Loving, harsh, distant, critical: Americans’ four views of God : New Book
They probably left off the views of the church of Bob, and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and the Church of we are becoming god.
More than half of white evangelicals identify with an Authoritative God; that view is shared by more than seven in 10 black evangelicals, they said.
• The Benevolent God: This God is engaged in our world and loves and supports us in caring for others, a vision shared by 22 percent.
“Rhetoric that talks about the righteous vs. the heathen doesn’t appeal to them,” Froese says.
• The Critical God: The poor, the suffering and the exploited in this world often believe in a Critical God who keeps an eye on this world but delivers justice in the next, Bader says. This view of God is held by 21 percent.