I've been thinking about Tuesday's discussion about God as a warrior and I think it makes sense for our perceptions of God to change with our culture. The Israeli people lived during a violent time, rife with war and conquering armies. In this culture, the people would need a God whom they could trust to keep them safe. In short, they needed a strict warrior who could keep an accumulation of tribes connected to one another and defeat their enemies. He is portrayed as no-nonsense, violent, powerful, fearful, strong, and fiercely loyal God.
In today's culture, there is less immediate need for a violent, merciless God. We are constantly overwhelmed with choices, decisions, information, and sensory information. The constant bombardment of information combined with the independence of the West often results in overwhelming loneliness and uncertainty that the right choices are being made. What this culture needs is a loving, forgiving, and present God. These are the attributes of God that are most emphasized in our culture because they are what we need most. We need to be forgiven when we sin in a world rife with sin. We need be loved by someone who will never fail us in a world where so many things and people are fleeting.
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