Why love is still better than hate: thoughts from study.

Three areas God is talking about now according to NT Wright: How we know anything, who we are or the problem of determining identity, and are their any better or worse narratives-ie what is your narrative in life (what is your matanarrative?); how do you interpret Reality and Life. These three areas all shifted as we trailed in post-modern culture. And these three areas are where our answers matter most. Willard, would say identity, purpose and narrative also are the three big issues today.

The postmodern assumption that all metanarratives are suspect, has left it hard to interpret one story as more true than another. A crisis in knowing is the result. Or seeing everything in terms of power dynamics.

Then, there is the deeper ethical problem we all face. We can’t really live out of ethical pluralism where every story has the same weight. If so, we can kill jews or take ten wives or kill when we feel like it etc. Ironically, the refugee issue in europe has brought up a call for justice and fairness—but based on what standard or metastory. If all narratives are truly equal we face a crisis of interpretation in short. I like that point, NT Wright and even Tim Keller make in the area of ethics. You can’t really live out life if all ethical systems are equal! Nice reminder today in study!

The human heart still thinks its better to love than hate. Why is that, and based on what? It still matters which story you choose to live by!

I once asked a Rabbi also, what empowers your ethics? For Christians it would be the Holy Spirit forming himself in our heart and causes us to live more from and in the fruits of the Spirit—patience, love gentleness etc…Dallas Willard points out that we need some sort of Power to live out our ethics. It’s not enough to just want to do good, we need real empowerment to live well. And some ways of living are better than others. It is better to love your neighbor than to rape them. Most people would agree with that statement. But if I believe all ethical systems are equal it’s hard to say love is better than hate!