Well, in Dale's absence, I've managed to find a podcast we recorded a while back but haven't released yet. I think this is a good time for it. Our discussion starts with a question: "If God is real, why doesn't He make himself known in a way that is obvious and unmistakable?" This ties back into our discussion about reading the Bible as non-fiction, "Made for the Story", and my thesis. This is a common question grounded in some assumptions about God and language and faith that don't make a lot of sense. God wants a relationship--as such, he approaches us in ways that allow us to ignore or reject him. He does not force himself upon us, and he speaks and appears in ways that require a response, without dictating a particular response. That responsibility is vital to faith and life. Ultimately, God appears as the "Great Other" who challenges our self-conceptions and doesn't always act in ways that are either comprehensible or desirable from our perspective. But that is the great difficulty of loving another rather than yourself--different choices, different actions, different words.
Enjoy.
God as Other: Why so Complicated?
Hopefully, next week we will continue our discussion of the Bible as Nonfiction with an exploration of practices of good interpretation.
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