"We have lost our nerve and our sense of direction
and have turned the divine initiative into a human enterprise…
And all these drab infidelities are committed
not because too little power is available to us
but because the power so far exceeds the petty scale we want to live by.
God has made us a little lower than the angels,
while our highest ambition is to live a little above the Joneses.
We are looking for a sensible family-sized God,
dispensing pep pills or tranquilisers as required
with a Holy Spirit who is a baby's comforter.
No wonder the Lord of terrible aspect
is too much for us…..
(John V Taylor, The Go Between God (London: SCM, 1972) 48.
Slightly dated now in its langauge, but this remains a powerful and original exploration of the work and reality of the Holy Spirit in creation, church and human experience. This remains an early milestone book in my theological awakening.
The photo of a battered Bible in a country church notwithstanding, the Word of the Lord endureth forevermore!
Leave a Reply