When is the last time you heard a sermon about God? Or, when was the last time you preached a sermon about God?
One of my habits is to keep an eye on what is being published in the religious press. One of the largest areas being taken up right now is the subject of God. Consider these recent book titles:
The Prodigal God–Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith
There is A God
Trusting in the Names of God
Great is the Lord–Theology for the Praise of God
God–Seen Through the Eyes of the Greatest Minds
Knowing God the Father
Images of God
The Shack
Approaching God–Accepting the Invitation to Stand in the Presence of God
How to Believe in God–Whether You Believe in Religion or Not
The Reason for God–Belief in an Age of Skepticism
That’s quite a list.
Why all the books on God? What do we make of what the publishers sense about contemporary culture? I have three thoughts. You can add some more
1–Vacuum. Many sense a blank when it comes to God. They have not heard many sermons on God or studied about God in the Bible, so they have questions that they want answered.
2–Opposition. Increasingly atheists have become more militant. The anti-god propaganda raises questions and sends people on a search for a defense.
3–Misinformation. Will Willimon tells of talking to a co-ed who did not believe in God. He asked her to describe the God she did not believe in. Then Willimon said, “I don”t believe in that God either.” The world is filled with words about God, but not all of them describe the biblical Father.
My conclusion? Take up some expository texts on our divine Father. Schedule Sunday school classes on the topic of God. Let’s fill the vacuum, take on the opposition and correct the misinformation.
Bro. Shank,
I have found that the young adults I know, many who are Christians, are especially looking for the answers to what you mention here. I was thinking of the recent trouble in Haiti, and how skeptics and atheist use tragedy to “challenge” any existence of a loving “God”. People refer to these disasters as being an “act of God”. I recently asked the question if something like this might be an “act of Satan” instead. I have found most are not commenting when I ask this question. I’m not sure what that says, but it may be tied to what you are mentioning. Misinformation and misunderstanding seem to be a favorite tool of Satan.
Therefore, I agree with your assesment that more time needs to be spent getting to know our Father.
Thanks for the reminder.
I am not a Biblical scholar, only a ordinary person, who came to know Christ at the age of 16. I have been studying God’s word for 46 years. I’ve had many bad things happen to me in this life, but I know that it is not God, but Satan who is behind those incidents. Jesus tells us that in His own words, as recorded by Matthew, 12:25-28, and again in Luke, 11:17-20, when He states that, “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. When bad things happen, to me, or in the world, these passages give me hope that out of these trials, something better will come. During great natural disasters, people from many different parts of the world come to help. I cannot believe that when this happens, some non-believers come to know Christ, through the works of Godly, and Christian people, especially when media coverage of these good works are broadcast world wide. Sadly, our times have made it harder on our young peolpe, who are often forced to hold down two minimum wage jobs, just to live. They think that they do not have time to study God’s word, and are often forced to work on Sundays, making formal worship and fellowship with other Christians difficult. It is sad, that we cannot reach more of them, so that they might have an opportunity to realize that the Bible is not a really complicated book, and much can be learned about God, and His love and caring, for us, if we take just 15-30 minutes, perhaps over a break, or lunch to get to know Him an His word. I’ve known people in this situation, who have come to know Christ just by studying His word in this manner. Sometimes all it takes is one Christian pulling out a pocket Bible, over a cup of coffee during a coffee break at work, to awaken the curiosity in those who do not know Christ. In my own life, during those hard times, God has never let me down, even in my darkest hours.