Ok, so there’s way too much in this chapter. Too much for me to comment on everything. I don’t want to do this all the time, but for this chapter I’m going to hit some highlights and I want you to post comments where you have thoughts or would appreciate more depth and response. I’d be happy to go into more detail.
- We delve into the conversation about God being presented as a woman, but also being called, “Papa”. God says this is deliberately a mixing of metaphors to get rid of Mack’s old religious notions and to help him understand God is neither. Why the bulk of father metaphors in Scripture. Papa says this is because there was going to be a greater need for fathering. My thoughts- I’ll play with this a little. Certainly, God is neither male nor female. He is spirit. He does choose to reveal himself in many more male metaphors than female ones and that may have something to do with a need for fathering in our world. At the same time, I think there might be more to it as well. I think there’s also something positive about a father that gets at the nature of God and that’s why he’s using the masculine. I’m fine with the occasional female metaphor for God, he does use some in Scripture, but I’d be careful how often I use them in line with God’s own useage.
- Interesting little discussion on freedom on p. 95. Pretty good actually. Yes we are truly bound, often by any number of forces, primarily I would say by sin and its effects. Papa asserts that only he can set Mack free. That’s solid. Freedom can’t be forced. True in the sense that God doesn’t force. He gifts freedom to us and we can reject it. Finally, freedom as a process. This brings some tension. I’d agree with this statement in the sense that once God comes into our lives, we do give away freedom and bind ourselves on a daily basis with sin. Over time Christians can learn to give themselves more to God and less to sin. At the same time, I’d disagree with this statement in the sense that once we become God’s children we are completely forgiven and completely free. He has done everything to free us from sin.
- Some beginning discussion on the trinity here (p.96, 99). Some of it I’d say is getting into bad territory. Yes the Father and the Spirit are with the Son wherever he is, but the members of the trinity are also distinct and part of that is being distinct in person and purpose. The son became incarnate and he died on the cross. These are the works of the Son, not the Father and the Spirit.
- Finally, I love the discussion of God’s nature (p. 98, 101). God is indeed different than us, and not just a better version. He’s wholly different, though he chooses to reveal himself to us, to help us understand who he is. And I love this idea- who would want a God they could comprehend. I know I don’t. After all, humans aren’t making much progress on their own fixing things. I want a God who’s bigger than us, better than us, and who has a plan to bring things to a beautiful ending.
Those are my thoughts. Please chime in.
Tags: freedom, gender, god, man, metaphor, Papa, The Shack, trinity, woman