God is Love     

           In the introduction to his book, When Religion Becomes Evil, Charles Kimball writes, History clearly shows that religion has often been linked directly to the worst examples of human behavior. It is somewhat trite, but nevertheless sadly true, to say that more wars have been waged, more people killed, and these days, more evil perpetrated in the name of religion than by any other institutional force in human history.

           Since I’m a religious leader, statements like Kimball’s really bother me. They bother me because I know they can be true. While religion can, at times, bring about immeasurable good, too often it becomes the ground from which the most despicable acts of evil are perpetrated. 

Perhaps the question we should ask is “why?” Why do people commit unspeakable acts of horror and torture while glibly uttering the name of God?

           I could make a list of sociological and theological propositions, but the simple truth is this. Religion tends to turn evil when religious people become more concerned about protecting beliefs than about loving people.

           The life and ministry of Jesus is the perfect example. In Jesus’ day, the religious leaders were consumed with protecting their religious beliefs, making sure no one violated their picky religious rules. Jesus, on the other hand, was less concerned about keeping the rules and more concerned about loving people. So what happened? The rule-keepers nailed Jesus to a cross so they could protect their precious beliefs.

           Now, don’t get me wrong. Religious doctrines are important because they give structure to what we believe and they allow us to explain what we believe to others. But in the end, the very nature of God cannot be packaged in some ornate theological doctrine. The very nature of God is more complex than that; and at the same time, the very nature of God is more simple than that. 

  Have I contradicted myself? I don’t think so. Let me explain. God is so complex that mere human beings can never fully understand or explain His divine nature. But, at the same time, God explains his nature in some of the simplest words. In 1 John 4:7-8 the biblical writer describes God like this: Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

            Did you catch it? John uses three simple words to describe the person and nature of God. God is love. How simple can you get!

            Too often, we make following God too complicated because we wrap God up in our grand theologies. But according to The Scriptures, our theologies are worthless if following God does not lead us to love people; for God is love, and those who do not love, do not know God.

           On the surface, this religion of loving everybody seems simple; but it gets more difficult when you realize loving everybody includes loving people who aren’t very lovable. Loving everybody includes loving those who disagree with you theologically or politically. Loving everybody includes loving those who are Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, or those who embrace no religion at all. Loving everybody includes loving those whose sexual orientation may be repugnant to you. Loving everybody includes loving people of every race and every culture, even undocumented immigrants. These days, loving everybody not only includes loving Ukrainians. It includes loving Russians, too.

           When I was a child I used to sing this simple song. Praise him, praise him all ye little children. God is love. God is love. Praise him, praise him all ye little children. God is love. God is love.