In the ancient world a belief in divine power was normal. Usually that took the form of owing allegiance and paying homage to many gods. The early Christians failed to do so and were, ironically for today, often labelled as atheists. It is thought this was the motivation for Nero’s blaming of Christians for the fire of Rome in AD64 – the gods were angry because of the Christians. Of course, Nero as emperor claimed divine status as well!
In today’s strange world atheism has taken on another meaning. In the light of post-enlightenment thinking and scientific advancement, many have come to the remarkable conclusion that there is no divine reality whatsoever. All such beliefs are depicted as superstitious inventions that we more enlightened folks have moved on from.
Of course, this is a belief system in itself. The writer GK Chesterton once observed that when people cease to believe in God, they don’t believe in nothing, they believe in anything. Most people today actually don’t know what to believe. A commercially driven media has a vested interest in us not asking too many questions but simply rushing to the next big product or latest blockbuster. Generally we are happy to oblige.
Yet the God question doesn’t go away. It niggles at us. It pops up for people, especially when their world gets disturbed. Or they figure out that the latest product or last relationship hasn’t actually brought lasting peace. On the one hand, suffering and death unmask the platitudes of the secular faith system. On the other hand, we are confronted by the brutalities of today’s terrorist networks who claim to do all they do in the name of a god.
So who is God? What do we believe about God as Christians today? These are the themes of our series through Term 1, ‘Revealing God’. It is a 40 day journey from Ash Wed (Feb 18) to Easter. It is not aimed at convincing skeptics but growing believers. It is a time to reflect on how we know Him and what we know about Him.
As Christians we see God in Jesus Christ. He sorts out the God question for us. Let’s be part of this journey together, having confidence in His truth and grace for our lives and for today’s world.