Comments on: The Absence of Love in Christianity http://themisunderstoodgod.com/2009/11/08/the-absence-of-love-in-christianity/ Website for Darin Hufford author of The Misunderstood God Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:36:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: joseph http://themisunderstoodgod.com/2009/11/08/the-absence-of-love-in-christianity/comment-page-1/#comment-164 joseph Thu, 15 Apr 2010 17:04:53 +0000 http://themisunderstoodgod.com/wp/?p=43#comment-164 one more thing Darrin & others, -and pls don't take my questions as an attack, think of it as a way to further your point. I have read several of the posts. I am seeing a pattern where people are said to not have love at all, or where preachers must not love the people if they are doing A or B (e.g. "the murder of giving" blog). but this includes this blog too. You say a lot that if people had love, they wouldn't need these instructions. correct me if i am wrong, but arent all these blogs instructions, or teachings or something like that? so are you blogging to people who dont have love? i know i do. i love my kids so much it hurts! i love the world, i am an adoptive parent and foster parent and bio parent to 9 little kids, I work for child protective services for the state of michigan, -feel called into that by God, out of extreme love for the hurting kids in my area. I think i have love. and i do appreciate your posts (obviously). but i think it is incorrect to keep assuming that these people who do things wrong, not out of love, dont have any love. i dont think that having the love makes everything come naturally, some stuff, but not everything. as i said, i have love, and i glean much from yuour blogs and from your book. i think my pastor loves us, and he is way off in regard to the tithing crap. he told us last week that we knew "our duty." I wanted to puke. But i think he loves us, he is misdirected, and counting on us to feed his family as well... right? "do mot muzzle the ox while it is treading the grain." And what do you suppose we do about the institutional church? I have read "so you don't want to go to church anymore" and was so excited, i nearly became anti -institutional church, and had to stop myself from preaching the good word of liberation from the institution to fellow members. there are good things happening there, as well as bad. i think the problem is the emphasis on the meeting instead of the emphasis on God, loving him, and loving others. i have been trying the whole -church as a way of life, a living breathing organism made up of people, the kingdom of god among us... and frankly, i love it. however, my friends have asked how that fits with biblical principles regarding preaching, elders, church government, women not speaking in church (whoa!), and a long list of other ones. can anyone comment or relate to any of this? Again, i am not an enemy of anyone, especially Darrin. I thank God for him and the book he wrote. pls don't mis understand me "The Misunderstood Joseph-LOL! pun intended (is that a pun? ok, whatever) -joseph one more thing Darrin & others,
-and pls don’t take my questions as an attack, think of it as a way to further your point.
I have read several of the posts. I am seeing a pattern where people are said to not have love at all, or where preachers must not love the people if they are doing A or B (e.g. “the murder of giving” blog). but this includes this blog too. You say a lot that if people had love, they wouldn’t need these instructions. correct me if i am wrong, but arent all these blogs instructions, or teachings or something like that? so are you blogging to people who dont have love? i know i do. i love my kids so much it hurts! i love the world, i am an adoptive parent and foster parent and bio parent to 9 little kids, I work for child protective services for the state of michigan, -feel called into that by God, out of extreme love for the hurting kids in my area. I think i have love. and i do appreciate your posts (obviously). but i think it is incorrect to keep a**uming that these people who do things wrong, not out of love, dont have any love. i dont think that having the love makes everything come naturally, some stuff, but not everything. as i said, i have love, and i glean much from yuour blogs and from your book. i think my pastor loves us, and he is way off in regard to the tithing crap. he told us last week that we knew “our duty.” I wanted to puke. But i think he loves us, he is misdirected, and counting on us to feed his family as well… right? “do mot muzzle the ox while it is treading the grain.”

And what do you suppose we do about the institutional church? I have read “so you don’t want to go to church anymore” and was so excited, i nearly became anti -institutional church, and had to stop myself from preaching the good word of liberation from the institution to fellow members. there are good things happening there, as well as bad. i think the problem is the emphasis on the meeting instead of the emphasis on God, loving him, and loving others.
i have been trying the whole -church as a way of life, a living breathing organism made up of people, the kingdom of god among us… and frankly, i love it. however, my friends have asked how that fits with biblical principles regarding preaching, elders, church government, women not speaking in church (whoa!), and a long list of other ones.
can anyone comment or relate to any of this?

Again, i am not an enemy of anyone, especially Darrin. I thank God for him and the book he wrote. pls don’t mis understand me “The Misunderstood Joseph-LOL! pun intended (is that a pun? ok, whatever)

-joseph

]]> By: joseph http://themisunderstoodgod.com/2009/11/08/the-absence-of-love-in-christianity/comment-page-1/#comment-162 joseph Thu, 15 Apr 2010 16:36:17 +0000 http://themisunderstoodgod.com/wp/?p=43#comment-162 Darrin, I have read The Misunderstood God. I loved it, and it made all the difference in my life. Do I think it is all 100% correct, not so much. But the emphasis on the love of God and the diminishing of the view of an angry God (at me) was so helpful. I have a problem with this post. Most of what you said in the end, I totally agree with (about people having to learn the symptoms of love being sort of ridiculous). I am pretty sick of those sermons myself. But the part I really don't agree with is that you feel the Corinthian church was unregenerated/unsaved. You said that you felt that Paul was distracted from spreading the gospel by the Corinthians. This leads me to 2 issues with your post: 1. In The Misunderstood God, you take a really simple look at scripture and what it teaches. God is love, love is this " . fine, and again, very helpful to my relationship with God. But now, it seems you are taking a really complex, almost hidden theme from scripture. Scripture is God's word. Are we to think that God would expect us to read Corinthians, which is God breathed and meant for us, which definietely implies that the Corinthians were Christians, and some how conclude that they were not? I just don't know Darrin. I don't get how scripture should be taken so simply on one hand, and searched for a hidden truth on the other hand. 2: I just happen to be reading through Corinthians currently. I believe they are Christians. There are many verses where Paul thanks God for them and their faith, that he wishes to build them up, get them back on the path of God type stuff. This says to me that Paul believed they were saved. And if Paul wrote it, God breathed it, and put it there for us. There are many things about the Misunderstood God that I would love to discuss with you. I wish it were all true, but I am not conviced, not for every paragraph in there. But for many of your words, I believe them Thankyou agian, for opening my eyes to God's love for me. Through your book and God's confirmation, I now see God looking at me how I look at my kids. in love, always forgiving, always loving no matter what. fierce about anything that threatens them. Thanks again Darrin. Darrin,
I have read The Misunderstood God. I loved it, and it made all the difference in my life. Do I think it is all 100% correct, not so much. But the emphasis on the love of God and the diminishing of the view of an angry God (at me) was so helpful.

I have a problem with this post. Most of what you said in the end, I totally agree with (about people having to learn the symptoms of love being sort of ridiculous). I am pretty sick of those sermons myself. But the part I really don’t agree with is that you feel the Corinthian church was unregenerated/unsaved. You said that you felt that Paul was distracted from spreading the gospel by the Corinthians. This leads me to 2 issues with your post:

1. In The Misunderstood God, you take a really simple look at scripture and what it teaches. God is love, love is this ” . fine, and again, very helpful to my relationship with God. But now, it seems you are taking a really complex, almost hidden theme from scripture. Scripture is God’s word. Are we to think that God would expect us to read Corinthians, which is God breathed and meant for us, which definietely implies that the Corinthians were Christians, and some how conclude that they were not? I just don’t know Darrin. I don’t get how scripture should be taken so simply on one hand, and searched for a hidden truth on the other hand.
2: I just happen to be reading through Corinthians currently. I believe they are Christians. There are many verses where Paul thanks God for them and their faith, that he wishes to build them up, get them back on the path of God type stuff. This says to me that Paul believed they were saved. And if Paul wrote it, God breathed it, and put it there for us.

There are many things about the Misunderstood God that I would love to discuss with you. I wish it were all true, but I am not conviced, not for every paragraph in there. But for many of your words, I believe them

Thankyou agian, for opening my eyes to God’s love for me. Through your book and God’s confirmation, I now see God looking at me how I look at my kids. in love, always forgiving, always loving no matter what. fierce about anything that threatens them.

Thanks again Darrin.

]]> By: ed cintron http://themisunderstoodgod.com/2009/11/08/the-absence-of-love-in-christianity/comment-page-1/#comment-160 ed cintron Sun, 04 Apr 2010 20:33:06 +0000 http://themisunderstoodgod.com/wp/?p=43#comment-160 i have not been to church in decades. my relationship and knowledge of GOD has never been clearer or deeper.you know darin...praise GOD! i could`ve written that post.i feel so humbled, grateful to know i`m not alone.i`ve never met a christian i could share with without feeling i was being blown off.GOD BLESS YOU,STAY STRONG AND LOUD. i have not been to church in decades. my relationship and knowledge of GOD has never been clearer or deeper.you know darin…praise GOD! i could`ve written that post.i feel so humbled, grateful to know i`m not alone.i`ve never met a christian i could share with without feeling i was being blown off.GOD BLESS YOU,STAY STRONG AND LOUD.

]]> By: Tessie http://themisunderstoodgod.com/2009/11/08/the-absence-of-love-in-christianity/comment-page-1/#comment-134 Tessie Sun, 07 Feb 2010 06:27:21 +0000 http://themisunderstoodgod.com/wp/?p=43#comment-134 Yes - we got it again this morning at church - it was about "rekindling the passion for vision" or something. About keeping fighting and not giving up, because as soon as you stop fighting you end up like King David on his roof-top - and we all know what THAT led to! People went out the front in droves for prayer. It did not resonate with me at all, even though I know they are sincere and genuine there in reaching the community. Is it just me? Yes – we got it again this morning at church – it was about “rekindling the pa**ion for vision” or something. About keeping fighting and not giving up, because as soon as you stop fighting you end up like King David on his roof-top – and we all know what THAT led to!
People went out the front in droves for prayer. It did not resonate with me at all, even though I know they are sincere and genuine there in reaching the community. Is it just me?

]]> By: Jenny http://themisunderstoodgod.com/2009/11/08/the-absence-of-love-in-christianity/comment-page-1/#comment-128 Jenny Sat, 06 Feb 2010 09:56:40 +0000 http://themisunderstoodgod.com/wp/?p=43#comment-128 There was a sermon at our church about the church in Revelation that had "left its first love" and it was taken to mean we should go back to what it was like when we first knew the Lord and we were admonished to repent and return etc etc. I suggested to an Elder I thought it was much more than this; they had left their way of living in love with God and one another. I got a blank look, partly because I am a woman, and I felt a bit foolish but I think you have said what I was trying to say a lot better. There was a sermon at our church about the church in Revelation that had “left its first love” and it was taken to mean we should go back to what it was like when we first knew the Lord and we were admonished to repent and return etc etc. I suggested to an Elder I thought it was much more than this; they had left their way of living in love with God and one another. I got a blank look, partly because I am a woman, and I felt a bit foolish but I think you have said what I was trying to say a lot better.

]]> By: Tessie http://themisunderstoodgod.com/2009/11/08/the-absence-of-love-in-christianity/comment-page-1/#comment-125 Tessie Sat, 06 Feb 2010 04:19:45 +0000 http://themisunderstoodgod.com/wp/?p=43#comment-125 I can't believe this - Darrin, you are brave to come out and say this. It's been in my mind and I've thought I was being arrogant or having a bad attitude! Our church did a series on the "Big 10", calling it "10 Principles for Living". In other words a modern version of the 10 Commandments. I have not attended church much since that time. Everyone (except me it seems) said how great it was, how inspired, how helpful etc etc. When I got married in 2008 (second marriage) the church tried to get us to do a marriage course. the course actually sounds good, and they seemed to be saying - "you really must do it or your marriage will not work" - not out loud of course. My husband did not want to do it, and to my mind he did not need to. He just acted in love towards me and still does. I was worried at the time - are we being arrogant? Why do they always tell you, as the world says - you need more than Love? I can’t believe this – Darrin, you are brave to come out and say this. It’s been in my mind and I’ve thought I was being arrogant or having a bad attitude!

Our church did a series on the “Big 10″, calling it “10 Principles for Living”. In other words a modern version of the 10 Commandments. I have not attended church much since that time. Everyone (except me it seems) said how great it was, how inspired, how helpful etc etc.

When I got married in 2008 (second marriage) the church tried to get us to do a marriage course. the course actually sounds good, and they seemed to be saying – “you really must do it or your marriage will not work” – not out loud of course. My husband did not want to do it, and to my mind he did not need to. He just acted in love towards me and still does. I was worried at the time – are we being arrogant? Why do they always tell you, as the world says – you need more than Love?

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