Defending God?

I feel compelled.

It is always precarious to strike out in defense of something that is bigger and stronger than oneself.  But that is exactly what I intend to do.

I intend to defend God.

But, then again, maybe what I aim to do is less like defending God and more like uncovering him.  After all, part of the root meaning of the Hebrew word for "glorify" is "to reveal".

Charles Spurgeon (the great Reformed Baptist preacher) said, "Scripture is like a lion. Who ever heard of defending a lion? Just turn it loose; it will defend itself."

So, what I really want to do is show off God, in all of his splendor, his perfections, his complexity, his beauty...his awful, terrible, wonderful glory!

So why do I feel compelled?

Because, increasingly, I see Christians, pastors, authors, whole churches and denominations covering up large parts of God.  Maybe they don't understand those parts.  Maybe they don't like those parts. Maybe those parts of God confuse, offend, frighten or embarrassed them.  I don't know why they do it.  But they do.  Christians are pulling a tarp over God.

There are PARTS of God they really LIKE.  So much so that they organize their lives and communities around it.  Otherwise they wouldn't even bother with him.

But those other parts are bothersome.  They don't fit.  They cause problems.  They don't sell well.

So rather than try to deal with them, we just cover them up.

But I am convinced to the very core of my being that if we don't take God whole, as he really is...we don't take him at all.  If we only take the parts of God that we like, we are really making our own god...one that is not God at all.

The effect is that, at best, we are impoverished and anemic.  Our lives and our churches are shallow and lacking in power and joy.

At worst, if we don't have the real, One True God:  we are lost...we are damned.  And we're dragging others down with us in the name of God and the gospel.

It turns out that despite all of the problems and discomfort and even real trauma that it can cause, we actually need all of God.  

He is good, but he is also terrible.  And we need that good and terrible God.

What I am saying here is illustrated well by a scene from C. S. Lewis' "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," where the children are being told about this King Aslan that they are soon to meet.

“Ooh!” said Susan, “Is he safe? I feel quite nervous about meeting a lion.”

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you."

 It's time to unleash the Lion!