What is God?

In my ministry circles, I’ve been hearing many people wrestle with the question, “What is God?” Recently someone phrased the question to me this way: “I know God isn’t just one person, but I also don’t think God is as impersonal as the universe. What is God?”

At Harbor, we’ve explored questions about God many times. In our fall series, Navigating the crossroads: Following the way of Jesus in the U.S. election season, we used Process-Relational Theology to inform our understanding of God and God’s role in the world. One recent Thursday night, Jon shared three different models for viewing God: classical theism, pantheism, and panentheism.

Many of us are familiar with classical theism: the idea that God is a person who created the universe from nothing and is separate from the universe. You may have also hear of pantheism, which views God as the universe itself—mysterious, wonderful, and yet just another word for “the universe.” God is not a person, God is the universe and the universe is God.

Panentheism offers an interesting alternative: God is in all things while also transcending all things. God is personal (like in classical theism) and permeates all parts of the universe, not separate from it (unlike in classical theism). All things are part of God (like in pantheism), but the sum total of everything in the universe is not identical to God (unlike in pantheism). 

Process-Relational Theology tends to align with a more panentheistic view of God. In this view, God is in all things, calling creation forward. God isn’t a puppet master or a parent to be pleased; God is the Creator, inviting us to co-create with God. In this view, God is the mystery of the universe while remaining deeply personal.

There are so many different ways to understand God. I’d even suggest that there are many theologically sound and meaningful ways to think about God: advocate, mystery, presence, mother, creator, liberator, energy.

It can be overwhelming to try to figure out who or what God is. In these moments, I turn to one of my son Beckham’s favorite children’s books—What is God Like? by Rachel Held Evans. The book travels across colorful diverse images to describe God and concludes with these words:

What is God like? That’s a very big question that people have asked since the beginning of time. Whenever you aren’t sure what God is like, think about what makes you feel safe, what makes you feel brave, and what makes you feel loved. That’s what God is like.

As we continue wandering through theologies of God, may we be reminded that God is what makes us feel safe, loved, and brave.