INTRO: We are continuing the subject of unconditional love. One of our folk gave me to read two books by Dr. ES Williams. The first is called, "The Dark Side of Christian Counseling" and the other, "Christ or Therapy?" We will be getting both for the library. On the two subjects of unconditional love and unconditional forgiveness, this second book is the very best of anything I have read. Let me quote to you from the book, "Christ or Therapy?" He writes, "It is helpful to know that attaching the word 'unconditional' to God's love is a relatively recent phenomenon. Over the last few decades it has silently slipped into the evangelical vocabulary and gained a solid foothold in Christian thinking. Such is the acceptance of unconditional love that it is now regarded by many as part of orthodox Christian doctrine" (pg. 63).
Now, I mentioned last time that ES Williams traces the history of the phrase, 'unconditional love' to Erik Fromm. That was probably in the 1970's. He says that Erik Fromm was the first to use the phrase 'unconditional love' (Christ or Therapy, 65). He was a psychologist. I expect that the teaching of love in the Church prepared the way for this view. So it may have gone from the preaching in the church to the psychologist to the NAM. If so, the roots go back, to DL Moody and the preaching of the 'boy preacher'. If that is correct, I have no doubt at all that they had absolutely no intention of such a development. Nevertheless, today if one takes exception with that phrase, one's spirituality is in doubt by many Christians.
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