Bumping Into God

Occasionally my dog gets excited enough to run across the room, try to make a corner, misses and runs into the wall... something that is both very sad and very funny! The wall, of course, does not give at all, it has no way of responding or cushioning or shifting. However, when my dog runs and jumps on me, I move, cushion, and shift in order to take the impact.

Is God a wall that does not move, respond, or cushion? For some, the immutable, unmovable God is a comfort. For some, if God changes or is moved, then there entire system of theology begins to crumble.

Indeed, there are statements in Scripture that seem to paint God as an immovable wall, one who does not change and remains the same no matter what circumstance comes along. There are verses that describe God as knowing all things, having every detail of human history already worked out in advance, foreknown, and chosen.

Yet, much of the Bible describes God in very different language than this. Many scriptures describe a very movable God-- A God who repents, relents, is suprised, and regrets. When I read the story of Moses interceding on behalf Israel in Exodus 32 and God "repents of the evil he was about to do", I am overwhelmed by such a God who would respond to the passionate pleas of a human being. I am overcome with emotion at a God who takes the time to listen and shift perspective and change action. This is a God who is so powerful that vulnerability is not seen as a weakness but the hope of creation. This is a God who allows the dog to jump and cushions the blow. This is a God that is in relationship-- a true relationship, a give and take relationship.

Let us stop striving to create bomb-proof systematic theologies and allow each scripture text to move us as it sees fit. When in Exodus 32, let us fall in love with a God who could be moved. When in James 1, let us feel strong that we have a God who does not shift like shadows. Both are true and both have something very amazing to teach us.

Naked before God

"Prayer is exposure.  Prayer changes us. It leads somewhere specific and is not just an aimless wandering with no discernible purpose in mind.  Its purpose is exposure to everything that is in us and the willingness to receive the inevitable changes that come as a result."

-- Primary Speech: A Psychology of Prayer by Ann & Barry Ulanov

Twitter @ Church

Check out this story at Time Mag online.  I am certainly interested in both the positive and negative consequences of such a shift in church worship and ministry.  When I was in Fresno, teens would often text me while I was teaching... offering questions they did not want to ask out loud, offering contributive thoughts, etc.  I loved it.  However, I can also see a hyper-consumerist side to all of this too.  What do you think?

Does God Have A Big Toe?

The following is an excerpt from the children's book Does God Have A Big Toe?

When God first made the world, nothing turned out right, so God decided to start all over again. When the animals heard about hti, they were frightened. They decided to ask God not to end the world. But none of them knew where God lived, so they all flew and flopped, rolled and ran, jerked and jumped, crept and crawled, slithered and slid to the different places they thought God lived.

The elephant said, "I am the biggest animal, but God must be bigger than I. Surely I will find God in the biggest thing."

The elephant came to a mountain. "This is the biggest thing around, so it must be God!" And the elephant asked the mountain not to end the world.

The eagle said, "I can fly higher than any animal, but God must fly higher than I. Surely I will find God in the highest thing." The eagle flew higher and higher-- far higher than any bird had ever flown before.

The ealge saw a fluffy white could that was even higher than he. "This is the highest thing, so it must be God." And the eagle asked the cloud not to end the world.

The lion said, "My roar is the loudest animal sound, but God must be louder than I. Surely I will find God in the loudest thing!" SO the lion roared and roared and roared and roared.

Suddenly the clouds gathered together, turned black, and sent out thunder and lightning. "This is the loudest thing, so it must be God." And the lion asked the thunder not to end the world.

Soon the elephant realized that the mountain wasn't God because it didn't answer him.

Soon the eagle realized that the cloud wasn't God because it blew away.

Soon the lion realized that the thunder wasn't God because it stopped.

Soon all the animals were yelling, "We have to find God or we're done for!"

Then the fish spoke up. "In the oceans and sea and rivers and lakes where we live, water is everywhere. There is water all around. If the water is everywhere, God must be everywhere too."

When God heard what the fish said, the whole world shone and the black clouds blew away. Then God said to the animals, "When I end the world, I will save two of each kind of animal so that when the world starts over, you can start over too. But as for the fish... I will save all of them, because only they knew where to find God.

Monotheism and Literacy

As one looks down the halls of history at the various religions that have existed, it is easy to see that monotheism arises as literacy spreads across a culture.  The ability to read and write fundamentally changes an individual's existence.  The way they think, reason, perceive, and understand after gaining the ability to read and write is fundamentally different than before these skills were acquired.  Reading and writing create a type of logical reasoning that cannot be comprehended without those skills.  

A community before the advent of widespread literacy is dependent upon story and symbolism.  In such a pre-literate world, the mind is subject to the mythical-- the sun is a force, a tree decides to sprout leaves in spring, the sea is a god, etc.  

The skills of reading and writing provide a person and a community the tools to begin the journey of rationally considering the once mythical elements.  More importantly, they allow thoughts to be analyzed and ideas to be processed.  Finally, in a literate world, a person is no longer fully dependent on another for mediation between self and the divine.  In the literate world, I can communicate with God and God with me.  

Competing Voices in Scripture

I spend the majority of my bible reading time in the Old Testament.  Since I was a young boy I have always been fascinated with the many stories found in this first testament.  When I was a teen, I found it perplexing that Proverbs seemed to have a different message than the prophets and that the prophets had a different message than the historical books, and the historical books a different message than the Torah.  As I have studied more throughout the years, I have begun to understand the reasons behind these different messages and voices.  Here is a list of competing voices:

• Voice that supports sovereignty of ruling class and kings
  
• Voice that places Law/Torah above all else
  
• Voice that emphasizes the role of Aaronic priesthood
  
• Voice that emphasizes the role of Levitical or other line of priesthood
  
• Voice that places the pursuit of wisdom in the world above all else
  
• Voice that emphasizes the immediate voice of God against the status quo of society
  

One can probably list more or group a few into a similar lump.  The point is that as you read through the OT, you find various voices and they each have a message that they elevate above all else.  Voices originate from various social and political situations-- the people left in Canaan/Palestine after the captivity, the people who return after the captivity, the middle class, the ruling class, the impoverished in society, etc.  Sometimes they have overlapping messages.  More often, they have competing voices.  Proverbs seems to indicate that wisdom is sought and found by searching creation, nature, life, etc.  Psalm 119 emphasizes the role of God's law and precepts (which some other passages would attribute to the law given by the king, other the law given by the priests, and for others the idea that a Torah was given in the past and passed down).  The prophets hear a direct message from God and emphasize obedience to this message above all else.  

Some Moral Order Restored

Today was a very good day in America.  Indeed, some moral order was restored as President Obama did away with torture.  What has been amazing to me over the past 7 years are the number of Christians who have either looked the other way or outrightly endorsed torture.  Thankfully, as of today, some morality is restored.  We take up the great cause of being compassionate in the face of violence once again.  "Do not repay evil for evil... overcome evil with good.  If your enemy is hungry, feed him.  If he is thirsty, give him something to drink." Romans 12:17-19