Ideas

Divine Drama Queen

Columnist; Contributor

But I’d secretly rather have a God who is a non-anxious presence.

Christianity Today July 15, 2010

Columnist's Note: You came here looking for a column I wrote called “The Divine Drama Queen.” The purpose of the column was to suggest how passionately God cares about us, and to what extremes he will go to secure a relationship with us. Because the Bible uses dramatic images in conveying these truths, I used dramatic human examples and hyperbole to reinforce the biblical point. While most readers understood what I was driving at, some did not. Worse, some have been offended by the column, feeling I have denigrated the holiness of God.

This is troubling on two accounts. Those familiar with my writing know that the holiness of God is one of my themes—this is a significant element in my Jesus Mean and Wild,and especiallyA Great and Terrible Love. And those who know me personally understand that, while I'm not adverse to challenging and provoking, I take no pleasure in offending the very readers I'm trying to persuade or edify.

Enough readers have missed the point of this column to suggest that it is not doing what I intended it to do. Thus I have taken it down. If you want to understand what I'm driving at in my writing, you can read my other columns or pick up a copy of one of my books.

Mark Galli is senior managing editor of Christianity Today. He is author of Jesus Mean and Wild: The Unexpected Love of an Untamable God (Baker).

Copyright © 2010 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Previous SoulWork columns include:

The God Who Became Blood | What my dysfunctional prostate taught me about Jesus. (June 24, 2010)

The Lord Who Acts Like It | Where did we get the idea that the church should be a place that makes people feel comfortable? (June 10, 2010)

Judgment in the Gulf | Woes and blessings of the oil spill. (June 1, 2010)

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