To Love as God Loves (Paperback)

by Roberta C. Bondi (Author)
Key Phrases: early monastics, ancient monastics, Abba Poemen, Evagrius Ponticus, Gregory of Nyssa (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Being a Christian means learning to love with God's love. But God's love is not a warm feeling in the pit of the stomach. It has definite characteristics we learn in the course of our life, in the behavior and teaching of the early monastics, as we ponder over what we can say about God as God deals with us, and finally, as we model our own lives on what we have learned.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers (September 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800620410
• ISBN-13: 978-0800620417
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #229,951 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A SOUL NURTURING BOOK!!!, January 4, 1999

By A Customer

Roberta Bondi brings the rich tradition of the early Church fathers and mothers into the 20th century, and invites us to learn anew what it means to love. I particularly liked what she has to say about the concepts of "perfection" and "humility." She writes in a very engaging manner, making it easy to not only understand her writing, but sparking the desire to live it out. A wonderful read for Christians and those who may have been wounded by Christianity.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars IMITATION OF GOD'S LOVE, July 15, 2000

By	Bonita L. Davis (Decatur, Georgia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

Contemporary christians find themselves in a secular culture that demands their allegiance and conformity. As a people of faith, they find themselves capture in culture which eventually lead to the erosion and compromise of their beliefs. How does one deal with this struggle? Is it possible to love as god loves by breaking away from those cultural mores that we find most dear? Bondi addresses those questions and more as she leads us into a conversation with the early monastic who had similar challenges.

To truly love as God means incorporating a new definition of love and humility that goes beyond our present secular understanding. A dialogue with the Desert fathers and mothers enables us to weed out those stumbling blocks which hinder us from loving ourselves, our neighbors and our God. This text serves as a key of understanding how God loves and how we can imitate that love.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Renewed my faith in Christ and the church, September 12, 1999

By	Peter Zimmerman ([e-mail]) (Atlanta) - See all my reviews

In an easy to read manner, Bondi addresses a "stodgy topic" (the early monastics) and transforms it into an INSIGHTFUL, Transforming look at what it means to be a Christian who loves as God loves. This book made me think that their is hope for the organized church. It made me realize that Christianity has a vital, intense and prophetic role to call people not just to know god but LOVE as God Loves