BEN: Yes, God’s people are to love, even love their enemies, because that is the character of God himself, but since God is also a righteous and holy God that wants justice amongst his people and in the world, it seems to me that while love is not a social program in the Bible, nonetheless, it is a viewed, perhaps as a byproduct, as a means to change society for the better. Yes we love the marginalized because God loves... Read more

BEN: Let’s talk about the circumcision of the heart, an important idea in both the OT (p. 37) and the NT. On the face of it, the text of Deut. 10.16ff. indicates that God’s people must circumcise their own hearts— they must repent, not be hard-hearted etc. and turn back to God and thus be able to love God. But in the NT this act of internal circumcision seems to be the work of the Spirit. It seems to be... Read more

For those out there crying in your beer because March Madness and the NBA have been canceled here is a nice collection of upsets in the Big Dance, proving that nothing is guaranteed in a one and done tourney. I’m just thankful the Tar Heels are only in this video once, and not in regard to a final four game. Enjoy, BW3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIkEnIzidJQ Read more

BEN: Why you think so many people have mistaken God’s love to mean unconditional tolerance of anything, or as something that is a substitute for obeying God, whereas Jesus says ‘if you love me, keep my commandments’ and that is found in the OT as well? PATRICK: That’s primarily a cultural and philosophical question. I couldn’t get into this too much in the book but love has a fascinating history. What you describe is the culmination of an evolution of... Read more

BEN: At one point you say, in dealing with the key text of Exod. 34.6-7 if there had only been vs. 7, there would have been no land, no covenant, no future, no hope, and if there had not been 34.6, there would have been no kings, no temple, no prophets, no messiah, no incarnation, no atonement for sin on the cross (p. 24). In short, all this in some sense hangs on the love and compassion and mercy of... Read more

BEN: Early on as well, you say “love is the golden thread that ties the doctrine of God, the Trinity, the cross, the story of redemption, the work of the Spirit, holiness, the calling and mission of the church, the goal of the Christian life and the eschatological hope together.” (p. 12). You might well have added it ties the OT and NT together, to some extent. In what sense is this true? Is love the glue that holds all... Read more

BEN: One of the major points you make in dealing with the OT discussion about love, is that the caricature of the God of the OT being simply a God of wrath and the God of the NT being a God of love (going back at least to Marcion) is just that— a caricature, since God is portrayed as a God of love in the OT as well, and there is plenty of talk about God judging folk in the... Read more

BEN: In some ways the theme of love, gets lost in Biblical Theologies (and OT and NT Theologies too) and is sublimated to other concerns like, faith, or covenants, or justification, or eschatological, or the doctrine of God etc. Yet you have shown in page after page how love runs like a red thread right through the Bible, and describes God and his actions and what we are supposed to be like and do as well. This is passing strange.... Read more

336 pages $12.49 paperback on Amazon BEN: Patrick, this book is splendid, but it’s also rather like eating rich fudge…. one needs to chew it a little bit at a time to take it all in. How long did you work on this book to get it into this final form, and why did you decide to focus on the particular topic of love? PATRICK: First, thank you Ben for your kind words, they mean a lot coming from you... Read more

The Philippines is literally full of churches of all sorts of denominations. Originally it was overwhelmingly Catholic since the island was colonized by the Spanish (hence various Spanish named towns, monasteries etc). I quickly took the following shot in transit, which tells you how much Christianity has some impact on the culture— you wouldn’t find road signs like this one in the U.S. Even the mountains are semi-tropical and there are many many beautiful flowers, trees etc. The hospitality at... Read more