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Where is God?
A Theology for the Here and Now
Volume One: An Introduction to Basic Concepts
Andy Ross
Where is God? A theology for the here and now
Volume One: An Introduction to Basic Concepts
Copyright © 2018 Andy Ross. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.
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Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
To Jonathan Murray for waking me up
Where is God in this Book?
Like a great starving beast
My body is quivering
Fixed
On the scent
Of
Light.
–The Scent of Light by Hafiz1
God was revealed to me twenty years ago. Since then, I have dedicated my life to the study of spirituality, theology, and religion. This book is a part of that revelation. Just as we are finite expressions of the eternal, so too, these words are finite expressions of my experience of eternity.
God is everywhere to me. God moves in the myths and rituals of the world’s religious traditions, God sings in the words of poets and musicians, and God reaches out to me through the wonder of creation. There are no words to describe the experience of God. Ideas are limited and will, therefore, only be able to hold a fraction of God’s limitless reality. This being said, it is my intention to entertain the most extensive ideas possible. So, I offer you this book, Volume 1, as an introduction to a theology for the here and now.
Here and Now
A theology for the here and now embraces two realities. One, it must be a theology rooted in the eternal presence of God. God is eternal. Thus, we experience God as an eternal reality. All that we can know about God is available to us in this moment, here and now. A practical theology will bring us into harmony with God’s eternal presence. God is not waiting for us “out there” in some future paradise. God is reaching out to us here and now.
Two, a theology for the here and now will consider all that we have come to know about creation and the human condition, both secular and spiritual. Theology is most expansive when it integrates the vast knowledge gained from the world’s religious traditions and the sciences. The physical and social sciences do not entertain theories about ultimate reality. Understanding temporal reality, however, is indispensable to theology. A theology for the here and now takes into account all that we have come to know as a people. We can never fully grasp ultimate reality. We can, however, extend our reach as wide as possible.
Content
This introduction will not exhaust the breadth of a theology for the here and now, nor is that the intention. We will begin with these five topics because they are fundamental to all future theological inquiries:
1. Creation–All that we know about God is mediated through creation. The web of existence is the foreground of God’s creative impulse. Theology begins where we are in time and eternity.
2. Suffering–There is no more important area of theological inquiry than that of suffering. Finding God in our darkest hour is the greatest gift that a practical theology can offer.
3. Religion–Religion is the historical and cultural record of those who have engaged the question, “Where is God?” If we are to ask this same question, we must first understand what religion is and how it functions.
4. My Life–Theology is only as good as its practical application. If we cannot find God in our lives, we cannot find God.
5. The End–Death haunts us. But, it does not have to. Finding God means finding life, even in death.
Volume 1 is merely an introduction. It is my intention that these ideas will create the groundwork for an integrative systematic theology for the here and now. Theology is the never-ending pursuit of a deeper understanding of the spiritual experience. This book is neither the beginning nor the end of mine.
And it Begins
This book is the story of my experience of God as mediated through the theological process. I believe that God is present in these words, just as God is present within me as I write them.
You do not have to agree with all that I offer. I only ask that you listen. Read the text slowly and pay attention to the silent presence of the eternal. Please question the content of this introduction, but do not let the argument I present distract you from finding God in your own life.
“Where is God?” is a question that changes me each time I ask it. I believe that it will change you, too.
1. Ladinsky, The Gift, 90.
Where is God in Creation?
In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters. Then God said: Let there be light, and there was light.
–Genesis 1:1-32
In the Beginning
The beginning is always now. This may seem a contradiction considering that you have witnessed many beginnings and all of them are in the past. Yet, if we are to understand how God creates, we must first try and see creation through God’s eyes. God is the beginning (alpha) and the end (omega), but God is also eternal. Thus, God experiences the beginning and end from the same eternal moment. From God’s perspective, it is always the beginning (and, subsequently, the end).
The
