This shift from a personalized, highly-involved God to something wider and less humanoid can be unsettling for a lot of people. I often get questions around the idea of: “Well, if God is not personally in charge or me or personally involved with my life, what does that mean!??!” It’s a big shift, and not everyone makes it, or even needs to make it.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
thoughts on a not so personal god
I don't know how many of you read Magpie Girl's blog, but I have followed her for a few years now. She used to be a pastor in a typical evangelical church, but she has slowly moved into a more all-embracing multi-faith practice. She recently blogged about the idea of a personal god when your spirituality expands. From her blog:
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2 comments:
I think the shift is more complicated that this piece from the blog. Years ago we created our God as our own individualized answer to everything. When you look through the Old Testament writings God is usually referred to as the God of Israel or the nation. There are times when He protected, spoke or guided specific people - Moses, Daniel, Samuel - but it is the context of the needs of the nation. When Jesus came it was to save His people and again the inividual attention we see is for the needs of the people. We have been given the Holy Spirit as a 'helper' - is that personal in the way we have developed the concept? I don't think so. I think we have laid most of our individualization on Jesus as a form of selfishness and control. I have a lot to learn yet about this God who I believe is good and just - just way beyond what I can comprehend.
Good points, Sheri.
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