i read a book this summer that was really interesting. it wasn't the absolute best thing i've read, but it certainly got my mind and heart thinking.
and boy, does this book seem to cause drama!...which probably is a good thing (in my opinion). maybe we need a little shake up from time to time. ;)
the book presents a relational view of god...what it could be like to share real life with the father, son and holy spirit. and to be honest, modern christianity often prefers the bullet point truths about doctrine over the uncomfortable relationship with the divine. i guess it's more comfortable to the mind...and easier for the "boxed" life.
and it's not that theology isn't a big deal...it's just that i've come to find that the foundation isn't bullet points...it really is, was and will be...relationship with the trinity. all the rest can and should rest on that pillow...
a beautiful...realer real...deeper deep...
so, i honestly found that perspective to be a RELIEF!
but the other interesting point of conflict with the book is...DON'T READ FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT SOMETHING SPOILED!!!...god the father is presented as a woman for the first part. i guess some really think that's so NOT god...to appear as a woman.
ok...but here's my problem...
why is that such a problem?
question #1: god created man...and woman...in his image. this means that there is something of god's identity reflected and displayed in a woman. if god was summed up and reflected completely in a man...there would have been no need for eve. so, what's the big deal? seems a bit like a "box" to me... in truth, the very fact that he created BOTH a man and woman so clearly shows that he's a relational being at the core...and so aching to interact with us...probably more so than you having to be his walking encyclopedia to the world.
question #2: there are verses in the bible where god describes his care for and treatment of his people through a female perspective. for example, Isaiah 66:13 says, "As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem." or Luke 13:34"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!"
so...why is it such a big deal? it's not like the author is saying, "hey everyone...god's a girl!" totally NOT what he's saying. in fact, i thought it presented such a wonderful picture of god's heart...meeting us where we are at in our pain sometimes. beautiful!
so...i might have just gotten myself kicked out of the bullet point boxer's pew...but...am i really disappointed? ummm....
4 comments:
Good Job!! You said it fabulously!
Love it! I've recently had this discussion with a friend who was reading this book, and in one of my classes. Love your insights...
why is it that we're so uncomfortable with the intimate relationship part of the trinity? I finished the book this past weekend and actually had those exact feelings as I was reading parts of it. You could probably put me in the "box" but I'm open to moving out :) Just wondering if I can identify why it is that I feel that way. I love reading!
Mandy
that is an awesome question, mandy! and one, of course, that i also wrestle with. so when you figure it out, please let me know! :)
i think it can totally be different for people. one is that we are simply raised with it...and much of the truth about god makes sense to us. so we don't think about something deeper.
but i think the relationship aspect of him is also a scary thing. mysterious like most of our relationships are. and sometimes that feels insecure.
but what also strikes me is that we live in a world that makes no sense to our hearts...and then throw into that a hurtful battle that sometimes hits our own hearts...we want to sometimes make sense of it all...and make sense of a god that somehow is in that painful world's equation. tough questions...so we sometimes make little boxes to fit god into this craziness...to help us make sense of it all and him in the midst of it. some security about how things are?
and the fear that whirls around us...i wonder how much we sometimes make up our minds about who god is...and how he is in real relationship to us...because we are afraid. we need to believe certain things to feel some semblence of control? or that someone out there has some? hmm...
but god...can't be contained like that, i think. and why would he want to be? he wants way more than our minds.
that's my first crack. i need to think on it more too...:)
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