Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Progressive Christian
Politics and Religion
I wanna know what love is – I want you to show me

I wanna know what love is – I want you to show me

Last updated on: September 29, 2023 at 12:26 pm by Kathryn Shihadah

0 Comments

I wanna know what love is – I want you to show me 2023-09-29T12:26:55-04:00 Kathryn Shihadah

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

"LOVE" by MoToMo is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

LOVE. The greatest commandment. Greater than faith and hope. And also the squishiest, most subjective, indefinable concept there is. How can God command “love”? Isn’t it something that has to be freely given?

If it’s really true that Christianity is built on love, we need to grapple with questions like these. We need to examine our assumptions and interrogate our actions.

What follows is not a definition or explanation of love, or an exhaustive list of actions that are and are not loving. Rather, it is a challenge to each of us to see whether we are even in the ballpark of Christlike love.

“Love your neighbor.” Who dat?

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus sets a high bar for neighbor-love.

Someone asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus’ answer, of course, is the parable of the Good Samaritan. He ends the discussion with the words, “Go and do likewise” – i.e. “and that’s how to inherit eternal life.”

The lesson could be summed up like this:

“That guy from the story who practices a different religion from yours – I want you to live like him. Those other guys from the story who practice your religion – they are getting it wrong.”

Are we living with this level of abandon – spending our money to help those in need, regardless of their religious/racial/party affiliation? It is not natural to live this way. It is supernatural. But do we even seek to be this loving? Or do we only shower generosity on those of our own tribe?

It’s easy to feel warm toward members of our tribe – our congregation, denomination, or folks that are like us in other ways. God wants us to also love our enemies (see Matthew 5:43-48). It is safe to assume that a God who knows us in our innermost being would know whether we are genuine in that love, and would expect sincerity. It’s not easy, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try.

If we recall that each person is made in God’s image, we can choose to find love within us for anyone.

(Commercial: if you question “business as usual” in Christianity – or want to question it – subscribe to my newsletter, and we can journey together!)

"LOVE" by hiOakie is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0. Sign language

“LOVE” by hiOakie is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

What about THEM?

Whether you believe that the homosexual lifestyle is by default sinful, or not: Jesus calls us to love all people as we love ourselves. Not, “love the sinner, hate the sin,” but “love the fellow human being, period” (I have written elsewhere about the whole issue of the alleged sinfulness of homosexuality – take your pick).

The slogan “love is love is love” refers to the idea that the love of anyone toward anyone else, regardless of sexual orientation, is a beautiful thing. As Christians, we can also repeat the slogan to ourselves to recall that our love toward all people should be the same, not based on their orientation or life choices.

1st Corinthians 13

Take a moment to ponder each of these statements from Paul. Ask yourself – for each one – “do I live this way toward all people?” It’s important to take our time here. Most of us don’t pause, before we speak or act, and check ourselves: “would this comment or action be the loving way to behave in this moment?” Which of these nuggets from 1st Corinthians 13 challenges you the most?

Love is patient and kind

Love does not envy

Love is not proud, boastful, or self-seeking

Love does not dishonor others or hold a grudge

Love is not easily angered

Love delights in truth, not in evil

Love always protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres

Love surpasses faith and hope

LOVE NEVER FAILS

Love is clearly not a touchy-feely emotion but a powerful way of life that doesn’t happen by accident. It requires daily commitment and hard choices.

This picture that Paul paints sounds idealistic – and it is. It is the ideal toward which we should all strive. If each Christian desires to be more loving, and manages through God’s help to grow just 10% more loving toward all people, the world will be a better place. How to do that will look different for each of us, and it won’t be easy.

But it is vitally important, and it never fails.

(If you are energized by challenges to the evangelical status quo like this, please subscribe to my newsletter! If you would like to comment on this post, please pop over to my Facebook page. All of my posts are there and open to constructive comment! I welcome your thoughts.)

RELATED READING:

About Kathryn Shihadah

I was raised as a conservative Christian, and was perfectly content to stay that way – until the day my stable, predictable world was rocked. A curtain was pulled back on conservative Christianity, and instead of ignoring the ugliness I saw, I confronted it. I began to ask questions I never thought I’d ask, and found answers I’d never expected. Old things began to fall away, and – behold! – the new me has come. What a gift to be a new, still-evolving creation. I found out that it’s better to look at the world through Progressive Lenses, with Grace-Colored Glasses. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

September 17, 2023

Communing with God: a new perspective to consider