A Limited God . . .

Some thoughts as we prepare for our Home Group Conversation on March 15. . .

What do you make of the quote at the beginning of Chapter 6? No matter what God's power may be, the first aspect of God is never that of the absolute Master, the Almighty. It is that of the God who puts himself on our human level and limits himself.

We are looking at Chapters 6 through 9 this week. Some questions to ponder:

• Page 92 (94) at the bottom - we quickly learn something about "life", and about the nature of God. Two words - what are they? (Where does "freedom" happen?)
  
• "Papa" expresses a willingness to "mix metaphors" in order to "help you keep from falling so easily back into your religious conditioning." (Page 93 [95].) Is it possible for us to overcome our "visuals"? (You can also look at the middle paragraph of Page 98 [100].)
  
• Page 94 (96) - What do you think about the statement from God: "I am not interested in prisoners."?
• What do you make of the statement on Page 100 [102]: "Jesus, as a human being, had no power within himself to heal anyone."
• "Limitations" come up several times (Page 100 [1-2] and 106 [108]). What are God's limitations? What are ours?
• Elousia - This is a reference to the development of the Doctrine of the Trinity. If you get the chance you might take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homoousian. We will talk more about this on Sunday evening. (See also Page 124 [126].)
  
• Papa tells Mack: It's not my purpose to punish it (sin); it's my joy to cure it. Does this square with what Scriptures say of "God's wrath"?

While the story flows along and many of the concepts of the book seem simplistic, underlying the dialogue we find there are some intricate theological concepts. You can appreciate the story without knowledge of the development of these concepts; but it behooves us to take a look at the undertow of complexity that is the inspiration for what we tend to take for granted.

Feel free to share your thoughts with us by writing your comments ... I'm looking forward to our conversation!