Defining Love: A Philosophical, Scientific, and Theological Engagement
Some scientific studies suggest that human beings are innately selfish and that virtues such as self-sacrifice are a delusion. Thomas Jay Oord interprets the scientific research and responds from a theological and philosophical standpoint, providing a state-of-the-art overview of love and altruism studies."Thomas Jay Oord is as devoted to the theology, philosophy, science, and practice of love as anyone alive today. His writing is so very accessible, reflecting his ample experience as a journalist writing thoughtfully for a wide audience. The book covers all the aspects of the new science and theology of love in a phenomenal overview of the existing literature, shaped by the author's own wonderful constructive position. This is a splendid book that does more than any other to introduce the worlds of science and of theology to a new field of integrative research and conceptualization that is giving agape a new centrality in our lives."--Stephen G. Post, president, Institute for Research on Unlimited Love"Research on love has flourished across the disciplines in the past two decades as never before. Thomas Oord has had a highly responsible role in this development and is now able to provide us a sweeping, but detailed, survey of the results thus far. He shows that science supports the best in Christian teaching, and he offers his own richly nuanced doctrine of love, involving God's love for the world and the love of God and fellow creature to which we are all called. Overall this book is deeply reassuring to all who have been troubled by challenges of science to Christian faith."--John Cobb, professor emeritus, Claremont School of Theology"In this extraordinary meditation on the forcefield of love, science, and theology, Tom Oord cuts through sentimentalism, reductionism, and dogmatism to start a fresh kind of conversation. The text presents some of the most exciting edges of contemporary science, bringing them into revelatory interchange with the most important questions of theology. But it also risks real answers. Relentlessly readable and generously teachable,Defining Lovebrings a strong and surprising voice to current questions about divine power, the gift, creation, and cosmology."--Catherine Keller, professor of theology, The Theological School of Drew University