"The concept of God in the Christian Church"

In a recent lecture (April 11, 2000) Reverend L. D. Covin, Jr., identified five different categories for perceiving or knowing the Christian concept of God. These categories are:

1. God as defined by Scripture.

2. God as described by the local church.

3. God as described by the media.

4. God as defined by our personal understanding.

5. The God as God, as untainted by our concepts.

These general categories will help us avoid confusion in our theological discussions.

God is a concept used by Christians to describe a belief in a supernatural being. This concept has been shaped by the cultural dynamics and history of the Judeo-Christian community we live in. As our Christian community has evolved so also has our concepts of God evolved. In this way we must understand that the authors of the Bible also lived in a historical community and time frame that defined God as a concept differently. Thus, the concept of God can tell us much more about the community of believers than about God.

In general most Christians believe their concept of God is based on Scripture. The God of Scripture stems from the beliefs of the Hebrew culture. The Hebrew’s generally defined God as;

1. Omnipotent, having unlimited power.

2. Omniscient, having infinite awareness.

3. As the Creator of all that exists.

Reverend Browning wrote; “The Hebrews did not arrive at their monotheism without a long gestation from a polytheistic environment, via henotheism (when Israel worshipped one God but admitted to the existence of other Gods), to an ethical monotheism (1997).”

Thus, we can use the Bible as a window to view the historical beliefs of the Hebrew culture.

In the early books of the Bible one will find two primary terms used as names for God.

1. Elohim, which is plural. This term was used in the northern sections of the Hebrew culture.

2. Yahweh, which is singular. This term was used mostly in the southern regions of the Hebrew culture.

The use of two different terms implies to different concepts of God.

In the eight century the Hebrew concept of God changed to an image of a stern King. During this time frame the Hebrew culture moved from simple farming and herding into a state ruled by a King. Thus, the concept of God becomes conceptualized as a King who rules the kingdom of Heaven and Earth. This change placed more importance on the belief in Yahweh as the only God.

The New Testament was written in a time of conflicts and culture clash between the Romans and the Hebrews. Much of the New Testament includes a Hellenistic perspective stemming from Greek philosophers. Jesus; himself was raised in a culture influenced by many cultural beliefs. He would have come in contact with Egyptian and Greek philosophies. Christianity is therefore a religion that owes its beliefs to cultural inter-mixing.

Eventually Christianity has spread from Palestine to about one fourth of the world’s people. Along the way it has been changed by the traditions and ideals of the cultures that have adapted it as a faith. Christians have however, maintained that their concept of God is the same as the concept of God as found in the Old Testament.

The concept of God as benevolent and forgiving, rather than vengeful is a main tenet of Christian faith. However, even within three divisions, of the Christian church there are still variations of beliefs. Some Christian believes in the doctrine of the Trinity, but this doctrine is firmly rejected by Unitarians and Universalists. One must remember that the local church does not always hold the same views about God as its neighbor.

Some churches preach that the Christ is divine. Others may teach that the Christ is but a noble human. Many churches place importance on faith, while others will stress action. Churches may also include political and social agendas. Many disagree on the authority of some or all of the Scriptures. Even in similar denominations there may be variations in the concept of God.

In our modern world the mass media has played an important to role in shaping many Christians belief about God. The mass media uses advertising to sell specific products or services. In the case of the media church one could argue that it is selling salvation. Numerous people feel hat this is a prostitution of God’s grace.

One could argue that the media churches concept of God is a God that requires a tithe in order to provide salvation. This has generated millions of dollars for these ministries. Most of their sermons include unrealistic healings. This wealth has also lead to greed. And corruption within these media churches.

On a positive note, the media churches has also lead to an increase in the number of people who are able to receive religious blessings. It has also generated money for political and social concerns. Many denominations have used advertising to increase membership. Even charitable groups have been able to use the media to promote public awareness for their concerns.

Several outside influences like gender, social class, racial background and educational background shape the concept of God as held by the individual. The local community also effects the individual’s beliefs, while the individual helps shape the communities’ beliefs.

Some individuals define God as outside of nature, while others define God within nature. These concepts are further defined as:

Orthodox: Right thinking=maintains that Jesus was human and divine.
Fundamental: It holds that the entire Bible is free from error. It also describes individuals who believe Christ was divine.
Liberal: Often defines that Christ as a great person, but not necessarily divine.
Mystical: They define God as the whole reality. People and the world as being inside of God.

We as theology students must recognize the value of each belief.

The God as the God that is untainted by concepts. The God that can be described cannot be the infinite God. Those who say they know the true God do not know God. Thus, the true God is much more then the description we provide by concepts. This God is always surrounded by mystery.