Oct

29

What is Love? (Scot McKnight tells us)

October 29, 2007 |

Posted by joanied · Filed Under People, Books 

Scot McKnight on page 9 of The Jesus Creed says, “Love, a term almost undefinable, is unconditional regard for a person that prompts and shapes behaviors in order to help that person to become what God desires.  Love, when working properly, is both emotion and will, affection and action.”

I can agree with that.   But how many of us really have UNCONDITIONAL regard for people?  People offend us and we often write them off. 

 And what does love look like from a woman who is being abused by her partner?  The loving thing may be to leave the man to not only save her own life, but because the abuser needs to learn that he cannot continue that behavior which hurts both of them.  The sad irony, though, is that the time of leaving is when the abused person is most at risk of getting killed.

I have two books on their way to me now: Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ by Robert Bowman, J. Ed Komoszewski, and Darrell L. Bock

and Kingdom Triangle: Recover the Christian Mind, Renovate the Soul, Restore the Spirit’s Power by J.P. Moreland

and then maybe I will read The Jesus Creed.

Joanie D.


Comments

4 Comments so far

  1. stevemoore on October 30, 2007 6:26 am

    Good quote.

    I generally simplify it as “Love is having the other persons best interest at heart.” That encompasses all the components of Scott’s definition, but is far easier for me to remember and rolls off the tongue better too. ;^)

    -steve

  2. Kathy on October 30, 2007 10:40 am

    This is a recent article, Love’s Pursuit, on the subject of love:

    http://www.forthright.net/final_phase/loves_pursuit.html

  3. Chad Winters on October 31, 2007 3:05 am

    Ahh I read the Kingdom Triangle and like it a lot. ‘Putting Jesus in His place’ is on my shelf, but I haven’t gotten to it yet.

  4. JoanieD on October 31, 2007 6:59 am

    Steve, yes, your definition is good and easy to remember.

    Kathy, I like that webpage you directed us to.

    Chad, glad to hear you liked that book. I hear great things about J.P. Moreland but this will be the first time I have read any of his books.

    Joanie D.

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