The Latest Ideas About Love

As one with history in the Protestant church I am able to comment on a distressing phenomenon we are witnessing. During the past several decades there has been a growing departure from the various Protestant denominations (and, possibly, from the Catholic and Anglican churches as well, though I cannot comment on those with any certainty) that has focused on the "lack of love" shown by many of the church's members. The sustained rate of this departure has resulted in many churches now advertising themselves first and foremost as "judgment-free zones" and the like. Alongside this ubiquitous emphasis on being able to "come as you are" has come an assumption of what love is (hence the claim that Christians by and large lack it). Both of these formations have served, for the most part, to further the incompleteness of what Christian life means both to the believer and the nonbeliever.

Consider the implications of the many claims about the "lack of love" shown by other Christians: that the speaker knows love completely. Often the people making these claims have been shunted in some way or another, and, wallowing in victimhood, draw attention to themselves and spite those who spurned them by pointing to their inadequacies. It is true that the Christ said "By their fruits ye shall know them," and we all fall short in showing love to others; there is much, much more that could be done with just another mustard seed of faith (spiritual effort).

But there are two things missing. One is the acknowledgement of the planks in our own eyes; public assertions of shortcomings in love are almost always one-sided, with no share in the blame taken by the person making the claim. It is not an appeal to a communal effort at reform, nor a call to prayer and fasting, but merely a vehement defense of rejecting other members of Christ's body for reasons that are otherwise indefensible.

Another thing that is missing is a solution. Pointing out of the errors of others is certainly not without precedent: the Gospel of St. Luke shows St. John the Forerunner calling the teachers of the law and others a "brood of vipers." But what comes after is a solution to the problem: "Bear fruits that befit repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham." As speaking in tongues is worthless to most without someone to interpret, so the pointing out of errors without also pointing to a solution to correcting them is worthless, and serves only to further divide the parties involved and cement them in belief of the righteousness of their respective positions.

As for "judgment-free zones," this reflects also the notion that God wants as many warms bodies singing praises to Him, or perhaps the notion that His Grace needs to be "sold" like a used car, packed with more incentives than that other guy offers. But God has told us that He wants us to be "hot" or "cold," not "lukewarm." Furthermore, the focus of the messages delivered are diluted with reminders that "we don't judge you" for this or that, instead of solemn attention to worship of the Lord.

Because of this "non-judgmental" aspect of the growing idea of love, the consistent conscious effort not to be judgmental or exclusive toward others is involved. But then this idea of love is just that: a conscious effort. There is nothing spiritual involved. A complete love is spontaneous, flowing from an intimate spiritual connection with Christ, the Source of all, whereas this idea of love flows from the mind, ultimately tied to the flesh and subversive to true love. Furthermore, by the fact that this is a consistent, conscious effort, the fact that the person is to be loving is often at the forefront of the thoughts, a foothold for the devil to instill pride in one that "I am such a loving person." Such a case is far worse than that of the one who errs in love but is humble and open to the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

In circumspect it is not surprising that this has taken place. Since the Catholic Church broke away from the Orthodox Church, taking errors with it, its countless offshoots have each broken away from each other based on some recognized error but carrying with them errors of their own, as the devil would have it. But in realizing what is occurring we can search for our own deficiencies in understanding love, as well as send up many prayers for true revelation to brought upon the faithful and shared with those that have ears to hear.