Interpretation of Love

The ministry is more than preaching, but preaching is its priority. This conviction is one Dr. Ngien has lived and worked with. As a sequel to A Faith Worth Believing, Commending and Living, and Giving Wings to the Soul, Interpretation of Love: God's Love and Ours is a third collection of sermons and talks, preached with rigor and humor, reverence and relevance. Basic to the book is the assertion that the one possessed of a penetrating eye, coupled with a compassionate heart, could interpret, and thus be an effective agency of love.We are saved not so that we might be good, but so that we are God's--chosen and set apart to be his holy, beloved family. Because we are his, we are to dress ourselves differently (Col. 3:12-13). The wardrobe of the holy saints is full of love. The imperative of the new self is to reflect Christ's holiness in the way that we relate to each other. The selfishness that was at the core of our existence now gives way to a loving self-sacrifice for the good of others, resulting in a theology of radical reversal, which is the theology of a holy life: (i) compassion instead of contempt for or indifference to others; (ii) kindness instead of malice; (iii) humility instead of arrogance; (iv) gentleness instead of rudeness; (v) patience instead of anger; (vi) forbearance instead of resentment; and (vii) forgiveness instead of revenge. This is the fruit of Christ's redemptive act on the cross manifest in those who live in joyous obedience and willful submission to the Holy Spirit. Readers will be drawn into the depth of biblical and theological truths presented with anecdotes and antidotes.Divested of scholarly language, Ngien's disarmingly simple treatise on love exposes a compassionate, humble mind that revels in scholarly exegesis while redeeming a word divested of meaning in a secularized society. From the pen of a man who oft quips that 'good theology is a good apologetic' comes an interpretation of love that, if practiced, would transform society and retrieve the identity of veritable disciples of Christ.--Ken Gamble, MD, President, Missionary Health Institute, TorontoIt has been my privilege to know Dennis Ngien for many years. He is the rare scholar-pastor who combines sublimity, simplicity, and truth-telling with great compassion. His sermons always refresh and challenge me, and I know this new collection will minister to you as well. I enthusiastically recommend An Interpretation of Love.--Ravi Zacharias, Author and SpeakerDennis Ngien is Professor of Systematic Theology at Tyndale University College and Seminary in Toronto and Research Scholar in Theology at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University. He is the author of seven books including The Suffering of God's according to Martin Luther's Theologia Crucis (1995) and Apologetic for Filioque in Medieval Theology (2005). A founder of the Centre for Mentorship and Theological Reflection, he focuses on mentoring scholars, pastors, church leaders, and theological students.