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THE FUZZY GOD
by Dr. Carl Wieland
If you ask around, you find that there are not at all many hard-core atheists about. Most people say they believe in "god", but I want to suggest that they are usually not talking about the Creator God of the Bible, but about a false, "fuzzy" god, whom I shall label "fuzzgod" for short.
Unless our concept of God is totally based upon what God has revealed about Him- self, the word "God" has no fixed content, and communicates no objective meaning. As evolution has eroded trust in the reliability of the Bible, many churches have begun contemplating such ideas as whether God could be referred to as "she". Let’s face it--if people are only talking about a god of their own imaginings (which is all that is possible if the revelation of the true God is effectively discarded) they might be conceivably talking about a three-horned cosmic cow.
On the other hand, once revelation is accepted as authoritative, there is no room for argument on the subject of God’s "gender." Having been told that God is spirit, we are plainly told that He wishes believers to address Him as Father, not mother--end of discussion.
Let’s list some features of this popular god of today:
l. "Fuzzgod" is not a god of holiness. Whereas the true God hates sin and has repeatedly acted in judgment in history, fuzzgod wouldn’t do anything like that. Fuzzgod only makes people feel good, not bad. Fuzzgod is convenient to give comfort when you need warm fuzzies, and doesn’t really mind about you cheating on your tax. Fuzzgod is good to send just about everyone to heaven (or maybe arrange reincarnation).
2. Fuzzgod accommodates everyone’s opinions. We’ve all heard people say what they think God would or wouldn’t do, oblivious to the pronouncements of the Bible. They must be talking about fuzzgod, since the true God has set down what is right and wrong regardless of our opinion.
3. The character of the true God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Many regard that as a little stodgy today--unwilling to change (evolve) with the times. Not like fuzzgod, who is quite flexible, depending on the need--sort of fuzzy around the edges. Fuzzgod’s adherents are similar. I remember asking a hospital chaplain whether he was theologically liberal or conservative. He replied, "Whichever the patient wants me to be."
4. Fuzzgod is broadminded--offering many different ways to truth and enlightenment, whereas God the Creator says there is only one way to Him, through the death and sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.
5. Fuzzgod is only "sort of" the creator of all things. When fuzzgod’s devotees are engaged in sinful actions, it’s convenient to focus on the "impersonal" aspects of the idea that we just evolved from animals- less sense of responsibility that way. But when they want meaning or purpose to existence, the idea of fuzzgod as some sort of vague, impotent guiding force to the evolutionary process helps in a fuzzy sort of way.
The "unfuzzy" miracle- working God of the Bible tells us clearly that He did not stand by while millions of years of death and accidents did the creating. That sort of powerful God, who caused billions of dead things to be buried in rock layers because of judgment on a sinful world, is quite uncomfortable for the unconverted.
A Christian commercial on public TV features children telling us that "God made everything." I suspect it will do little to wake people up to the Gospel because most would respond, "Yeah, I know that God (they mean the fuzzy variety) let everything evolve." A fuzzy god leads to a fuzzy (or non-existent) Gospel.
All of this underscores why it is so important to make it clear that pro- claiming and defending Genesis creation is about more than just "God making things." It is about the authority of the Bible, and the power and nature of (the true) God. It is about the reality of the Fall and the origin of sin. Thus the ultimate concern is about the whole message of salvation--only through the blood of Jesus Christ.
by Dr. Carl Wieland
If you ask around, you find that there are not at all many hard-core atheists about. Most people say they believe in "god", but I want to suggest that they are usually not talking about the Creator God of the Bible, but about a false, "fuzzy" god, whom I shall label "fuzzgod" for short.
Unless our concept of God is totally based upon what God has revealed about Him- self, the word "God" has no fixed content, and communicates no objective meaning. As evolution has eroded trust in the reliability of the Bible, many churches have begun contemplating such ideas as whether God could be referred to as "she". Let’s face it--if people are only talking about a god of their own imaginings (which is all that is possible if the revelation of the true God is effectively discarded) they might be conceivably talking about a three-horned cosmic cow.
On the other hand, once revelation is accepted as authoritative, there is no room for argument on the subject of God’s "gender." Having been told that God is spirit, we are plainly told that He wishes believers to address Him as Father, not mother--end of discussion.
Let’s list some features of this popular god of today:
l. "Fuzzgod" is not a god of holiness. Whereas the true God hates sin and has repeatedly acted in judgment in history, fuzzgod wouldn’t do anything like that. Fuzzgod only makes people feel good, not bad. Fuzzgod is convenient to give comfort when you need warm fuzzies, and doesn’t really mind about you cheating on your tax. Fuzzgod is good to send just about everyone to heaven (or maybe arrange reincarnation).
2. Fuzzgod accommodates everyone’s opinions. We’ve all heard people say what they think God would or wouldn’t do, oblivious to the pronouncements of the Bible. They must be talking about fuzzgod, since the true God has set down what is right and wrong regardless of our opinion.
3. The character of the true God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Many regard that as a little stodgy today--unwilling to change (evolve) with the times. Not like fuzzgod, who is quite flexible, depending on the need--sort of fuzzy around the edges. Fuzzgod’s adherents are similar. I remember asking a hospital chaplain whether he was theologically liberal or conservative. He replied, "Whichever the patient wants me to be."
4. Fuzzgod is broadminded--offering many different ways to truth and enlightenment, whereas God the Creator says there is only one way to Him, through the death and sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.
5. Fuzzgod is only "sort of" the creator of all things. When fuzzgod’s devotees are engaged in sinful actions, it’s convenient to focus on the "impersonal" aspects of the idea that we just evolved from animals- less sense of responsibility that way. But when they want meaning or purpose to existence, the idea of fuzzgod as some sort of vague, impotent guiding force to the evolutionary process helps in a fuzzy sort of way.
The "unfuzzy" miracle- working God of the Bible tells us clearly that He did not stand by while millions of years of death and accidents did the creating. That sort of powerful God, who caused billions of dead things to be buried in rock layers because of judgment on a sinful world, is quite uncomfortable for the unconverted.
A Christian commercial on public TV features children telling us that "God made everything." I suspect it will do little to wake people up to the Gospel because most would respond, "Yeah, I know that God (they mean the fuzzy variety) let everything evolve." A fuzzy god leads to a fuzzy (or non-existent) Gospel.
All of this underscores why it is so important to make it clear that pro- claiming and defending Genesis creation is about more than just "God making things." It is about the authority of the Bible, and the power and nature of (the true) God. It is about the reality of the Fall and the origin of sin. Thus the ultimate concern is about the whole message of salvation--only through the blood of Jesus Christ.
