{"id":555,"date":"2005-12-14T07:07:53","date_gmt":"2005-12-14T07:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/jesuscreed\/2005\/12\/the-emergingevangelical-discus.html"},"modified":"2005-12-14T07:07:53","modified_gmt":"2005-12-14T07:07:53","slug":"the-emergingevangelical-discus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2005\/12\/the-emergingevangelical-discus.html","title":{"rendered":"The Emerging-Evangelical Discussion: The One Needful Thing 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

Friendship<\/em>, that is the one needful thing for this conversation. What I mean mostly is that no matter where we stand, when we are done discussing something, we still should be friends. We remain friends because we love one another, not because we are convenient for one another or support one another or agree with one another. We remain friends because we are committed to the same Person and the same Vision (Kingdom) and root our identity in the same Theo-Drama (Scripture).
\nCan you be a friend to the other? There are three kinds of friendship, and what kind we have determines whether or not we can remain friends through conversation.
\nToday I’d like to reflect on the nature of friendship by looking briefly at Aristotle and Cicero. Here’s an outline of ideas.
\n1.0\tWhat is Friendship?
\nAristotle (NE 8.2.4): \u201cTo be friends therefore, persons must (1) feel goodwill for each other, that is, wish each other\u2019s good, and (2) be aware of each other\u2019s goodwill, and (3) the cause of their goodwill must be one of the lovable qualities mentioned above.\u201d
\nNote: \u201cgoodwill\u201d is mutual desire for the good of another; \u201clovable qualities\u201d are what is good and pleasant.
\nCicero (De Amicitia 6.20): \u201cFor friendship is nothing else than an accord in all things, human and divine, conjoined with mutual goodwill and affection, and I am inclined to think that, with the exception of wisdom, no better thing has been given to man by the immortal gods.\u201d
\n2.0\tThree Kinds of Friendship in Aristotle (NE 8.3.1-6)
\n2.1\tUtility: loving another \u201cin so far as some benefit accrues to them from each other.\u201d
\n2.2\tPleasure: loving another \u201cbecause that person is agreeable to us\u201d or because that person \u201cis a source of pleasure.\u201d
\n2.3\tVirtue: those who love another and so \u201cwish the good of their friends for their friends\u2019 sake \u2026 [and] who love each other for themselves and not accidentally.\u201d
\nCicero: \u201cgood persons love and join to themselves other good persons, in a union which is almost that of relationship and nature\u201d (De Amicitia 13.50).
\nAristotle: \u201cTherefore, it is between good persons that affection and friendship exist in their fullest and best form\u201d (NE 8.3.8).
\nA good way to measure where you are “fit” for this conversation is to see what happens to you when you disagree. Right then you’ll know if your friendship is one of utility, pleasure, or virtue.
\nThe only genuine conversation going on is between friends of virtue.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friendship, that is the one needful thing for this conversation. What I mean mostly is that no matter where we stand, when we are done discussing something, we still should be friends. We remain friends because we love one another, not because we are convenient for one another or support one another or agree with…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-emerging-movement"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Emerging-Evangelical Discussion: The One Needful Thing 1 - Jesus Creed<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/jesuscreed\/2005\/12\/the-emergingevangelical-discus.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Emerging-Evangelical Discussion: The One Needful Thing 1 - Jesus Creed\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Friendship, that is the one needful thing for this conversation. 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