Crossroads Church
A Fresh Perspective :: Part 4 :: Getting into the Thick of It | Ryan Howell :: May 7, 2023
In A Fresh Perspective, dig into topics central to the Christian experience in fresh ways, and (re)discover a faith you can love.
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What’s the Issue Anyway?
_____________________ _____________ is a concept of God that many of us grew up with.
This “Thin” concept of God has produced many ________________ and ________________ images of God.
What Wisdom can a Fresh Perspective on God bring us?
A Fresh Perspective embraces our understanding of God as ________________ and ________________. (Isaiah 55:8-9; Acts 10:17; Acts 22:4-5)
A Fresh Perspective embraces a “____________” rather than “thin” concept of God.
God is best understood as a _____________ presence that permeates everything in the universe.
This _____________________ view is present and emerging in scripture.
(Psalm 139:7-10; Romans 8:38-39; Acts 17:28)
A Fresh Perspective embraces love as the ________________ nature within God. (1 John 4:8)
A Fresh Perspective embraces ________________ __________________ with God. (Psalm 34:8; James 4:8)
A Fresh Perspective embraces a ____________-_________ God. (John 14:9-10; Colossians 1:15-17)
Don’t Miss This!
A Fresh Perspective embraces God as the life-giving, unchanging and loving _____________ revealed in Jesus that we can _________ ourselves in through personal experience. (Ephesians 3:17b-19)
How can this fresh Perspective on God make me a better person and the world a better place?
A Fresh Perspective on God sets the prisoner _________.
A Fresh Perspective on God inspires us to love mercy, do justice and walk _____________.
What is God inviting you into today?
- Consider whether I have been rejecting an understanding of God as Zeus-like being but not considering God as a loving presence that is the ground of all being
- Jump into a Conversation Group to discuss more about a Fresh Perspective on God
- Listen to S3 E15 (Reconstruction: An Interview with Brad Jersak) from the podcast “A Pastor and a Philosopher Walk into a Bar”
Thought provoking questions:
- How can I live out the values and principles that I believe are central to God's nature, such as love, compassion, justice, and peace, in my relationships, actions, and choices?
- What personal experiences (if any) have you had that made you question or reevaluate your understanding of supernatural theism, and how did those experiences shape your current beliefs about God?
- How can I deepen my personal relationship with God and experience God's presence in my everyday life?
- How do you think a "thick" concept of God can inspire a more compassionate and just approach to social issues such as poverty, racism and climate change? In what ways can this understanding of God motivate you to take action and make a positive impact in the world?
- What aspects of a "thin" concept of God do you find limiting or unsatisfying? Conversely, what aspects of a "thick" concept of God do you find liberating or fulfilling?
For Further Reading
- The Heart of Christianity by Marcus Borg
- A More Christ-Like God by Brad Jersak
- The Divine Dance: The Trinity and your Transformation by Richard Rohr