News: Lloyd Geering celebrates 106 years

Yesterday Lloyd Geering turned 106. We reflect on his life as an influencer of critical thinking about traditional Christian teaching, beginning with a clip from this conversation at his 100th birthday.

‘I have a great deal of optimism’ – famous Kiwi atheist Sir Lloyd Geering celebrates 100th birthday – Bing video

Sir Lloyd George Geering ONZ GNZM CBE (born 26 February 1918) is a New Zealand theologian who faced charges of heresy in 1967 for teaching that the Bible’s record of Jesus’ death and resurrection is not true. He considers Christian and Muslim fundamentalism to be “social evils”. Geering is emeritus professor of religious studies at Victoria University of Wellington. In 2007, he was appointed a Member of the Order of New Zealand, New Zealand’s highest civilian honour, limited to 20 living people. Geering turned 100 in February 2018.

Early life and family

Geering was born in Rangiora on 26 February 1918, the son of Alice (née Johnston) and George Frederick Thomas Geering.[1][2] The family spent four years in Australia from 1927 to 1930, where Geering was dux of Warrnambool Elementary School, before returning to Dunedin.[3][4] He was educated at Otago Boys’ High School between 1931 and 1935, where he was dux in his final year and vice-captain of the hockey 1st XI.[3][4]

In 1936, Geering went on to study mathematics at the University of Otago, graduating Bachelor of Arts with first-class honours in 1940.[3][5] While at Otago, he continued playing hockey and was a member of the university’s first-grade team. He was also active in university dramatic productions, debating and the Otago Student Christian Movement, being elected president of the latter in 1939.[4] In 1939, Geering was nominated for a Rhodes Scholarship by the University of Otago.[4]

Geering “embraced” the Christian tradition in 1937.[6] After completing his BA(Hons), he entered Knox College as a theological student in 1940, and was exempted from military service in World War II.[3] He later said:[3]

I was a pacifist anyway by this stage. I took my Christian convictions so seriously that I couldn’t reconcile them with being a soldier.

On 22 May 1943, Geering married Nancy Marie McKenzie at Trinity Presbyterian Church, Timaru.[7] The couple had two children before Nancy Geering died from tuberculosis in Dunedin on 4 October 1949.[3][8] On 20 November 1951, Geering married Elaine Morrison Parker, a speech therapist, and they went on to have one child. Elaine Geering died in 2001.[1][9][10] Geering married Shirley Evelyn Adams in 2004. She died at the age of 95 in 2021.[11][12]

Career

Geering was ordained as a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) in 1943 and practised as a minister in Kurow; Opoho, Dunedin (1945-1950); and St James, Wellington (1950-1956) before turning to theological teaching. He was the honorary associate minister of St John’s Church in Wellington from 1971 to 1983. He was named honorary assistant at St Andrew’s in Wellington in 1989. Geering remains on the register (Fasti) of New Zealand Presbyterian ministers.[13]

Geering has held the positions of professor of Old Testament studies at Presbyterian Church Hall, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (1956-1960), professor of Old Testament studies at Theological Hall, Dunedin (1960-1963), and principal of Theological Hall, Dunedin (1963-1971). In 1971, Geering became the foundation professor of religious studies at Victoria University of Wellington and held this position until his retirement in 1984 when he was appointed professor emeritus. In 1983, he became a lecturer at the St Andrew’s Trust for the Study of Religion and Society.[13]

Geering is a member of the Jesus Seminar and a participant in the Living the Questions programme, an alternative to the evangelical Alpha course, which he calls “dangerous indoctrination” growing among mainstream churches.[citation needed] He is also a member of the Sea of Faith Network (New Zealand), and St Andrew’s On The Terrace, as well as principal lecturer at St Andrew’s Trust for the Study of Religion and Society.

Heresy charges

In 1967, Geering gained a high-profile when he was charged with “doctrinal error” and “disturbing the peace and unity of the (Presbyterian) church”.[14] The case was brought before the 1967 General Assembly of the PCANZ, and dismissed without being much discussed.[15] The charges were brought by a group of conservative laymen and a conservative minister. During his church trial, he claimed that the remains of Jesus lay somewhere in Palestine and that the resurrection had been wrongfully interpreted by churches as a resuscitation of the body of Jesus. He also rejects the belief held by all monotheistic faiths that God is a supernatural being who created and continues to look over the world.[16]

Later life

Geering’s second wife, Elaine, died in Cromwell on 19 August 2001.[10] In 2004, Geering married Shirley Evelyn White (née Adams).[17]

On 26 February 2018, Geering celebrated his 100th birthday, emulating his father who also reached 100 years of age.[18]

Shirley, Lady Geering, died in Petone on 1 October 2021.[19]

In 2021, Geering joined the group Intergenerational Climate Ambassadors, established in 2020 by scientist Jim Salinger and Sophie Handford, a K?piti Coast district councillor.[20] At the time, Geering said:

“Fundamentalist Christianity would regard things to be in the hands of a God who controls. That idea of God has just vanished really. We now know that we are in the hands of natural forces in the world, and because of what humans have done to the earth, they have produced a situation where the temperature’s going up all the time – and it will reach a limit which we can’t survive.”[20]

Honours and awards[edit]

In 1976, Geering was conferred an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree by the University of Otago.[3]

In the 1988 New Year Honours, Geering was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire,[21] and in the 2001 New Year Honours he was made a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to religious studies.[22] In the 2007 New Year Honours, he was appointed a Member of the Order of New Zealand. In 2009, he accepted redesignation as a Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, following the restoration of titular honours by the New Zealand government.[23]

Geering is a patron of the Coalition for Open Government.

Selected publications

  • Portholes to the Past: Reflections on the early 20th century (2016). Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand: Steele Roberts, ISBN 978-0-94749333-2
  • On Me Bike: Cycling round New Zealand 80 years ago (2015). Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand: Steele Roberts, ISBN 978-1-927242-93-3
  • Reimagining God: The Faith Journey of a Modern Heretic (2014). Salem, OR: Polebridge PressISBN 978-1-59815-156-5
  • From the Big Bang to God: Our Awe-Inspiring Journey of Evolution (2013). Aotearoa, NZ: Steele Roberts, Salem, OR: Polebridge Press, ISBN 978-1-59815-139-8. Ebook ISBN 978-1-59815-140-4
  • Such Is Life!: A Close Encounter With Ecclesiastes (2010). Aotearoa, NZ: Steele Roberts, ISBN 1-59815-023-5
  • Coming Back to Earth: From gods to God to Gaia (2009). Salem, OR: Polebridge Press, ISBN 1-59815-016-2
  • In Praise of the Secular (2007). St Andrews, ISBN 0-9582880-0-3
  • Is Christianity Going Anywhere? (2004). St Andrews, ISBN 0-9583645-8-3
  • Wrestling with God: The Story of My Life (2006). ISBN 1-877242-36-5
  • The Greening of Christianity (2005) ISBN 0-9583645-9-1
  • Christianity without God (2002). Salem, OR: Polebridge Press, ISBN 0-944344-92-5
  • Christian Faith at the Crossroads (revised 2001). Salem, OR: Polebridge Press, ISBN 0-944344-83-6
  • The World to Come: From Christian Past to Global Future (1999). Salem, OR: Polebridge Press, ISBN 0-944344-76-3
  • Tomorrow’s God: How We Create our Worlds (1996). Salem, OR: Polebridge Press reprint 2000, ISBN 0-944344-81-X
  • In the World Today (1988)
  • The World of Relation: An Introduction to Martin Buber‘s I and Thou (1983)
  • Faith’s New Age: A Perspective on Contemporary Religious Change (1980)
  • Resurrection – A Symbol of Hope (1971)
  • God in the New World (1968)

oOo

News: Vale – William (Bill) Wallace

Loss of Progressive Hymn Writer

Colleagues,

I have just received out of New Zealand, a notice from Michael Wallace that his father, William (Bill) Wallace died this evening, aged 90. A long-time ‘progressive’ I have known Bill for many years and am saddened by this news.

Rev Rex A E Hunt, MSc(Hons)

Progressive hymns – from our own Bill Wallace

An amazing collection of Bill Wallace’s progressive hymns (words, music scores and mp3 files), available for free download from  Progressive Christianity, and the Methodist Church of New Zealand Te Haahi Weteriana Aotearoa. Collections include Boundless Life (35 hymns), The Mystery Telling (48 cosmic hymns), Aotearoa (21 hymns), Sing Young Sing Joyfully (40 hymns for children), Festive Worship ( 17 hymns for festivals of the Christian year), and Seasoned Celebration (5 hymns for nature’s seasons).

 

William Livingstone Wallace (Bill), a retired New Zealand Methodist Minister and long-time member of Durham Street Methodist Church, is one of the most prolific contributors to Progressive Christianity, where on that website alone he has over 200 hymns and 260 pages of other worship material. His hymns have also appeared in 13 different denominational hymn books and 17 other hymn collections.

Bill says that his work springs from communicating with the fire in his gut and his observation of both the internal and external aspects of the Cosmos. Since an early age he has been both sympathetic to and critical of the church.  At varsity he found an intellectual home in the ecumenism and radicalism of the Student Christian Movement and at theological college was frustrated to discover that neither these nor liturgy were regarded as major elements in the curriculum. In parish life he found that writing hymns was a more acceptable way of presenting radical thoughts than sermons. They allowed these thoughts to slide into the mind on the back of music.

His radicalism sprang from his experiences as a labourer and his exposure to great inequality in the Philippines. It was these that led him to abandon the idea that wealth is a gift from God and with it the belief in an intervening deity. Bill found his true spiritual home when he was introduced to the Christian mystics, especially Hildegard of Bingen and Meister Eckhart. This explains why he has sometimes been called a prophetic mystic.

He holds a B.A. in philosophy and a Dip.Ed. and is the author of seven published collections of his hymns as well as the material on this website. His aim is to help people be empowered by the divine within them and the Cosmos and to work to overthrow the forces of personal and institutional greed which destroy both the ecosystem and human society.

oOo

 

Event: Redcliffe (Q) Explorers – The War in Gaza

 

On Tuesday 5th March we will take a close look at a subject that must be very familiar to everyone who’s not completely avoiding radio and TV newscasts.

 The war in Gaza and the subject of Israel and the Palestinians, especially Hamas, is 24/7 in the media.  Our March meeting, designed by Rev. Dr Lorraine Parkinson, will provide an opportunity to discuss and learn about why relations between Israel and the Palestinians are what they are in 2024. Three of our regular members (Pam Raff, Graeme of Morayfield and Martin Atkins) will speak about the historical aspects of the conflict, amply illustrated by pertinent video clips.  The presentations aim to give a balanced view of the circumstances from both sides of the conflict, and after each talk there will be time for discussion.

The session will commence at 6:30 p.m. in the Ocean Room, Redcliffe Uniting Church (cnr Anzac Ave and Richens St Redcliffe). There will be an opportunity during the presentation to break for light refreshments. Entry is free, but a small donation to offset costs would be appreciated.

All are welcome and encouraged to participate in a serious, respectful and stimulating conversation where all points of view are open for discussion.

If you’d like to know more about the Redcliffe Explorers, please contact the convenor by calling or texting on 0401 513 723.

Peace,

Ian

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Event: Webinar from Pax Christi Victoria

Thanks to PCNV for drawing our attention to this Webinar from Pax Christi Victoria.

Click here for Webinar Flyer

 

Click Here for Pax Christi Letter

This may be of interest to you.

Pax Christi Victoria Webinar
Military Security or Human Security?
A Vision for Australia today

 

Pax Christi Victoria invites you to participate
in this interactive Webinar
Thursday 29th February 7.00pm – 8.45pm
Cost: $10.00
Please register here via try booking:
https://www.trybooking.com/COUXD

For further information contact: Catriona Devlin on 0419 109 830 OR
Harry Kerr: 0424 950 852

oOo

Event and News: St Lucia (Q)

St Lucia Spirituality Group
Newsletter February 2024

Greetings

Our last meeting of the Butterfly series was held on 6 February. Twenty spiritual seekers attended our zoom meeting and discussed the topic “Death and Rebirth”. Some participants shared personal experiences of life transitions that were major changes, emotionally distressing and processed over a long timeframe. Comments were made about the importance of proper endings to occur, without which new beginnings are difficult or stillborn. Discussion also centred on the period of liminal space (or neutral zone) which can be characterised by indecision, anxiety, disharmony, and uncertainty.

It was stressed that moving from endings to new beginnings is not like a simple step through a door. An analogy was made between the experiences in liminal space and St John of the Cross’ agony in his Dark Night of The Soul. Reference was also made to the relationship between the transitions model and the Easter Trilogy, with Good Friday representing endings, Easter Saturday representing the distressing neutral zone and Easter Sunday representing new beginnings. Our discussions, and indeed the briefing paper, focused on transitions during one’s life. Some participants were disappointed that we did not discuss permanent death and the afterlife. Perhaps this points to a future topic!

Butterfly Series – Next Meeting

The next episode of the Butterfly series will draw attention to the phenomenon of a Victim Mentality, explain it and encourage the reader to reflect on its occurrence in their own life, the lives of friends and relatives, groups, or entire cultures. The daily news broadcasts serve up a cocktail of stories about suffering through car crashes, domestic violence, fires, earthquakes, wars, and the like. Victims are often interviewed, and their suffering is red raw. When that suffering takes over one’s life, is not worked through and overcome, does not give way to forgiveness, then the victim develops a victim mentality that —like a drug—makes them feel good for a while, but then sucks the life out of them.

The briefing paper reproduces an article on this subject, entitled “Beware the Dangers of a Victim Mentality”, written by Akos Balogh, a Hungarian born Australian. Thank you to Brendan O’Sullivan for suggesting the topic and bringing the article to our attention.

This paper is available upon request or on our Facebook page. Our Episode 27 meeting will be held on Zoom at 6:00pm AEST on Tuesday 5 March 2024. Come early to meet the others there. Use this link to join the meeting. The zoom meeting will open at 5:45pm.

To register your attendance, please email John at jscoble@hradvantage.com.au. CAUTION: If you are on Daylight Saving Time, be careful about the time.

Also, if you intend to join the meeting, please store this email in a safe place so that you can easily retrieve it and so ensure that you are able to join us.

Topics for 2024

We are looking for potential topics for 2024. Are there any issues on which you would like to hear the group’s opinions? Is there something that has been particularly concerning you in your spiritual journey? We’d like to hear about it, particularly if you are prepared to work with us on preparing a discussion paper. If so, let us know.

Discussion groups

Our objective for this group is to promote the discussion of ideas, building a community of seekers. This is more likely to happen in small, intimate groups. Is there anyone in your local area you could meet for coffee or breakfast as part of your journey? John and Robert meet with a few others for breakfast each month, but their group started with the two of them meeting for coffee and chatting. Who could you invite?

We are aware of some members looking for groups to join in places like Noosa, Kenmore (Brisbane), and Sydney. Do you have one? Please let us know. If you would like to be notified if we are aware of others seeking to form a group, please let us know your suburb/town/postcode. Please understand that if you give us this information, you are also giving us permission to share it.

We believe the future of our churches lies in these small groups.

Website – HELP PLEASE!!!

As our community continues to grow, it is time to design and launch a web site. Our Facebook page offers only limited access but has an increasing amount of material that could be accessed more widely. We are seeking to identify a person with professional web site design experience (or a highly skilled amateur) who would be willing to assist us for a reasonable fee. If you know such a person, could you please provide their contact details to us slsg4067@gmail.com?

Our Newsletters & Facebook Page

  • Do you know anyone who might like to receive these newsletters too? They can easily subscribe for our newsletters and other news by clicking on this link.
  • We invite you to find our Facebook group by clicking on this link, it will take you to our page where you will be able to apply to join.
  • Our Facebook page has all past newsletters and discussion papers available under “Files” for viewing and download.
  • You can also contact us by email slsg4067@gmail.com.

Go well…

John Scoble & Robert van Mourik

oOo

Opinion: Choices matter

From subscriber: Bev Floyd.

WARNING!!

There is untold vitality and opportunity for those who reach the centre of their being. It is a way made possible by a focus on one thing… being one’s true self. As Soren Kierkegaard said, ‘Purity of heart is to will one thing.’

As we go along life’s path we meet many opportunities for choice. Each choice we make affects everything and everyone. It does!

We now know that the whole world is ‘connected’. The old song about our ‘knee bone being connected to our thigh bone…’ etc is not just about our bodies. It tells a truth about bees and tides and clouds and plants and on and on and on. We are a part of everything and although our choice may be small in the scheme of things, it will have an impact.

I recall from my Sunday school days the words of Paul, ‘…if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.”

So… choices matter. Even small choices can change the direction in which we are heading… and can change the world.

Some will not choose love. They will choose anger and hatred, spite and power. That’s what happens when we are allowed to choose. Sometimes we make a wrong choice.

There is evil in the world. Depravity, unlove, hatred, spite, jealousy, anger, bitterness…

I am not sure why or how it comes about… Is it more in some people’s being when they are born? Is it the result of gradual decline? Does it come about because the social environment is skewed? Is it built into the way things are so there is a clear choice between good and evil?

I do not know. I only know how hard I have had to battle the forces of ‘unlove’ in my own personality. Some came from my inborn personality. Some came from the environment around me. Each step forward was    a struggle. Nor was it all progress.

Yet I was also blessed with examples of goodness and kindness and empathy that guided me towards a better path. I took hold of examples from literature and from history. I found supportive friends.

I was part of a ‘religious’ environment. I was a church-goer. I regularly heard sermons about goodness and love.

So… now… you may ask, why do you speak out against ‘organised religion’?

I will still… and always… acknowledge the benefits I’ve had from being part of it. But, as John Shelby Spong (an American Anglican bishop) said ‘Christianity must change or die’. That is because it is not listening to the many secular discoveries that have changed the way we should be thinking and believing.

‘Organised religion’ (in my case, the Christian version) needs to re-interpret its message. The message of creation, of ‘salvation’, of the role of the bible. And that is just the tip of the ice-berg.

I have friends who think it may be possible for the ‘church’ to change. They work within the system to try to bring about change.

For myself, I have decided to concentrate on the future. The choices we make depend on correct information. That depends on searching for and recognising truth.

‘What is truth?’ Asked Pilate as he was asked to sentence an innocent man. Indeed. What is it? Where can we find it? Often it is no longer a concern of churches. Well… in many.

I reckon everything hangs in the balance. The future is at stake. Small decisions we make may change the way things go.

Let’s make right choices.

oOo

A Scripture Reflection: Hope is everpresent

I am about to do a new thing: now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will
make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19

From A Way in the Wilderness, (c) 1994, renewed 2023, M.J.R. Dodd, PO  Box 462, Edgecliff, NSW,2027, Australia


Away in the wilderness and rivers in the desert? Surely not!

The very essence of this work is that whatever your experience of life
however grim or bleak– in such manner as disaster may have manifested
itself– be it a business disaster and debt or imprisonment or illness or
lovelessness or disloyalty– resuscitation is available and hope
ever-present. It is small surprise that the title of this little opus is taken
from this wondrous verse in this most luminous of chapters of wisdom. In
the directness of the language of this whole remarkable chapter lies the
immediacy of the relief you are seeking.

This very moment, this very instant, a cure is available to you of truly.
cosmic proportions. Whatever those dismal stories that so beset you round
(to quote John Bunyan’s pilgrim) they can be set at nought. Revival can
occur now– the new start can begin this very instant– not the new start
that may be but the new start that is!

Away in the wilderness and rivers in the desert? Surely!

In the acceptance that deep within the silence and stillness in the separation
of all that you are from every pressure will come not merely the discovery of
ways in the wilderness but also the full refreshment of rivers in the desert
lies all truth. You can find new definitions and panoramas of blessing–new
discoveries that wherever you are and however blighted or burdened, cure
and resuscitation are at hand– instantaneously, and spontaneously.

Not the stuff of the fool but the advice of the wise.

As you scoff and reject, you are losing time and missing the very
opportunity of escape that you desire. It is up to you to make the boldest
dash for freedom- now- at this very moment, and in this very place. The
journey you will need to make is entirely within you– it is a journey of
change on scales that are truly cosmic but yet scales that totally justify the
measure of the journey you seek and the relief from all that pains that you
so demand.

Only you can make that journey but equally only you will find the rescue and
escape you seek from whatever it is that causes you distress.

A way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert? Yes, for the thirsty and for the
thirsty enough. Are you really one of them?

Max Dodd

For the full publication of reflections send an email to Max.

oOo

Event: Merthyr Explorers, New Farm, Q – An Alternative Funeral

 

Merthyr Explorers’ February meeting will be in March!
Please take note of the change of date to –

Wednesday 6th March.

I hope you will still be able to attend. Dr Steven Nisbet will lead our exploring on the topic of
“An Alternative Funeral: an exploration of new language for funeral and memorial services”

Please bring along some suggestions for the liturgy –

  • readings,
  • prayers,
  • music,
  • farewell statements,
  • committals,
  • format,
  • setting,
  • etc.
  • An example of a ‘progressive’ service by Rev Rex Hunt can be found here. It will form part of our discussion at the meeting. Please bring along a copy to the session.

Merthyr Road Uniting Church, 52 Merthyr Rd, New Farm.
10 am for morning tea
10:30 am we begin our exploring of the topic.
A donation of $5 towards costs is appreciated .

Some of us have lunch together at Moray Cafe nearby, so please stay if you can.

PS: The following two sessions will be:

Wednesday March 27th – a Jesus seminar with Brian O’Hanlon

Wednesday April 24th – Quantum Physic, Consciousness and Creation with Les Savage

oOo

Reflection: An Invitation to the Seventh Story

This week Richard Rohr brings this reflection:

Gareth Higgins and Brian McLaren describe how Jesus invites us into the Seventh Story:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jesus] radically interrupted the six stories, saying that instead of getting stuff and keeping others from getting stuff, you can’t actually possess stuff for yourself alone in the first place. Instead of building walls, you are invited to show the same kindness toward your neighbor as you would want them to show to you, to celebrate his joys, to grieve her losses. Even more provocative: instead of defeating enemies, you are asked to love them. We call this the reconciliation-liberation story.

The most revolutionary, if you will, part of the Seventh Story … is this: in each of the six stories, humans are masters of “our” domain, the world is divided into “us” and “them,” and the purpose of life is to be a selfish economic unit, producing bounty to keep for yourself and your group. The six stories are all based on reacting to other people’s desire; they invite separation at best, and violence at worst; and they seek to avoid suffering…. And in a world where we have the power to destroy ourselves, they are evolutionarily inappropriate.

But in the Seventh Story, human beings are not … masters of “our” domain, but partners in the evolution of goodness.[1]

McLaren discusses freedom to create a better story, and how Jesus lived out the Seventh Story:

I think it would be dangerous if there was some version of the Seventh Story imposed upon everybody to achieve world peace. There is something about the Seventh Story that needs to be powerful without exercising power, and needs to be persuasive without backing people into a corner. Something about it has to involve freedom and discovery and choice….

What we need isn’t a storyline that wants to erase all the others. What we need is story space that invites people, in whatever story they’re part of, to stop and wonder, “I don’t like where this story is going, and I don’t like how this is going to end. Is it possible there’s a better story to tell? Could we make a change and find a better ending?” That, to me, is what good news is about. For example, Jesus went around saying, “Repent.” I don’t think that necessarily means we should feel guilty and shameful about things we’ve done. I think it means rethink the story of your lives and open yourself to a different and better ending.

Jesus doesn’t give up on his story, but to the very end, he lives this Seventh Story. In the resurrection stories, he doesn’t come back saying, “Okay, enough of that love story. I’m going to come back a second time to get revenge on all those people.” The story of the resurrection is, “Let’s keep this story going.” He tells his followers to go into the whole world and keep this story going. Jesus lives and dies by a story of love, and the protagonist of the story is love. [2]

References:
[1] Gareth Higgins and Brian D. McLaren, The Seventh Story: Us, Them, and the End of Violence (Brian D. McLaren and Gareth Higgins, 2018), 122–123, 124. For further resources, see The Porch Community.

[2] Adapted from Brian McLaren and Gareth Higgins, “The Seventh Story,” Learning How to See, season 5, ep. 8 (Albuquerque, NM: Center for Action and Contemplation, 2023), podcast. Available as MP3 audio and pdf transcript.

Authors: 

Brian McLaren: A Progressive Christian Voice
Brian McLaren is a prolific writer and speaker who challenges traditional Christianity with his progressive and inclusive vision.
Gareth Higgins was born in Belfast in 1975, grew up during the Northern Ireland Troubles, and now lives in the US. He writes and speaks about the power of storytelling to shape our lives and world, peace and making justice, and how to take life seriously without believing your own propaganda.
oOo

Reflection: The changing concepts of God

From subscriber and explorer: Peter Robinson

GOD – CHANGING CONCEPTS Discussion Paper – ‘God on a Page’

There is a difference between the experience of God and the explanation of the experience. Theism is a human explanation of the experience of God. It is culture bound in imagery and symbol.

Personhood is the deepest expression of our consciousness as human beings. We describe everything in terms of this reality and tend to think of God after the analogy of a person. The same may be true for every other creature. Xenophanes said it in the fifth century BC, “If horses had Gods, they would look like horses.”

Our concepts and images of God have been evolving as long as human beings have been around. In Animism, which appears to have been the earliest form of human religion, God was defined as multiple spirits in a spirit-filled world. These spirits caused everything that human beings observed in earth and sky – the sun moved, the moon turned, the sky turned black with thunder and lightning, flowers bloomed, and trees bore fruit. Animism sought to help us as humans to relate to and win the favour of these animating spirits.

When we humans moved into agricultural communities around 10,000 years ago (as inter-glacial period warming gave rise to more benign conditions), God was defined in terms of the processes of fertility. When we grew into tribes on our way toward nation states, God became a tribal deity. In the Gods of Olympus, animism and tribal deities were merged into a hierarchy of Gods ruled by a chief of the Gods (Jupiter, Zeus) but with animistic functions still defined by spirits (Neptune and Cupid, for example).

Finally, we moved to a concept of God’s oneness, in Zoroastrianism, oldest of the monotheistic world religions. God began to grow vaguer and more mysterious. Here we first find teachings on individual judgment and salvation, heaven and hell, bodily resurrection, a general last judgment, and life everlasting, elements later taken up in Judaism (following Jewish exile in Babylon) and in Christianity and Islam. In Hebrew Scripture, God is identified with ‘wind’ (Ruach) and the more personal ‘breath’ (Nephesh), that which brought life, concepts that evolved into the word Spirit. God was held up as ‘the one true God’ yet remained a tribal deity. In Hebrew experience, God was unapproachable, unknowable, and referred to as G–d.

Gradually the idea of God moved from one of Spirit(s) to the idea of God as an objective external Being, conceptualized to be more like us. It is said, God made us in His image – and we humans returned the favour. Jesus’ teaching moved people from the idea of a remote vengeful God to that of a loving ‘Father’ figure to whom we might personally relate. God was identified with love, expander of life, and evolved into an understanding of the Christ figure as ‘love incarnate’. God became personified and imagined as one who embodies, thinks, and acts our highest values and ideals, and ultimate concerns. In our understanding from ancient scripture, we have given weight to certain metaphors, and downplayed others.

Our human worldview continues to evolve, with broadening understanding of the physical universe, nature, and our human place, and so too our ideas of God. The idea of God as pervasive spirit is re-emerging (Christian panentheism) where God is spoken of as Ground of Being and Spirit of Life. Not as ‘a Being’ but as Spirit of ‘Being’, infusing all of life. God ‘in us and through us, in all things and through all things.’

Concepts of God have been born, changed, and died and that process continues. As our world knowledge expands, ideas of God will expand and change with it. Our notions too, of gathering worship and prayer. I do not feel that anyone of us can fully define or explain God, whether we image God as the Holy, Spirit of life, the Sense of Transcendence, the More, or anything else. However, I do believe we can experience this indwelling Essence. I know no better way to describe it, in my culture, my language, except as “God”.

History teaches us the word “God” is never static; it is always in flux, ever changing. So, what do we do? I suggest we allow the name to evolve.

Peter Robinson

oOo