Project Overview
The Flame of Love project begins its investigation within the broadly-defined pentecostal tradition. This tradition includes historic Pentecostal denominations, neo-pentecostalisms found in mainline and independent congregations, as well as others who adhere to a pentecostal worldview in which the Holy Spirit is deemed an active force in daily life. The project culminates in a national survey not limited to any specific religion.
The primary goal is to use multiple methods to investigate the phenomena of Godly Love with the expressed purpose of fostering a wide-ranging interdisciplinary dialogue. The resulting discourse has the potential to provide answers to the pressing questions of our day. These questions include:
To what extent can the interactive experience of loving God and being loved by God motivate people to engage in selfless service to others?
How can the perceived influence of Godly Love be objectively measured through rigorous scientific methods and how might this knowledge be applied to the benefit of our communities?
How might measures of Godly Love emerging from this project cast light outside the Pentecostal tradition and illuminate universal concerns of the human experience?
In addition to establishing a new field of interdisciplinary scientific study, this project seeks to transform social science by taking God seriously as a perceived actor in human events, while advancing the agenda of an empirical theology.
For more information see the project website.
