more from chapter 1, about "conceptual idolatry":
The term (idolatry) can be understood to refer to any attempt that would render the essence of God accessible, bringing god into either aesthetic visibility (in the form of a physical structure, such as a statue) or conceptual visibility (in the form of a concept, such as a theological system)...the former reduces God to a physical object while the latter reduces God to an intellectual object. (p. 12)later:
We do not find some simple, linear understanding of YHWH developing through the text, and thus we do not find a single, coherent definition of God, as proclaimed by many contemporary churches...Western theology has all too often reduced the beautifully varied and complex descriptions of God found in the Bible to a singular reading that does violence to its vibrant nature. (p. 12)This is so freeing. I sometimes feel attacked by those who criticize the emerging conversation (no one is attacking me directly, but they do attack people I read and respect and learn from). These watchdogs question if we really believe the Bible. They tell us we are not true Christians if we don't agree with their simple and clear interpretations of the Bible and share their precise understanding of who God is.
I really believe they have it backwards. God is so much greater than our limited ability to describe and explain Him! When we reduce God to a description that fits neatly into a systematic theology, we are capturing only a small piece of all that God is. We become guilty of idolatry!
I'm not saying we can't know anything of God; but that we can't know everything of God. We don't need to know everything of God to love Him and serve Him and worship Him...as my faith becomes more open and questioning and free, I find that I seek God and connect with Him in new and exciting ways. The Bible has come alive for me like never before. By not trying to intellectually understand so much about Him, I know and connect with Him more.
3 comments:
You mentioned two dangers - 1) Intellectual Understanding 2) Physical Understanding in how we categorize God. Should we add the danger of categorizing God based on individual experience and corporate experience?
I think the key, whether we are talking about physical or intellectual or experiential understanding of God, is to remember that each of those is our understanding of God, not God himself. So yes, I guess understanding based on experience is another type of understanding we need to be careful with. Good questions, Tom. You get a gold star for the day.
Thanks for the star. Funny how this came up in class on Monday night.
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