love Makes the World Go ‘Round.”  The phrase represents wishful thinking, starry-eyed romance, and sappiness.  To some, it conjures visions of Don Quixote chasing windmills. But that phrase means something else to me. A few theologians suggest that the phrase might tell us something about […]

Thanks primarily to Donald Trump’s rhetoric, some Christians have been quoting the Apostle John lately: “perfect love casts out fear.” I’m no Trump supporter, but I think these words have been misinterpreted. What they actually mean can help us during this election season! To be clear, I think love often takes risks. It often includes […]

Many Christians believe Jesus never fails. But that’s not what scripture says. Our acknowledging that Jesus sometimes failed can help us make sense of life and live more abundantly. Jesus Cannot Heal All One my favorite examples (among others) of Jesus failing is his attempt to do miracles in his hometown. The people of Nazareth […]

The well-being of the world depends, in part, upon our decisions to promote overall well-being. That’s just a fancy way of saying: we need to love! Many people know that love, altruism, and compassion plays central roles for making sense of life and living life well. For centuries, various religious traditions and philosophers have recognized this. […]