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Jesus' God was a God of love. American's in general have one of 4 images of God.
- Authoritarian (32%)
- Critical (16%)
- Distant (24%)
- Benevolent (23%)
The first two images resides in limbic area and the 4th in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. Yet, Jesus' god is a mixture of of both parts of the brain.
IMAGINE A WORLD WHERE GOD IS LOVE. The context of the parable of the Prodigal son and a modern retelling.
WHO'S YOUR FATHER. What the father did in the parable was so foreign to Jewish practice that it had to startle the listeners.
WHO'S NAKED NOW? We all feel a little smug and point our finger at the older son and say, "I'm not like him." But, the finger that Jesus is pointing it aimed straight at us. Being the younger son is scary because he had to come clean before his father.
WHO'S WEARING THE FANCY CLOTHES? The younger son confesses that he has sinned agains God and against his father. "Real confession, try confession, admits that I have done something to someone else."
IMAGINE THAT KIND OF WORLD.