Rev. Brent L. White

It's become a truism within Christian circles to speak of God's "unconditional love" for humanity. But is this the most accurate way to describe God's love? In this episode, following the lead of the late United Methodist theologian Thomas Oden (who first popularized the phrase "unconditional love" within theology), I argue that God's love is best described as "one-conditional," not unconditional. As I warn in this episode, the difference between the two couldn't be more consequential.I refer listeners to this recent debate between Dr. Michael Brown and Brian Zahnd. Featured music is the song "Unconditional Love" by the Altar Boys, from their 1986 LP, Gut Level Music and "Crossfire" by Kansas, from their 1982 album, Vinyl Confessions.