LOVE(s)

Here are the graphics my friend Mel Evans (mel.evans@westwinds.org) created for a teaching I presented concerning the different kinds of loves. Please feel free to download them and use them as you wish, but don't forget to give props to Mel when you do :)

The six loves referenced here are (from the Greek) Storge: affection, Ludus: playfulness, Mania: obsession, Phileo: friendship, Eros: passion, Agape: self-sacrifice.

It is my contention that each of these loves has a positive side (shown in red ink, top left corner) and a negative side (shown in black ink, bottom right corner). For example, Passion can be safely understood as a servant of Love, but can also be misunderstood as Love's savior. So, healthy passion is that kind of love that realizes sex brings two people together and unifies them, securing and reinstating their covenantal obligation. But an unhealthy view of passion misleads people into thinking that great sex is a substitute for great love, or that more sex (or more varieties of sex, or more partners for sex) will guarantee the oneness and satisfaction that only covenantal love can provide.