Contemporary psychology teaches that man’s inability to love himself renders him incapable of loving another and frequently leads to emotional, behavioral, and relational pathologies. But is this what the Bible teaches? Did Christ’s command to love our neighbor imply a command to love ourselves first? The Danger of Self-Love could change your life.
Table of contents:
- Some Initial Concerns
- Setting the Stage
- Drawing Necessary Distinctions
- What Does Scripture Say?
- The Basis for Self-Love
- The Self-Theory of Erich Fromm
- The Self-Theory of Carl Rogers
- Self-Love in Evangelical Writings
- Examining Two Crucial Issues
- Is our Acceptance Unconditional?
- The Issue of Performance
- The Peril of Self-Love
- A Biblical Alternative
- The Evidence from Scripture (Part 1)
- The Evidence from Scripture (Part 2)
- The Benefits of Other-Oriented Living
Preface:
The first time I heard the concept of self-love presented as a Christian virtue I had strong reservations about the idea, and substantial study over the past twelve years has only deepened that concern. Why? From beginning to end the focus of Scripture is the exaltation of God and not man. “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God. . . . That, just as it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’ ” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29, 31).
What I was hearing from the advocates of self-love seemed to me to be opposed to this flow of Scripture. It appeared that Psalm 139:14 was virtually being rewritten to read “I will praise me, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” So my involvement in the subject was born out of a need to know whether ideas that seemed so opposite could really be put together in a Christian world view.
My study soon revealed that little serious exegetical/theological work had been done on the subject. Although much had been written, almost all of it touched only lightly on the exegetical and theological problems connected with self-love. For example, an attempt at a careful biblical definition of love was almost universally lacking. In addition, Paul’s designation of self-love as a prime characteristic of the evil of the last days (2 Timothy 3) had been given practically no consideration at all. The lack of work in those and other areas has prompted this volume. It does not claim to be an in-depth study of all the issue, but it is offered with the hope that what is presented is sufficient to provide Christians with an accurate analysis of the contemporary theory of self-love in light of the Word of God. Most importantly, it seeks to provide a biblical alternative.
In the process we have wrestled with many concepts, arguments, and ideas. But ideas are related to the people who formulate and propagate them. It has been our objective to dissect and criticize ideas, not the people related to them. If in the midst of grappling with issues it appears to be otherwise, it should be noted that that was not our intent.
This book would never have been begun apart from the encouragement of my wife, and it certainly would not have been completed without the long hours she spent at the typewriter. Much of the research was done in conjunction with a dissertation for New York University. I am deeply indebted to Prof. Norma Thompson for her encouragement and valuable advice. A special word of thanks is also due my parents for their help with the expenses involved in this undertaking. I also want to express my appreciation to the board of directors of Citadel Bible College for giving me the freedom and encouragement to work on this project.
by Paul Brownback © 1982 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago