Love in Hard Places

Love in Hard Places. By D. A. Carson. Wheaton: Crossway, 2002. 207 pp., $14.99 paper.

We have come to expect from Carson diligent, careful exegesis of Scripture, theological concern, contemporary cultural as well as academic awareness, and warm, penetrating pastoral care in his writings. Such a balance is rare and admirable among academics. Most recently, within the space of a year, Carson has published (co-edited) a weighty scholarly tome on Justification and Variegated Nomism and the present volume on Christian love. A slightly earlier, complementary volume entitled The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God (Wheaton: Crossway, 2000) focused on God's love (summarized briefly in chap. 1), while the present piece addresses the nature and practice of Christian love. The main substance of the volume was originally presented in the 2001 Oak Hill College (England) lectures, but these have been expanded for the present work (e.g. references to Osama Bin Laden, 9/11 were added after the original manuscript was presented).

Anyone who has attempted to give a serious account of Christian love quickly discovers that "Christian love soon embroils us in reflection on justice, revenge, war, the authority of the state, forgiveness, hate, and much more" (p. 10). Carson attempts to give a brief treatment of these and other related ethical themes within these pages. Although this volume begins with a careful look at the double commandment to love God and to love one's neighbor, it is not about Christian love in general but more narrowly about love in the hard places. There are many helpful insights on how the first hard place-our own hearts and lives-needs to be squarely faced. I found this first chapter refreshingly practical.

In the second chapter, Carson discusses the portion of the Sermon on the Mount dealing with oaths, the lex talionis, and the love of the enemy (Matt 5:43-48). These teachings of Jesus are understood as corrections to false Jewish teachings and are related to personal not legal or political areas. As to the love of enemies, Carson distinguishes between "little enemies" (Christian enemies) and "big enemies" (persecutors of Christians). Little enemies are to be treated with no harm or retaliation (Rom 12:17; 1 Thess 5:15; 1 Pet 3:9-12) in forbearance but also with a willingness to confront according to the instructions in Matt 18:15-17. This approach of love is commanded of all Christians not only that blessing may come to them personally but also that the communication of the gospel with full effectiveness may come to others. Yet what about Christian love and disputes over the truth of the gospel? There is bad unity and good unity. Unity is not intrinsically good. "Those who deny the fundamentals of the gospel that John lays out are everywhere regarded as outside the locus of this fold" (p. 63). However, "flawed as the church is, the unity for which Jesus prayed is nevertheless real, deep, and partially realized this side of the consummation. Despite substantial differences over important issues, genuine believers reach across cultural, linguistic, organizational, denominational, racial, and economic barriers, and by their love they promote the gospel of Jesus Christ" (p. 63).

The attacks of big enemies (persecutors) may take the form of mental, emotional, and intellectual as well as physical or violent forms of persecution. Carson believes that the church may grow as a result of persecution, but it may also suffer serious damage. Christians who walk in love should try not to "fight back with a nasty anti-intellectualism, a 'circle-the-wagons' mentality that is neither loving nor evangelistic but merely defensive" (p. 66). What should be the response to those who are enemies because they are "other"; "those who belong to a different race, a different party, a different country or a different socioeconomic group-in short, to a different 'tribe'" (p. 68)? Here Miroslav Volf's Exclusion and Embrace (Nashville: Abingdon, 2001) is cited as helpful in understanding how we tend to identify our self by whether we see another as "like" us and therefore to be embraced into our identity or as one who is different and "other" and therefore to be excluded, despised, and even hated. Hatred then breeds violence, and violence in turn causes more violence in an endless cycle. Only authentic forgiveness can break the cycle of violence. However, can we forgive Osama Bin Laden? Carson devotes 70 pages (two long chapters, over one-third the total length of the book) in an attempt to deal with various aspects of this issue of Christian forgiveness of enemies.

Because it is a misunderstood and neglected aspect of Christian love, we are treated to a whole chapter that examines the basics of Christian love and forgiveness (chap. 3). Forgiveness and reconciliation are to be distinguished in that forgiveness is an obligation of love for all Christians, whereas reconciliation, while the desired end, can only be realized by the repentance of the offending party. Therapeutic forgiveness (only the offended party forgives the unrepentant offender) is not stressed in the Bible but it can have an acceptable place in Christian forgiveness based on Luke 23:34 and Acts 7:60-"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing" and "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." The case seems weak to me at this point since in both situations it is an appeal for God to forgive, which is not quite the same as the person directly forgiving unrepentant sinners. However, it could imply a willingness to forgive-the actual forgiveness being extended if there is repentance. Christian love must also recognize, Carson argues, that God's justice may involve his punishment without any forgiveness (Matt 25:41; Rev 6:9-10). A further example of this is the execution of punishment (justice) by the state. While Carson pleads that "we must not pit justice against forgiveness but humbly attend to both of them," one still senses that in Carson there may be too much dichotomy between justice and love to fit the biblical concept of justice, which seems to be more a loving-justice: "judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment" (Jas 2:13).