Tag: love

what is love?

~ Jason Kanz ~ Leave a comment

If you follow me on social media, you know I revisit the concept of love regularly. Even at the top of this blog, my logo reads, “Love up, love down, love in, love out.” Love is the answer for most of what ails us individually, relationally, and societally. However, it is also true that I can be vocal about issues I am passionate about. Typically, conversations around these issues lead to fruitful dialog, but at other times, people can become upset.

A few times, friends have commented that, on the one hand, I proclaim a message of “love everybody,” but on the other hand, I can be critical, which they see as hypocritical or at least inconsistent with love. I awoke at 4:45 this morning thinking about this objection (doesn’t everyone wake up in the wee hours of the morning thinking about things like this?). Is it unloving to voice criticisms? I don’t think so.

Here’s the thing: Love does not imply tolerance of injustice. It doesn’t mean pretending that all viewpoints are equally acceptable. It doesn’t mean overlooking evil. That’s indifference, not love. In my opinion, if someone is using dehumanizing language, the most loving thing to do is to call it out. This week, there were pictures of Nazi protestors waving flags with swastikas a block from the Holocaust Museum. To act as though this racist worldview is equal to all others is not loving. Suppose a politician uses divisive language and name-calling to describe his political opponents. In that case, pretending that his behavior is acceptable is not loving. Indeed, it seems that the most responsible, loving behavior is to speak out on behalf of those who may not have a voice.

Because I do value love, I speak out. I certainly don’t do it perfectly; I have sometimes felt convicted about my tone and have apologized or corrected what I’ve said. I always try to operate from the assumption that I could be wrong, but knowing that I could be wrong doesn’t imply that all views are equally correct and valid. I still believe dialog is beneficial; unfortunately, I have sometimes asked to talk with people whose opinions differ, and they tell me it isn’t worth it. And so I will continue writing about the importance of love and speaking out about those things that seem contrary to it. The voice and actions of real love- not tolerance, avoidance, or equivocating- promise the greatest hope of healing. 

she’s listening

~ Jason Kanz ~ 1 Comment

She’s listening.

When your condemnations
ring out like clanging cymbals
and self-righteous certainty
resounds from your lips and fingertips.

You attack, and pretend it’s love;
you mock who she is
and laugh at your own cleverness.

and still she’s listening.

You claim to love the sword of truth.
You swing it about wildly
proudly
slicing and hacking
with no thought to the damage.

God says, “Beat your swords into ploughshares,”
but your hate-filled words answer back,
“Just one more pound of flesh.”

and still she’s listening.

When one day you set your sword in the grass
and wipe away the blood…her blood
and try to tell her “God loves you.”

She won’t be listening.

wretched theology

~ Jason Kanz ~ 2 Comments

Earlier, today, I posted the following thought experiment on my Facebook page.

Do you believe it is a good parenting technique to tell your children they are wretched and that it is a damned lucky thing that we are such loving parents that we accept them anyway? Or that everything they do is bad, and the only good thing about them is that we love and accept them?

Some of the first comments suggested that people may be questioning my sanity, or at least my psychological stability. Regardless, let me be crystal clear–I do not believe these ideas represents good parenting, nor do I say them to my children. I proposed the scenarios as a reflection on how a theology grounded in depravity understands God’s parenthood, what some have referred to as “worm theology.” Briefly, according to this theological understanding, what is truest about us after the fall (see Genesis 3) is our sinfulness. According to the doctrine of total depravity, everything we do, think, feel, or say is tainted by sin (though to be clear, it does not say that we are as bad as we can possibly be). Unfortunately, this theological understanding often skips past the deeper truths of Genesis 1 that say that all people were created in God’s image and that God called his creation very good.

The dialog on my thought experiment was rich (Really, you should go check it out here) and overwhelmingly, people thought that the scenarios I described were unhealthy and even abusive. Even when people acknowledged helping children to understand that they are sinners, or that their behaviors or character need correction, no one agreed with the questions as I presented them. And yet…and yet, many of have no trouble with assigning this language to God, whom we allegedly believe is infinitely loving. As Christians speak or sing about God’s love, it is common to refer to themselves as “wretched sinners.” When we use that language for ourselves, at what point does it begin to negatively affect our understanding of who we are as God’s beloved children? How does it affect how we begin to treat others?

How might things be different if we started from an earlier place? What if we believed that the truest, most essential thing about us is that we are God’s beloved children, regardless of anything else? What if, in light of a more compassionate self-understanding, we were comfortable acknowledging the brokenness in our lives, but realize that it is not our sin that defines us? What if God is absolutely, relentlessly wild about us? What if God’s anger is about those things that damage and disintegrate God’s image bearers and not about people themselves?

love fuels God’s kingdom

~ Jason Kanz ~ Leave a comment

So now what? You are utterly free. Because of my grace, there are no demands on you. You may do whatever you wish because the law has no bearing on your salvation. If what I say is true, does that mean you should continue in self-centeredness and pleasure-seeking? Beloved, if you choose to live that way, I will love you no less, but my Spirit will continue the work of changing your affections. As you internalize my message of grace, your motivations will begin to change. You are already moving from self-centered hedonism to other-centered service. Servanthood is the fruit of my love growing in you. Do you want to know how to follow every rule and regulation written in my word? Simple. Love your neighbor as you love yourself.. Love is the fuel that runs my whole kingdom. When you are stuck in self-centered living, do not be surprised when you are the one who loses it all.

Galatians 5:13-15
Letters to the Beloved

invest in love

~ Jason Kanz ~ Leave a comment

Do not become obsessed with amassing material wealth. When you spend your life accumulating stuff, it takes the focus from relationships with me and others. All those things you acquire end up falling apart, or they get taken from right under your nose. Then what? These things serve no kingdom purpose. Beloved, invest yourself in something that has lasting significance: love. Loving other people, loving me, loving yourself–these are eternal investments. Valuing things over people will break your heart, but treasuring people is a sure sign of wholeheartedness.

Matthew 6:19-21
Letters to the Beloved

loving well

~ Jason Kanz ~ Leave a comment

Keep the end in view. Practice godliness. Control your passions with the help of my Spirit. Pray fervently for believers and unbelievers alike. Seek to love well. In the world, the concept of love has been diluted. Recapture what it means to love as my Son loves, with seriousness and service. True love wills another’s good, even when they fail you repeatedly. Open your home and your heart without complaint. I have given you so much, but I did not provide so that you could hoard my gifts. I gave lavishly so that you also could share generously and thus glorify me. When the abundance and variety of my gifts are shared freely, it pleases me. When you speak, speak my truth. When you serve, serve in my strength. In doing so, you reflect Jesus and glorify the Trinity.

1 Peter 4:7-11
Letters to the Beloved

listening to my life

~ Jason Kanz ~ Leave a comment

A few days ago, I shared this on Twitter:

I spent several years training for the culture wars. The Christians I was learning from were clear that secular culture was the enemy. So I trained in logic, apologetics, and worldview studies. I learned the answers to confront the evil out there. Over the past five years, it has become clearer that “my team” also harbored considerable evil. Several of my faith heroes were credibly accused of gross misconduct, which they uniformly denied. I witnessed friends defend evil to protect the church. I profoundly harmed and shunned others on behalf of the church. In 2018, my eyes were opened to my complicity and I couldn’t stay. I wish I could say all has been clear since then, but I remain disoriented. I have been in good churches since then, but the confusion and internal disintegration have continued to have profound effects. I want to be involved in a faith community. And I don’t. What is true is that the evil that I naively believed was “out there” was inside as well. That is partly why I am less interested in the us vs. them approach. The church isn’t exempt. I am not exempt. We’ve all been wrong. So for now, I am trying to do my own work uncertain where it will lead.

To be clear, I know too many outstanding Christians to name. I have seen churches and Christian organizations pull together to do amazing things. For example, my friend Perry is a pastor of a small congregation and also the founder of Touched Twice United, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. My friend Peggy is the founder of Teamwork Africa, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Both of these are amazing organizations. Countless believers have done and continue to do miraculous things around the world. I am grateful for every one of them.

However, over the years, I came to accept ideas that were not necessarily accurate, which were cultivated in the soil of an us versus them mentality. It is hard to say how much my thinking was shaped by those I was listening to and how much was shaped by my own mental life, but the fruit was division and arrogance. If I am honest, I believed Christians were better than non-Christians. The blogs and people I was reading suggested that if gays, liberals, atheists, or Muslims did something that benefitted the greater good, it was inconsistent with their own worldview. I even recall one blogger asking whether someone who was not a Christian could genuinely love others. The culture war mentality prepares soldiers to fight evil, and enemies are required, even if we have to create them.

At the same time my confidence in faith heroes was growing,[1] evidence was accumulating of abusive behaviors among more than a handful of them. I still do not believe that the majority of Christians or Christian leaders are abusive. I do not think that most churches are evil. Still, it became increasingly apparent that many of the thought-leaders who shaped my thinking, both nearer to home and afar, could be harmful. Once I became willing to listen to stories of hurt, I also began to pay attention to my own story and listen to my own questions. I actively started to look for things like goodness, beauty, and peace wherever I could find them. I have also been sensitive to hatred, violence, and divisiveness[2]– in the world, in the church, and in myself. And here’s the thing: the common divisions that many of us accept tend not to be particularly good predictors of goodness or evil, beauty or ugliness, peace or violence.

Having written all of that, I remain confident that many people who love me are concerned about the state of my soul or doubt whether I am a true Christian.[3] The 2011 me would certainly have questioned the eternal security of 2021 me. Still, a large part of my own spiritual journey has involved coming to a place where I am comfortable in my own skin and believe that God’s love is far more expansive than the divisions and categories I previously believed.

I am currently filled with both confusion and clarity. I have wondered if I am experiencing a dark night of the soul. I don’t know my destination, but I am trying to pay attention to where the Spirit leads.

[1] Some will point out that as Christians, we should not have faith heroes, but in truth all of us have learned about Jesus from someone. Even the apostle Paul said “follow me as I follow Christ.”  

[2] People will point out that I have often been critical of certain ideas and people. Granted. In some cases, I have acted in the very ways that I have tried to dispute. At the same time, I believe one of our tasks as humans is to speak out against divisiveness and hatred, which perhaps is divisive in and of itself.  

[3] Yes, please pray for me, but also sincerely pray that if your understanding is wrong that the Spirit may reveal truth to you. 

keep love as your goal

~ Jason Kanz ~ Leave a comment

What then is essential? Your purpose is love, pure and simple. Bind yourself to my Son, follow his ways, and live with integrity. Keep love as your goal. When you find yourself wandering away from love, come back again. Be cautious about chasing theological rabbit trails; too often, the motivation is pride. You use theological knowledge to make yourself appear better than others. Instead, remember who you are and who I have called you to be–a vessel of my love.

1 Timothy 1:5-6
Letters to the Beloved

Letters to the Beloved is available on Amazon.

love is true holiness

~ Jason Kanz ~ Leave a comment

“If I had not come and showed them the Father and the Messiah’s identity, they would have remained ignorant, but I have shown them, and still, they hate me. They have no excuse for their hatred now. Those who hate me hate the Father. I performed many works before them, things no one else can do, and even so, they reject me, revealing their hatred for the Father and me. Their rejection was also prophesied by the psalmist who wrote, ‘They hated me for no reason.'”

People do not want to accept the way of Christ, preferring religion built around performance, power, and position. My Son’s extravagant grace reflects my character, and still, they hate him. When you proclaim a message of love and belonging, you too will be a threat to the status quo. Many will brand you as a heretic and outside the pale of orthodox belief, but love is true holiness.

-John 15:22-25, Letters to the Beloved

love your enemies

~ Jason Kanz ~ 5 Comments

Hear me: Love your enemies, even those who make your blood boil. Let love show up in your actions. Treat others well and do good for them. Bless those who are cursing you and want to see you hurt. Pray for the hearts of abusers. These people will do everything they can to steal your joy. Do not let them. Bring them to me in prayer. Release you negativity and do not give hatred a place in your heart. Bitterness will damage you far more deeply than your enemy ever could.

Luke 6:27-28
Letters to the Beloved