Loud Crying He Makes One’s view of God correlates with one’s emotional disposition. I have listened to emotive preachers and teachers who can turn the emotion at work in a biblical text into the emotion of the sermon. If the text is angry, the sermon gets testy; if the text is dark and depressing, like some chps in Job, the sermon mimics those emotions. Beware the person who consumes the text into his or her own emotional preferences. Not all texts are happy, not all texts are sad. But the always-happy preacher or the always-rational preacher fail the texts, the sermon, and the congregation. If the text is joyful, the preacher doesn’t take the place of God but expresses God’s joy over the whole congregation, including the preacher.
Perhaps the lack of emphasis, or recognition, of God's emotions is why there is so much emphasis on God as judge, and other legal jargon (not to mention His sovereignty). Lacking seems to be an emphasis on God's love (I can't help but think back to your review years ago of the book Calvin vs. Wesley), and often when it is discussed, the emotional aspect of love is left out, or even ruled out.
Good thought. It’s startling to think that the Westminster catechism (almost the Bible for some folks) doesn’t mention God’s characteristic of love. Then I read the whole Systematic Theology of Gerald Bray (a wonderful Anglican theologian and writer) which my pastor recommended to me and which is required reading for all
Ministers training for my denomination. Despite the book’s name, “God is Love”, in the section on God, there is no topic on God’s characteristic of love. Everything else is there- holiness, omnipotence, even impassibility- but nothing on love! If you leave out love as the chief characteristic of God, I think it’s easy to come up with some interesting but possibly aberrant theology.
Interesting discussion, Scot. Is regretting something an emotion? Obviously yes. Early on "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth and his heart was deeply troubled" (Gen 6:6). Is "concern" an emotion? If so, God was emotional when he saw the enslaved Israelites in Egypt, saying, "I am concerned about their suffering, so I have come down to rescue them" (Ex 3:7-8). But then hear God speaking to Moses at Mount Sinai: "I have seen these people...and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them" (Exodus 32:9-10). And on and on through the First Testament. Do we have the count the moments of anger God experienced before we acknowledge that God has emotions? "Impassiible?" PLEASE!
I just finished an 8 week series on emotions (helped greatly by Becky Castle Miller’s generous sharing of her master’s thesis). The broad enthusiasm for the series from our church family caught me off-guard. Clearly, the church is longing to get some clarity on the subject. Thanks for bringing this book to our attention, Scot.
I totally agree that God expresses emotions; I believe Fee in one of his books on the Holy Spirit supports the personhood of the Holy Spirit with (amongst other things) emotions (e.g. his is grieved). I’m working through the book “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” with a group of folks right now. Have you read it? What do you think?
The only reason I mention it here, is that the author calls out a discipleship and a view of God that denies emotions and instead calls for emotional maturation as part of the discipleship process. Anyway, it’s what I’ve been reading lately and it coincided with this review. :)
This was great reading. I recall first coming across “impassibility” in a systematic theology. I didn’t like it; it didn’t sit right with me. Glad some others think likewise.
That song, Away in a manger, has a bit of suspect theology in it.
I find this conversation compelling. I relatively recently read from a neo-Orthodox scholar stating that Biblical authors were anthropomorphizing God by trying to explain the actions of God by attaching familiar emotions by which we could relate to God but that God would not in reality experience. In particular, it was stated that God does not experience anger. If I understand the author, anger violates his worldview that anger = oppression and injustice. God's anger would make us victims of a divine oppressor.
I look forward to some of the philosophical aspects of this discussion which provide space for the possibility that God does experience emotion.
Perhaps the lack of emphasis, or recognition, of God's emotions is why there is so much emphasis on God as judge, and other legal jargon (not to mention His sovereignty). Lacking seems to be an emphasis on God's love (I can't help but think back to your review years ago of the book Calvin vs. Wesley), and often when it is discussed, the emotional aspect of love is left out, or even ruled out.
Good thought. It’s startling to think that the Westminster catechism (almost the Bible for some folks) doesn’t mention God’s characteristic of love. Then I read the whole Systematic Theology of Gerald Bray (a wonderful Anglican theologian and writer) which my pastor recommended to me and which is required reading for all
Ministers training for my denomination. Despite the book’s name, “God is Love”, in the section on God, there is no topic on God’s characteristic of love. Everything else is there- holiness, omnipotence, even impassibility- but nothing on love! If you leave out love as the chief characteristic of God, I think it’s easy to come up with some interesting but possibly aberrant theology.
Interesting discussion, Scot. Is regretting something an emotion? Obviously yes. Early on "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth and his heart was deeply troubled" (Gen 6:6). Is "concern" an emotion? If so, God was emotional when he saw the enslaved Israelites in Egypt, saying, "I am concerned about their suffering, so I have come down to rescue them" (Ex 3:7-8). But then hear God speaking to Moses at Mount Sinai: "I have seen these people...and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them" (Exodus 32:9-10). And on and on through the First Testament. Do we have the count the moments of anger God experienced before we acknowledge that God has emotions? "Impassiible?" PLEASE!
Eloquent ending, Alice.
I just finished an 8 week series on emotions (helped greatly by Becky Castle Miller’s generous sharing of her master’s thesis). The broad enthusiasm for the series from our church family caught me off-guard. Clearly, the church is longing to get some clarity on the subject. Thanks for bringing this book to our attention, Scot.
I totally agree that God expresses emotions; I believe Fee in one of his books on the Holy Spirit supports the personhood of the Holy Spirit with (amongst other things) emotions (e.g. his is grieved). I’m working through the book “Emotionally Healthy Spirituality” with a group of folks right now. Have you read it? What do you think?
I've not read it John.
The only reason I mention it here, is that the author calls out a discipleship and a view of God that denies emotions and instead calls for emotional maturation as part of the discipleship process. Anyway, it’s what I’ve been reading lately and it coincided with this review. :)
Love this — another must-order book!
This was great reading. I recall first coming across “impassibility” in a systematic theology. I didn’t like it; it didn’t sit right with me. Glad some others think likewise.
That song, Away in a manger, has a bit of suspect theology in it.
There’s some great points here. It drawers me back to John Donne’s sermon ‘Jesus Wept’ although he believes Christ’s tears occur three times.
I find this conversation compelling. I relatively recently read from a neo-Orthodox scholar stating that Biblical authors were anthropomorphizing God by trying to explain the actions of God by attaching familiar emotions by which we could relate to God but that God would not in reality experience. In particular, it was stated that God does not experience anger. If I understand the author, anger violates his worldview that anger = oppression and injustice. God's anger would make us victims of a divine oppressor.
I look forward to some of the philosophical aspects of this discussion which provide space for the possibility that God does experience emotion.