Agape & Canaan

I was recently asked what these two things meant. I didn't have a good answer at the time, so I looked them up. Hope this helps!

Agape
Agape is Greek and simply translated, it means love, especially a love that is spiritual and selfless in nature. It's often equated to unconditional love, like that which God gives us or parents have for their children. See what wikipedia says on agape.


Canaan
Short answer: Canaan is a place from the Old Testament. "It's is an ancient term for a region roughly corresponding to present-day Israel, the West Bank, western Jordan, southern Syria and southern Lebanon." -- taken from Wikipedia

Long answer: It's also called the Promised Land, because God promised it to the Jews (or the Israelites). (God's promise is in Genesis 17:7-8, Exodus 33:1-3, etc.) After God led the Jews out of Egypt (think, the animated movie Prince of Egypt and the story of Moses), they were led (after many years) to Canaan, which, at the time, was full of so much wickedness that God couldn't stand it. So God helped the Israelites win the land from the Canaanites and told the Jews to remain faithful to Him.

This land was named after "the fourth son of Ham (Genesis 10:6). His descendants were under a curse in consequence of the transgression of his father (9:22-27). His eldest son, Zidon, was the father of the Sidonians and Phoenicians. He had eleven sons, who were the founders of as many tribes (10:15-18)." -- from Easton's Bible Dictionary

Here's a map of Canaan and modern day Israel for comparison.

As to why my church is called Canaan, that's something I'll have to ask this Sunday! :)