While I won’t be reading McCarthy's book, I think her Larry King interview is worth watching (or reading here– so far I’ve only been able to find the transcript online). It sums up the societal messages we get about love: a nugget of value here and there, but, ultimately, no Truth about love as God defines it - and outright lies. For example, she describes love as “an energy.” She also mentions that people must be “complete” or “whole” and “love [themselves] before [they] can love others.”
In listening to the interview I was reminded how we as Christians often eat up books such as McCarthy’s. Sure, we make some distinctions between such advice and God’s way. For example, we might ignore thoughts in a book about when the right time is to sleep with your “partner” in an unmarried relationship. But we’ll allow other elements of the message to shape our conception of love. For example, we run with half-truths such as “you need to be complete before you can love someone else,” as McCarthy says. But as the Apostle Paul describes in Philippians 3: 7-14, our lives in Christ are about much more than “wholeness,” as we are to abandon everything to press toward becoming more like Christ daily.
While it may not necessarily be "wrong" to read McCarthy’s book or others about the world’s views on love, the reality is we know that message very well. Spending excessive time poring over the societal model is like overloading on junk food - at the expense of getting proper spiritual nutrition.
We devote far too little time to seeking an understanding of love God’s way. And we must be constantly reminded that It is so different from our own, as Isaiah 55: 8-9 underscores:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,Even the very best of the world’s realizations about love are far beneath the understanding we get from meditating on His word.
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Instead of spending time and money on cheap, worldly literature on love, I think we can really gain from reading Christian titles on the topic that are steeped in scripture. Ultimately, we have to weigh everything against God’s Word, but books on Christ-centered, authentic love are a great way to get us meditating on God's Word.
Recently I’ve been exploring titles by couple Eric and Leslie Ludy that discuss living completely for Christ and, as such, practicing authentic love. They write to men or women individually and together. What I really like about the books is their confrontation of Christians allowing societal norms to govern their thinking rather than God’s Word, and how to truly fix our eyes on Christ no matter what other Christians following society may think.
Two titles by Leslie Ludy that I'm working on are “Set-Apart Femininity: God’s Sacred Intent for Every Young Woman” and the sequel, “Answering the Guy Questions: The Set-Apart Girl’s Guide to Relating to the Opposite Sex.”
A title from Eric Ludy for men is “God’s Gift to Women: Discovering the Lost Greatness of Masculinity” (on “Warrior-Poet Manhood”).
The Ludys have several other titles. To some their writings about living for Christ may seem “extreme,” but devotion to God is truly an extreme, radical endeavor requiring absolute holiness. That's The Truth that so many Christians miss.
The world’s message on love is a dime a dozen – we can get it on any street corner. As followers of Christ, let’s raise the standard by living according to His Word - and stoke the flames of a Love Revolution.
No comments:
Post a Comment