Our experiences do not define God
March 13, 2010 by John Knight
On Friday morning I heard this interview with Rabbi Harold Kushner on NPR, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Rabbi Kushner wrote that book after his oldest child died.
What struck me was how many times he made references to ‘I think’ or ‘I conclude’ about God. He made exactly zero positive references, in that interview, to anything other than his own experience and intellect. He was completely untethered to anything except his own conclusions. And that is a horrible way to come to any conclusion about God.
In fact, we are warned against doing so:
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9
NPR ended the segment with this quote:
“My sense is God and I came to an accommodation with each other a couple of decades ago, where he’s gotten used to the things that I’m not capable of and I’ve come to terms with things he’s not capable of,” Kushner says. “And we care very much about each other.”
God does not talk about himself as being incapable. In fact, God asserts exactly the opposite. So Rabbi Kushner is either saying God is a liar or that God is delusional about his own abilities. So how can he say that he cares about this God? Why would he say that?
Unless, of course, we create a god in our own image. And that isn’t just sad, it is an offense against the first and greatest commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3
Losing a son is horribly difficult; I do not fault Rabbi Kushner for struggling. And after our Paul was born, I know what conclusions my sinful heart lead me to believe and articulate to others. I wrongly concluded that God was powerful, but not kind.
Today, I’m ashamed to remember the words I used to speak about God. I am grateful that God did not leave me in that state – he intentionally and powerfully drew me to himself and gave me an anchor in his word. So Rabbi Kushner is wrong today and I used to be wrong that God’s kindness and power are in conflict. They are, in fact, perfectly and infinitely applied as only God can do, for God’s glory and for our good.
The Works of God 
Our experiences do not define God
March 13, 2010 by John Knight
On Friday morning I heard this interview with Rabbi Harold Kushner on NPR, author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Rabbi Kushner wrote that book after his oldest child died.
What struck me was how many times he made references to ‘I think’ or ‘I conclude’ about God. He made exactly zero positive references, in that interview, to anything other than his own experience and intellect. He was completely untethered to anything except his own conclusions. And that is a horrible way to come to any conclusion about God.
In fact, we are warned against doing so:
The heart is deceitful above all things,
and desperately sick;
who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9
NPR ended the segment with this quote:
“My sense is God and I came to an accommodation with each other a couple of decades ago, where he’s gotten used to the things that I’m not capable of and I’ve come to terms with things he’s not capable of,” Kushner says. “And we care very much about each other.”
God does not talk about himself as being incapable. In fact, God asserts exactly the opposite. So Rabbi Kushner is either saying God is a liar or that God is delusional about his own abilities. So how can he say that he cares about this God? Why would he say that?
Unless, of course, we create a god in our own image. And that isn’t just sad, it is an offense against the first and greatest commandment: You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3
Losing a son is horribly difficult; I do not fault Rabbi Kushner for struggling. And after our Paul was born, I know what conclusions my sinful heart lead me to believe and articulate to others. I wrongly concluded that God was powerful, but not kind.
Today, I’m ashamed to remember the words I used to speak about God. I am grateful that God did not leave me in that state – he intentionally and powerfully drew me to himself and gave me an anchor in his word. So Rabbi Kushner is wrong today and I used to be wrong that God’s kindness and power are in conflict. They are, in fact, perfectly and infinitely applied as only God can do, for God’s glory and for our good.
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