Main Entry: ego·tism
Pronunciation: \ˈē-gə-ˌti-zəm also ˈe-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin ego + English -tism (as in idiotism)
Date: 1714
1 a : excessive use of the first person singular personal pronoun b : the practice of talking about oneself too much
2 : an exaggerated sense of self-importance : conceit — compare egoism
Divine Egotistical Theology: (term i coined) suggests that God demands our worship because He worships Himself. This type of theology doesn’t place insecurities on God or deprive Him of needs that only man can provide in order to make Himself feel better about His Splendor and Power as oppositions of this theology suggests. However, using the term egotist gives false presumptions to the character of God. The term Egotism assumes imperfection. However, God is perfect!
A.W. Tozer once wrote in his book The Knowledge of the Holy “Overemphasizing one attribute of God may lead to obscuring another attribute of God equally as true.” We can’t over/under emphasize the Love of God vs. the Glory of God because they are paradoxical. A small misunderstanding and under/over emphasis has created large theological divisions in the evangelical world.
Worship is a commandment from God because it is our expression of love and value for God. Our worship is an overflow of our love for Him, not out of tyrannical demands to tell Him 5 times a day how good He is.. Worship is our natural response for the Goodness and Greatness of God. If worship from God is a demand, then so are the 10 commandments. hmmm. they are not the 10 demandments.. God commands us not to murder because it’s ultimately our best interest and it’s morally right. Of course there are many other reasons. A commander is a true leader while a demander need be nothing more than a petulant tyrant. The only result from a demand is forceful compliance.
Using terms to describe God such as egotistic, megalomaniac, narcissistic, vanity, and conceited carries on negative connotations. These connotations includes an undeserved arrogance. However, God is deserving and He alone is most worthy.
Who does God worship? Anything other than Himself would be idolatrous. God cannot look outside Himself for anything or anyone greater.
Egotism is wrong for us. However, just because is it wrong for us doesn’t mean it is wrong for God. Man can’t play God, but God can play God. To understand Divine Egotistical Theology, we must first begin at the perfection of God.
So is God an Egotist? Yes...No... Either way, it's certainly poor word choice for theological discussions especially for new believers. It’s good to remind ourselves often that the English language fails miserably is describing the characteristics of God. Put differently, God’s attributes are not subjected to the meanings of English words. Unfortunatly, we are trapped in a ‘human’ English frame of mind.
Romans 1:22-23: "Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." This exchange that robs God of his glory is the very heart of sin. We want the glory that is God's alone.
Karl Barth defined God's glory as "his dignity and right, not only to maintain, but to prove and declare, to denote and almost as it were to make himself conspicuous and everywhere apparent as the One he is.
Well put man. Great post.
ReplyDeleteyour critique and affirmation/rejection are on point I think. I wonder a lot about the psychology of it all. most people I know who run this (and Piper, or any level of reformed thought) are male. there's a strong sense of duty, purpose and honor.
ReplyDeletethat's not to say I don't hear it from women as well, but their expression is always more intrinsically relational--if they say "it's all about Him!, I am nothing, I am not". etc, it's almost exclusively in the language of a genuine human relationship--probably with a solid picture of a physical Christ.
for guys it tends to be some metaphysical sci-fi divinity superpower sitting on a glorious better-than-Avatar throne of radiating glory.
when you can think of that kind of all powerful Deity, than of course he should get glory, honor, power and strength. of course people should cower before him and be undone, because that's what you before the Supreme ruler of, well, everything.
I love Barth but he was so intrinsically wed to Luther that he perpetuated this. Luther thought of God this way, but instead of striking you down, he was the God who got off the throne and ran to welcome back the repentant prodigal.
I wonder (I don't know) if what you're getting at in terms of dealing with new believers might have more to do with what we perceive they need (an all-powerful God who is in charge of everything despite great tragedy, a loving comforting father who says "it'll be alright", a hero who vanquishes the demons of addiction and fear, etc.) than it has to do with a consistent portrait of Divinity (if there is such a thing).
I think that's maybe why Tillich and others went so far to the extreme--God as the ground of Being--all other metaphors seem at best cartoonish and at worst idolatrous.