God: Other Than ‘Other’

I know it’s cliche, but I’m going to try for some “resting” on Sundays. We’ll see how long at lasts. But for now, I think on Sundays I’ll try and point your attention to some worthy blog posts that have impacted me, regardless of their vintage. Today I have something tasty from my friend Kevin Beck.

Rudolf Bultmann was a great German theologian of the twentieth century. In his sermon entitled Concerning the Hidden and Revealed God, Bultmann imparts this profound wisdom. “If we want to see God, then the first thing we should say to ourselves is that we may not see him as we have conceived him. We must remind ourselves that he may appear to be wholly other than the picture we have made of him.”

Meister Eckhart made a similar observation more than half a millennium earlier when he prayed, “God, save me from God.”

 

We all have ideas of who God is, where God is, what God is. Our thinking about God is informed by personal experiences and cultural phenomena—as much or even more than our reading of sacred scripture. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It is just unavoidable, and in some cases it may be even helpful…”

 

Continue reading “God: Other Than ‘Other’ ” at Kevin’s blog…

 

2 Responses to God: Other Than ‘Other’

  1. Brittian Bullock August 26, 2007 at 9:55 pm #

    It might be a gross over simplifying of our dear friend, Mr. Nietzsche, but…”It is not that object truth does not exist, simply that we as finite beings cannot understand it objectively.”

    Even with the “revelation” theology (God’s Logos piercing through through the drab curtains of our humanity informing and transforming us) we are still left with Peter’s reaction at the Mount of Transfiguration… “5Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6(He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.”

    Frightened…not knowing what to say…saying it wrong when finally we do spit it out…focussing on trivialities and lesser things…And that in the light of the revelation of the glory of God.

    So, we are left with simply knowing Him, being intimate with Him, letting His current draw us and pull us, “taking us deeper into Life.”

    Thanks for the post brother,
    Brittian
    http://www.sensualjesus.wordpress.com

  2. zoecarnate August 26, 2007 at 10:10 pm #

    Thank Kevin! (You did read the rest of his post, right?) I think you hit the nail on the head. I think this is also what my friend Pete is getting at in a lot of his life’s vocation and worship.

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