Minority Reports

The stuff that comes after modernism isn't all bad. Postmodernism, not needing everything to be buttoned up, can leave things dangling; it can pay attention to the obscure, marginal, and particular. The postmodern dynamic invites one to revisit biblical texts that do not fit into tidy, cherished theological constructs: I call these texts the ""minority reports."" Popular theology infers that God is just pretending when he changes his mind or gets frustrated, saddened, and affected by humans--this understanding is guided by concepts of God's omni-attributes. But these wise and well-intentioned concepts fail to portray a God who will not be domesticated. Certain biblical narratives trace YHWH's hiddenness, suffering, changeability, and ""hostility""--this awkward ""shadow side"" of YHWH is sometimes selectively overlooked. The fear of God is gone. Instead we have the ever-tolerant, universal God who is in danger of evaporating into ""spirit,"" ""light,"" and ""love."" As a theologian I use Hebrew block logic: competing truths in the Bible are kept intact; synthesis isn't necessarily sought. God chooses us and we choose God; God is self-sufficient, all-powerful, and all-knowing, needing no creature. Yet he chooses to limit his ""omni-ness"" in the human arena and makes himself vulnerable to humans. He hyphenates his name with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob--and the church--at a risk. ""Mark Klitsie has written a bold probe into the nature and character of God in the Bible. In protest against the flattened 'omni-God' of much modern rational thought, he exposits a God with whom serious disputatious engagement is possible. Klitsie happily appeals to Jewish interpretation, most especially that of Abraham Heschel. The result is a God who is a match for the complexity and ambiguity of human life."" --Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary ""Klitsie invites his readers to wrestle, like Jacob of old, with a God who will not be contained. Klitsie welcomes engagement and disagreement, and surely many will disagree with some of his conclusions--yet it is in the crucible of disagreement that strong minds are forged. This much, however, is sure: Klitsie's devotion to a God worthy of respect, devotion, and worship shines forth from every page."" --Phillip G. Carnes, Executive & Leadership Coach; Adjunct Faculty, George Fox Evangelical Seminary ""Klitsie rushes in where angels fear to tread, at least when it comes to arguing for a 'concrete, incarnational, and messy theology.' He invites us to reexamine the Bible and--in true postmodern manner--hunt down marginalized, neglected, unpopular Scriptures, including references to genuine divine pathos. Such an enterprise leads us to a genuine, synergistic relationship based upon divine kenosis. I highly commend this book for all who wish to see God again with fresh eyes."" --Vaughn Baker, Author; Senior Pastor, Silver Creek United Methodist Church, Azle, Texas Mark Klitsie has degrees from University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa (BSc, HDE), and Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California (MA, ThM). He is a world traveler, having studied at Francis Schaeffer's L'Abri in Switzerland, exposed himself to Islam in Egypt and Syria, lived in an ashram in India, and studied Judaism in Jerusalem. Mark lives with his wife and children in Gardnerville, Nevada.