Loving ourselves at the expense of loving others is contrary to the heart of the Gospel. Jesus calls us and enables us (only by His Spirit living and loving in and through us) to overcome ego-centric and harsh attitudes and actions.

 

This is in challenges and opposes clanish, tribal thinking that writes off others of other religions, interpretations, classes and cultures. It is not true that the more one loves one's own, the more one is entitled to hate another. We may believe in the doctrine of inspiration, that God's truth is in God's Word, the Scriptures; this does not mean that our interpretations are equally inspired. In fact, as history has shown, often we have gotten it quite wrong: our interpretations have been wrong, self-motivating and preserving, judgmental, narrow. Some 'convictions' have done irreparable harm even as other convictions have brought irresistable blessing.

 

For 'hate' put 'diss, laugh at, mock, scorn, ignore, fight against, scoff at . . .' - all of which happens within and between Christian discourse.