Week 7: Reflection on Caroline’s Blog

In her blog, Caroline discusses the ideas of Latvus in the discussion on the Decolonization of Yahweh. Her central point addresses Latvus’ characterization of Yahweh as a God formerly on the side of the marginalized and oppressed, but who is now on the side of the oppressors and the subjugators. This, I believe, is an unfair analyzation of how the OT should be read, as well as the Israelite understanding of their activities and the subsequent consequences of their actions. The nation of Israel was not confused as why to they were in exile, as to why they were separated, and as to why they were experiencing hardship. They knew that there were consequences for their actions, and as Caroline put, a God who is inconsistent in promises and consequences presents a much more startling picture of God, than one who has a clear perrogative and mission as well as consistent consequences. This brings up a much larger issue, and one that has been grappled with by Christians and non-Christians alike, which is how can a God, who is supposedly loving, be in control of world consumed with violence, death, and injustice? A scarier question, I believe, would be what do we do if there is nothing in control of life? What can we make of life if all decisions, actvities, and hardships are not under the control of a Divine Other, but are merely left up to chance? This is not an apologetic, but rather a belief in a God who fulfills and keeps promises, a God that is consistent in activity, blessing, as well as consequence.