One of the problems of the enlightenment evangelical mindset in the new post-modern world is that God is too static, too paralysed, too confined. It is as if the enlightenment froze theology and indeed God Himself into an ice cube. If it could melt, I surmised, it would be more fluid and flexible and, therefore, able to creep into more nooks and crannies of the world. With ice cubes you have to go to it. With water it can come and reach you. As I surmised this freeing up of God’s influence it suddenly occurred to me that my analogy needed one more step. What if the water became steam? It would then be all pervasive; above, below and under. Steam is a much better symbol of omnipresence than ice. Though what I am saying is that when I pray for steam rather than ice I am not in any way changing the substance of who God is; just giving God back His more potent form.
Ultimately this means that God becomes a little more mysterious, some may call it too ambiguous, but in the end it might mean closer to the truth. God needs to be given back his Sovereignty. That is a word that has been used a lot to suggest that we know who God is and you should listen to our systematic theology if you want to understand Him yourself. Sovereignty is actually the opposite; it is an admission that God is way beyond us and thus has the ability to surprise or even shock us at any given time. It was this Sovereign God that Isaiah met in the Temple (Isaiah 6) and Paul met on the Damascus Road (Acts 9). Both men knew God, had him sussed in ice cube form, were serving Him like He told them and then bam the ambiguous steam form of God turned their lives on their heads and sent them off in the direction of a truth that cannot be contained by human minds but is the prerogative of the Mysterious, Omniscient, Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Sovereign God.
Enlightenment mindset or post modern mindset? They both have flaws and they both have some strengths and both need to be transcended by the Biblical mindset that Paul suggested we would have our minds transformed and renewed into, instead of conforming to the mindset of the age (Romans12). One of the strengths of post modernity is that God can be given his mystery back, be melted from the confines of that ice cube and be allowed to be mysterious Spirit once again. Be warned; just when you think you have him frozen in your mind’s arrogance...
Hey Steve.
Hmm - analogies from the world of physics? You do realise that you're going all sciencey on us? (Ooh, the irony!)
;-p
Posted by: Paul Hutchinson | 04/11/2009 at 02:21 PM
Perfect. Shared this with the staff. We're keeping you in our prayers this week and you close one chapter and start the next.
Posted by: Lisa Ho | 04/11/2009 at 02:40 PM
love this
Posted by: Paul B | 05/11/2009 at 07:11 PM
Dreadful English - confused thoughts. What are you talking about Steve?
Posted by: Seb | 06/11/2009 at 12:42 AM
Give the guy a break, Seb. He's from Ballymena - English is his second language! ;-p
Seriously tho, it made sense to me...
Posted by: Paul Hutchinson | 17/11/2009 at 09:58 AM
I was thinking too of all those references in the bible to God as "Rock"...mmmmmm
Posted by: Seb | 17/11/2009 at 06:35 PM
Are the references to God as "breath" or "wind" any less biblical, Seb?... mmmmmm
;-)
Posted by: Paul Hutchinson | 25/11/2009 at 12:26 PM