“Where is God?” by Dr. John Townsend
If you considered throughout human history what question has been asked the most, a few things might come to mind:
“What’s your name?” must be asked millions of times a day.
“What did you say?” is asked increasingly as our population ages!
“What’s your sign?” was asked repeatedly in the ’70s and ’80s and continues to be an annoying question.
But perhaps one of the most asked questions, directly from the human heart and searching mind, is the question, “Where is God?”
If you haven’t personally asked that question, you have probably thought it, and likely know others who have done both. Ministers, theologians, philosophers and others have wrestled with an answer, but one of the best responses I’ve read to date is found in Dr. John Townsend’s latest book, “Where Is God?” published by Thomas Nelson.
The reason I found Dr. Townsend’s book to be so noteworthy is because he provides a very thorough response to a simple, yet profound question. The short answer to “Where is God?” is that God is always present. But there’s significantly more to the answer than that, and Dr. Townsend provides the detail.
What gives the book value is Dr. Townsend, who is a Christian psychologist, allows his theology to inform his psychology, rather than vice versa. Townsend provides clear biblical direction to finding answers to this age old question while also using his expertise and experience as a psychologist to help us understand how to work out biblical teaching in practical ways that provide real answers — and results — to those searching out the question of “where is God?”
Dr. Townsend helps the reader understand how, in the midst of life’s most pressing issues, we can seek and see God when He seems to be absent. Townsend explains that “God doesn’t play hide-and seek.” It is possible to work through the confusion, pain, disillusionment, or other such human experiences during life’s trials to not only see God, but to experience His presence in a way that brings peace, renews purpose, and sustains us in our darkest hour.
For the person who wants the simplest of answers to the great question, “Where is God?” you can find that in Townsend’s book. But for the rest of us who want and need a fuller answer, you’ll be delighted in how Dr. Townsend uses his skill in both theology and psychology to explore all the issues we may find ourselves in when searching out the answer to this big question. Townsend helps us see how most people often don’t want answers as much as they want a “fix” for what ails them. While God is always present and wants us to seek His help, He desires connection with us most.
While I thought the book to be outstanding, the one weakness I did see probably had more to do with the publisher than the author. The cover of the book is white, and the title of the book on the front cover is also printed in white, making it almost invisible if you don’t look closely. While discussing my thoughts about the book with one of my sisters, I mentioned how I didn’t like the cover because you can’t see the title and showed her the cover to make my point. “Oh, where is the title is like the idea of the book, ‘Where Is God?'” she pointed out. Perhaps I just missed it, but I find the idea of purposely making the title hard to find to tie in with the title of the book to be quite gimmicky, and uneffectively so. A book as solid as this doesn’t need a cheap gimmick for a cover to draw interest.
With that said, “Where Is God?” is a valuable resource any Christian would benefit having within reach because it provides great answers to a big question.
Scotty
February 25, 2010 at 12:34 am
This looks interesting. I'll have to check it out. I had a fairly recent exchange with a mutual friend regarding a similar issue: why did God reveal himself as residing in an upward direction? I love this angels on a head of a pin stuff.
February 25, 2010 at 1:11 am
Insightful review.
Thank you!
February 25, 2010 at 3:06 am
Tony, interesting question, it would be interesting to sometime further discuss what you fully mean by "residing in an upward direction." The interesting thing about the Bible is that God's revelation of Himself in scripture requires the whole book, and a long history, to get a full snapshot … and then we have an accurate SNAPSHOT! We see multiple aspects of God's character throughout scripture, which makes the study of it all the more compelling.
February 25, 2010 at 3:07 am
Thanks Melinda, if you happen to read the book I'd be interested in your thoughts 🙂
February 26, 2010 at 4:38 am
Just trying to be succinct…but essentially the problem I see is the general identification with Heaven as "up". Most notably, Jesus ascended into the clouds. Of course, we have been there now…best I can tell, no Heaven up there. Our mutual friend suggested, and I think it is an excellent way of looking at it, that it is God communicating a sense of wonder and awe to us and that it makes our expectation of the time and place of the Second Advent less specific. This isn't a faith issue for me, but rather wrapping my mind around the bigness of God. I've kind of grown comfortable with the idea that God and his abode are atemporal and upness doesn't square well with that idea.
February 28, 2010 at 4:21 am
This is one best done sitting down over a cup of coffee! I think such references are actually simpler than that and quite practical. Heaven is a real place, it's not on earth, nor space as we have been able to see it. It is beyond earthly and human things. But in human physical terms, for us to depart toward it, we would have to go "up" … and beyond the created that we can see. That requires upward movement. I'm not sure if it's more complicated than that. We also have additional scripture telling us there's more than one "level" of heaven … the sky, the universe, and beyond that. Indeed, such a conversation could be interesting 🙂