8 Oct, 2010
Our Views of God
Americans' views of God shape attitudes on key issues
If you pray to God, to whom — or what — are you praying?
When you sing God Bless America, whose blessing are you seeking?
In the USA, God — or the idea of a God — permeates daily life. Our views of God have been fundamental to the nation's past, help explain many of the conflicts in our society and worldwide, and could offer a hint of what the future holds. Is God by our side, or beyond the stars? Wrathful or forgiving? Judging us every moment, someday or never?
Surveys say about nine out of 10 Americans believe in God, but the way we picture that God reveals our attitudes on economics, justice, social morality, war, natural disasters, science, politics, love and more, say Paul Froese and Christopher Bader, sociologists at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. Their new book, America's Four Gods: What We Say About God — And What That Says About Us, examines our diverse visions of the Almighty and why they matter.
Froese and Bader's research wound up defining four ways in which Americans see God:
•The Authoritative God. When conservatives Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck proclaim that America will lose God's favor unless we get right with him, they're rallying believers in what Froese and Bader call an Authoritative God, one engaged in history and meting out harsh punishment to those who do not follow him. About 28% of the nation shares this view, according to Baylor's 2008 findings.
•The Benevolent God. When President Obama says he is driven to live out his Christian faith in public service, or political satirist Stephen Colbert mentions God while testifying to Congress in favor of changing immigration laws, they're speaking of what the Baylor researchers call a Benevolent God. This God is engaged in our world and loves and supports us in caring for others, a vision shared by 22% of Americans, according to Baylor's findings.
•The Critical God. The poor, the suffering and the exploited in this world often believe in a Critical God who keeps an eye on this world but delivers justice in the next, Bader says. Bader says this view of God — held by 21% of Americans — was reflected in a sermon at a
working-class neighborhood church the researchers visited in Rifle, Colo., in 2008. Pastor Del Whittington's theme at Open Door Church was " 'Wait until heaven, and accounts will be settled.' "
•The Distant God. Though about 5% of Americans are atheists or agnostics, Baylor found that nearly one in four (24%) see a Distant God that booted up the universe, then left humanity alone.
The national conversation about God, Bader says, is "much richer than showdowns between screaming evangelicals and screaming atheists. This is the way we tell the stories of the world around us."
Click here for Full Story
Photo and Story found at www.usatoday.com.
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" 6Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."
So what is your view of God? Unfortunately, I'm setting you up for a wrong answer by, in all honesty, asking the wrong question. The problem with forming "our own view" about God is that it is just that, "our" view. What we need to do is begin with the God's Story and allow God's very own Word to reveal His charater to us. When we form our own view, we read the Bible through very different lenses. What we read is shaped by what we have already pre-conceived in our thoughts. But when we read God's Story in the context of an Abiding relationship with Jesus - who is the way, the truth, and the life - we begin to know God and His true character.
How can I connect today's God's Story scripture to My Life?
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Spend some time this weekend digging a little deeper into God's Story.
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Ask God to allow His Story to shape your view of God, rather than allowing your experience to shape your view of Him.
How can I connect Today's Story, My Story, and God's Story to Others?
- Do you have a friend whose view of God falls into one of the descriptions in Today's Story? Spend some time with them this weekend and dig a little deeper into Their Story. Set out to discover what it is in Their Story that has shaped their view of God.
- Do you have a friend with whom you've been sharing your story and God's Story? Get together with them this weekend and dig a little deeper into God's Story together. Pray with them, asking God to shape your views of Him through His Story.
- May 2012 [14]
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- December 2011 [20]
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- August 2011 [22]
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- December 2008 [23]
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- June 2007 [9]
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- January 2007 [7]
- December 2006 [4]
- November 2006 [13]
- October 2006 [17]
- September 2006 [11]
- August 2006 [16]
- July 2006 [10]
- June 2006 [3]
