Christian music artist Cory Asbury released "Reckless Love" in October 2017 and the song has become an anthem for believers that even pop star Justin Bieber recently sang a cover of the song to his fans at Coachella.
But the word "reckless" has apparently sparked a debate among evangelicals and experts. They dissected the word that Asbury chose for his song with both criticism and agreement.
Theologian Randal Rauser, for instance, wrote in his article on The Christian Post that it might not be appropriate to use the word reckless to describe God's love. He defended that God's love is "abiding, steady and well-planned" -- the complete opposite of reckless.
Pastor John Piper similarly said that Christians must be cautious about using the word 'reckless' when talking about God's love. He said that while he's not aware of the process Asbury took to come up with the song, the word itself has negative connotations. However, Piper also underscored that perhaps Asbury meant to show in his song that God loves with risk for His people.
Another theologian, Andre Henry, also gave his own analysis of "Reckless Love." He said via Relevant that as Asbury was using "reckless" in a song, there must be some dramatic meaning behind it and not just the standard meaning of the adjective.
The singer and songwriter actually wrote his own explanation about the meaning behind his song in a post on Facebook.
"What I mean is this: He is utterly unconcerned with the consequences of His actions with regards to His own safety, comfort, and well-being." Asbury stated. "His love isn't crafty or slick. It's not cunning or shrewd," he added. "In fact, all things considered, it's quite childlike, and might I even suggest, sometimes downright ridiculous. His love bankrupted heaven for you."
