Is God our cosmic bellhop or our king?
I have to admit, I don't care for "king," but this is the first time the word has been made palatable to me, as far as Christian vocabulary goes.
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- Babalon
- Nontheist, mixed-asian christian-other seminarian energetically studying christian origins, Asian and Pacific Islander American (APA) hermeneutics and postcolonial/feminist/queer theologies. Prefers goats to sheep.
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2 comments:
As a proud and dedicated (small "d") democratic American, royal terminology not only borders on meaninglessness for me, it is also close to offensive as well. I have never, as far as I know, bought in to the whole "kingly" theology. I consider it the kind of political metaphor that flowed from the notion of the Messiah as following the Davidic monarchy; the eventual spread of the Christian movement beyond the bounds of Judean and Galilean Judaism, however, and the rise of the democratic era, make such terminology no longer really viable.
I think that is why, especially in American evangelical circles, there is the popularizing of the "Jesus is my friend" approach. I'm not too keen on this either. There is also the sentimentalizing of family relations indicative of the "God the Father" idea.
I am probably unique, but I limit the metaphorical language I use when speaking of God. God is God, and no metaphor is better or worse than any other, so I prefer accuracy and specificity to colorful poetry (the last remnants of the rationalist in me, I guess).
I think a royal godhood in a society as democratic and egalitarian as ours just doesn't make any sense. Consider the flack John Ashcroft got when a speech in which he referenced the "America has no king but Jesus" theme; especially coming from a politician, there are far too many overtones of a threat to our democratic institutions from theocratic leanings in this for comfort.
Me, I just say God is God. You want metaphors, go read Origen.
Naw, King don't fit into the American concept. Father don't work too well either in a society of single mothers and daddies never seen even it they do live in the same house.
If I had to make a metaphor to use say with an eight year old. I think I would say, God is like your mother and Jesus is like your older brother. Come to think of it I could use that relationship myself. Of course all mothers and brothers are not created equaly.
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