ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 11, 2025
A political advisor by the name of Del Bigtree said in the last couple of days, “God is an anti-vaxxer, and he needs you to speak up.” Now, without allowing my emotion to burst forth in a mix of laughter and rage, let me address the theological claim. Anytime someone says, “God is…,” they are making a pretty strong statement, yet one that cannot be proven in any sort of scientific way. I might say, “According to 1st John 4:8, ‘…God is love.’” I believe that statement to be true, yet I am connecting my belief statement to a specific scripture. And would expound on that by also speaking of Jesus as the visible expression of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), and since Jesus was, by my opinion, the greatest expression of unconditional and unrelenting love, then God is love. Yet, at the end of the day, it is a pronouncement that I make, while acknowledging that it is based on my faith. In very similar fashion, I think a person could say, according to scripture, God is… just, faithful, merciful, kind, generous, compassionate, righteous, and a few others that are not currently coming to my mind. Yet as I have been sitting with the statement, “God is an anti-vaxxer,” I have been exploring scripture and historical Christian convictions, and I can’t conceptualize, even stretching and spinning a passage of scripture totally out of context, how someone could make that statement. Now, I could proclaim in my Sunday sermon, “God is a porcupine,” with great passion and religious fervor. However, I believe you’ll expect me to support this claim with something more than Bruce’s personal preferences for God and porcupines. Of course, the political advisor’s statement will undoubtedly excite the anti-vax crowd. Nevertheless, anyone who genuinely believes in their faith and is mindful of how others might perceive God should exercise caution when making a theological claim that cannot be rooted in anything resembling Christianity.
God of Love, I do not pretend to know you fully. There is much of the divine nature that remains a mystery, yet holy mystery does not provide permission for anyone to impose some personal and harmful idea upon you. With humility and some trepidation, we claim certain convictions about you and your capacity to love this world. We look to follow Jesus, believing that he serves as our starting place. From there, we do our best. Always praying for your guidance. Amen.
