(A theological reflection in 12 – yes TWELVE – parts. Good luck! I hope your stamina is up to it)
Who is God?
Part 1: Seeking a new God after the old one has been lost
One of the things that strikes me about modern Christian faith is how sophisticated and how varied are the beliefs that people have about God. Although it’s rather simplistic, I think it is fair to give an analysis along the following lines. Seventy plus years ago, a large proportion of people in Britain were Christian. Their faith was often very profound, but also, I think, simple. (Simplicity is a profoundly good quality) There were also a lot of people who believed because they were told it was the right thing to do – there was a general consensus that God is real; those in authority supported the Christian view; the life of faith was understood to be beneficial and at the heart of community formation. However, it was often a simple and literal view of God that people had. Respected people, like clergy, said that there is a God, who is a person “out there”. He is an independent, personal agent, who exists independently of creation (that is, you could switch the universe off and God would still be there), but who acts within creation to achieve his will, and he is a person with whom you can form a relationship.
However, during my lifetime, the number of people active in the Church, and secure in their faith, has plummeted. Multiple factors have contributed to this, but in terms of believing, much of it is to do with disillusionment, doubt, and ultimately rejection of belief. People have formed the conclusion that they were told something that is not, in fact, true. There is not a God out there, and he is not going to help you – because there is no-one there. However, some have persevered. How have they done this? I think through the development of remarkably deep alternative understandings of who God is. As this is an intensely personal journey, often taking the believer through intense doubt, the solutions that people find can vary greatly – especially as each person is trying to answer the difficult questions that have arisen for them. Perhaps this leads one person to a particular understanding of who God is, while another person – who perhaps is not concerned about that person’s issues – finds a very different solution that answers their own questions.
Spiritual Devotion 