Quest For The Living: Elizabeth Johnson's Image Of God

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Many people have their own image or interpretation of what God looks like. When I first hear the word “God” the first image that comes to my mind is a Caucasian, older man with long hair, a beard and dressed in a white robe. As a young child this was the first image of God I was exposed to. My first exposure of this image was through a children’s bible. The book contained colorful pictures of God and depicted how the world was created. In all of the images pictured in the bible, God was a man in robes, often surrounded by angels and light.
Additional factors like artwork and pop culture have also shaped this image of God in my mind. When I traveled to Europe, often artwork displayed in museums illustrated God with this same image. Furthermore, television shows and movies have at times displayed the image of God as this male figure. This image plays an important role in fulfilling my understanding of God. Genesis 1:27 states, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” My image of God portrays him as a human being who is a wise protector and a figure of authority. This image displays that God does have a form. It can be challenging to relate to God …show more content…

Elizabeth Johnson in her book Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God states, “The future, as with the whole universe, is in God’s hands, and those hands are caring, sustaining, consoling, wiping away tears” (59-60). I chose the image of a loving parent because both a parent and God share numerous amount of similar characteristics. Johnson describes God as having the responsibility to look after his people, just like a parent cares for his or her child. Johnson also says that the future is also in God’s hands. Growing up, a child’s future is very much based on a parent’s

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