father undoubtedly contributed to the younger son’s radical and rebellious request for his inheritance. The father’s love placed limits on the freedom of the younger son, who found it necessary to distance himself from the presence of the father’s righteousness and love. In the parable, there is a profound sense of the distance between the presence of the father and the far country, but this is often not the case today. Prodigal sons and daughters do as they please and still live at home. Christian