Title Details

Sondra Wheeler is Martha Ashby Carr Professor of Christian Ethics and teaches bioethics, the history of theological ethics, and the virtue tradition as well as biblical ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary. She is a respected scholar and speaker.

PREFACE.

INTRODUCTION.

Chapter 1 God’s Love: The Source and Standard.

Chapter 2 Can We Measure Up?

Chapter 3 Practicing (at) Love.

Chapter 4 The Variety of Loves.

Chapter 5 The Problem of Self-Love.

Chapter 6 Love at Home: Marriage and Parenthood.

Chapter 7 Love Freely Chosen: Friendship.

Chapter 8 Love Without Boundaries: Strangers and Enemies.

NOTES.

THE AUTHOR.

INDEX.

With unflinching honesty, this meditation on the nature of varied forms of love wrestles with a central enigma of the Christian faith: how can flawed and sinful humans find the wherewithal to love others as God does? Wheeler, a professor of Christian ethics at Wesley Theological Seminary, approaches this complex issue by looking at the moral dilemmas that attend our attempts to love other people. Beginning with a short exploration of the scriptural foundation of the call to love others as God loves us, Wheeler uses the work of Christian writers like Anders Nygren and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, current events and a sparing helping of autobiographical anecdotes effectively in the service of her central points. While human love is not sufficient to meet the challenges of human relationships, Wheeler argues that if it is disciplined by Christian practice, informed by God's grace and modeled on God's love revealed in Jesus Christ, it can be a powerful instrument for healing. Wheeler's journey offers many rewards for the reader who appreciates clarity, a chastened realism and the gift of ethical reflection on a complex subject—all presented in prose lacking any trace of pedantry. (Apr. 13) Starred Review (Publishers Weekly, January 15, 2007)"Shelves are full of shallow self-help books that promise to unravel the secrets of love. That’s why we can give thanks to God that Sondra Wheeler has produced this volume that goes deep and true to the divine sources of the love we need in our lives. Her book will inspire each student, parent, child, and spouse who is looking for love in all the right places."
—Mike McCurry, former White House Press Secretary

"This is a lucid, beautiful, and pastorally keen book on love in the Christian tradition--a feat in itself. Yet Wheeler also writes in her own uniquely incisive voice. She has an uncanny ability to trace the contours of sin and hope in a way that clarifies error and calls forth change."
—Amy Laura Hall, associate professor and director of the Doctor of Theology Program, Duke University

"Jesus loves me, this I know . . . The simplest song; the greatest reality. I need to read this book at least once a year!"
—Mike Slaughter, lead pastor, Ginghamsburg Church

"The nature of the bonds of love and the character of our obligations to one another forms the central theme of this exceptional work. Written with intelligent, yet poignant grace, all who seek to deepen their capacity to love will benefit from her finely crafted writing."
—Verlee A. Copeland, senior minister, The Union Church of Hinsdale, United Church of Christ