Is God Still Speaking?

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. – Isaiah 40:8 (ESV)

The smartass in me imagines the United Church of Christ giving a response of “fo’eva? Fo’eva-eva? Fo’eva-eva?!” (a la André 3000 in Ms. Jackson).

During the work week, I often drive past Dublin Community Church, a UCC-affiliated church with a beautiful old building. On its sign, there is (or was . . . I’m not certain it’s still there) a sign reading “God Is Still Speaking”. You see, the United Church started a campaign called “StillSpeaking” a year or so ago, with the tagline “God is still speaking,” which is in turn based on a quote attributed to Gracie Allen (wife of George Burns): “Never place a period where God has placed a comma”. (This campaign is most notorious for the infamous “Bouncer” ad that I wrote about late last year on my LiveJournal . . . that entry probably garnered the most comments I’ve ever had for a single post.)

I think that there’s value in the statement, when taken at face value. God isn’t silent and he’s not dead. He speaks constantly through Scripture, through our experiences, through wise teachers, and directly to the hearts of his children through his Spirit. From looking through the StillSpeaking website (along with what I already know of the United Church), though, their use of the slogan seems to largely mean “God is saying new, different, ‘better’ things than what’s recorded in Scripture.” Perhaps that all religions and belief systems somehow will make a person just before God . . . perhaps that homosexual behaviour really isn’t wrong . . . perhaps that man really did come evolve from monkeys. Who knows? Looking through a few websites of UCC congregations, many use it to trumpet the fact that they “welcome all of God’s people,” meaning that your race, marital status, age, and (especially) your sexual behavior won’t bar you from entering for worship. First of all, Scripture suggests nothing different . . . Christ forgives, justifies, and changes all who will come to him by faith. God’s not saying anything new there. Second, “welcoming all of God’s people” is actually a pretty exclusive statement, considering the fact that the only people referred to in Scripture as “God’s people” are believer-followers of God (revealed in Christ). Of course, the UCC would likely never agree to such a restrictive definition. Guess God’s still speaking there, as well, eh?

I can appreciate the sentiment that they’re trying to create . . . a picture of a church with doors open to people of all walks of life. Unfortunately, those that they’re attracting the most with this campaign are those who likely need the Gospel the most . . . and it’s likely that they won’t hear that in the most theologically liberal church group in the country.

God is still speaking, yes. I just don’t believe that he’s saying anything that he hasn’t been telling us for ages, or that he’s taken anything back.