God refuses to be God without us

November 4, 2011

What's the gospel in seven words? We asked theologians, pastors and others both to answer this question and to
expand on this in a few sentences. To see all the responses together as they're posted, bookmark this page. Add your own version here. --Ed.

God refuses
to be God without us.

We asked God to say something definite and God,
getting personal, sent Jesus Christ. We were surprised. God was other than we
imagined. We can't make God into whatever we please. Jesus demonstrated that
God is better than omnipotent, omniscient or any other high-sounding
abstraction. God is love embodied: nonviolent, relentlessly seeking, convening,
suffering love. Human happiness is life lived in response to the God we've got.
It's good news: Because God really was in Jesus Christ, reconciling the world to
God, we can be with God.

William H. Willimon

William H. Willimon is a retired bishop in the United Methodist Church and professor of the practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School, where he directs the doctor of ministry program. His most recent book is Don’t Look Back: Methodist Hope for What Comes Next (Abingdon).

All articles »

Against killing children

We have become a society of people who cannot prevent our own children from being killed in their classrooms—and who do not much mind the killing of other people’s children by weapons of war.

by Wendell Berry