Hal Green, Ph.D

The Compassion of God

The soul of religion is compassion. God is often said to be compassionate and merciful, gracious and abounding in steadfast love. Without compassion, love does not mean very much in practice. All the great world religions espouse compassion for others as essential for the practice of their respective faiths. In Hebrew, “compassion” comes from the […]

Love Goes Beyond the Grave

Love goes beyond the grave. I have seen enough to be convinced that love does not end but awaits fulfillment in that mysterious realm beyond the pale of this pleasant place which faith calls heaven. When we die, we cannot take the things of this world with us. But I believe we can take love […]

1 Corinthians 13: The Way of God’s Love

In the middle of his setting forth the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Paul turns to the highest gift of all: love. But not just any form of love; rather, the love which comes down from heaven. The Greek term for this love is “agape.” It appears almost exclusively in the New Testament in the […]

Grace and Gratitude

One of the most important concepts of the Christian understanding of God is grace. God is said to be gracious, full of grace. Also, fortunately for us, God is also said to be full of mercy. Perhaps the best brief definition of both mercy and grace is this: “Mercy is when you don’t get what […]

Be A Friend

If you want to have friends, you must first be a friend. Call it a “boomerang effect”: whatever signals you send out, will sooner or later come back to you. Here are twelve principles for being a friend, especially when another is in need of a friend: 1. Follow the Golden Rule. Be the friend […]