The Nature of Love

by Oord, Thomas Jay

• ISBN13: 9780827208285
• ISBN10: 0827208286
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-04-01
• Publisher: Chalice Pr

Summary

Some theologians have placed faith at the center of Christian theology, some God's sovereignty, still others the Church, but Thomas Jay Oord places the emphasis on love-God's love for us revealed in Christ, the Church, and creation and our love for God and others. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Thomas Jay Oord is a professor at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho. He is a theologian, philosopher, scholar of multidisciplinary studies, and the author or editor of a dozen books.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Preface	p. xi
The Primacy of Love
Love Matters	p. 1
Love Has Not Been the Center of Theology	p. 4
Love Defined	p. 14
Agape Theology and the Bible
Agape as Authentically Christian Love	p. 33
Agape's Meaning in the Old Testament	p. 38
The Meaning of Love in the New Testament	p. 41
Agape, Eros, and Philia in the New Testament	p. 49
Elements in a Theology of Love	p. 51
Augustinian Love Theology
Love and Philosophy	p. 57
Love Is Desire, Not Doing Good	p. 58
Loving Others Is Not for Their Own Sakes	p. 63
God Doesn't Love Us	p. 67
We Can't Really Talk about God's Love	p. 69
Love Takes Time, but Augustine's God Doesn't Have Any	p. 76
Elements in a Theology of Love	p. 80
Open Theology as a Theology of Love
The History of Open Theology	p. 85
An Overview of Open Theology	p. 86
God Is Not Perfectly Loving If God Could, but Fails to, Prevent Genuine Evil	p. 96
Divine Creative Powers Should Be Used to Prevent Evil	p. 101
God Does Not Necessarily Love the World	p. 107
Elements in a Theology of Love	p. 113
Essential Kenosis
Jesus Christ: The Center of a Theology That Makes Love Central	p. 117
Essential Kenosis vs. Voluntary Divine Self-limitation	p. 122
Chesed and God's Necessary Love for Creation	p. 129
God Creates out of Creation through Love	p. 133
Obstacles to Affirming This Creation Doctrine	p. 137
God's Freedom to Love Necessarily and Create Everlastingly	p. 139
Loving Means That Justify the End	p. 145
Notes	p. 159
Index of Topics and People	p. 179
Index of Scriptures	p. 189
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