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“So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them ”
From the new book Lighting Your Way, With Love
As we build our working theology, one of the most useful ideas for us to consider is the concept of Imago Dei. It comes from the first chapter of Genesis and has a history of use in Christianity and Judaism. What this idea, translated as the "image of God," means is open for interpretation: Is this the Divine Spark? Is it a necessary ingredient in the atoning fight against original sin? Or is it merely a reminder that there is something of God in each human being?
Back in the early 2000s, as I was working on and studying the sermons of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, I was forever changed by his use of Imago Dei. For him, the concept was central to his Ubuntu theology. If God created every human being in God's image, then each ought to be treated with reverence and respect. Racism and division among people are ungodly and work against the created order.
Those who perpetuate ideas of racial or ethnic superiority deny God's image and are committing blasphemy of the highest order. One need not look any further than Genesis 1:27 to see that Apartheid in South Africa and Jim Crow in America were morally wrong. No matter how stridently white churches tried to defend these practices using scripture (and they did for some time), it doesn't hold up to the simple truth of Imago Dei.
On a personal level, I have found Imago Dei to be a handy idea. It means that God is present in everyone I meet. God is present in those who look like me, think like me, and share my affinity for anchovies. And, perhaps more importantly, God is present in those who don't look like me, think like me, or eat salty fish. Underneath and underlying all the diversity, difference, and division, I share a common identity with every living human being on the planet. From innocent babies to convicted felons, there is something of God in each of us. We are all children of God. No exceptions.
As is often the case, applying a principle can be hard to do. I continue to find myself wanting there to be an exception or loophole. It can be hard to look in the face of someone who is violently opposed to your very being and spurting vile criticisms and say that God created them in God's image. But even these people are part of the all. I have found myself challenged to open the hardest places of my heart. If I can't demonize or dehumanize my neighbor, then I need to find ways to love them. Yes, even them!
I'm not always successful in my efforts. Biases and prejudices continue to fester in hidden places of my heart that prevent me from fully embracing this idea. I remain in need of continual repentance and forgiveness. In those moments, I am glad that Imago Dei also applies to me. Even though I'm not fully able to embrace God's presence in everyone, it remains in them and me! I am unable to escape being made in God's image. Since God remains in me, there is hope. Hope, still, that I will lean into this identity as I engage my neighbor.
A Note to My Son:
Dear Noah,
Two things will always be true. One: you are a child of God. Two: so is everybody else!
Why is this important? I have found that I get myself into trouble when I forget these two things. When I forget that God created me and everybody else in God’s image, I either think too highly or too lowly of myself and others. This is not good.
A helpful hint to correct this vision problem involves a mirror. When you look in the mirror each morning, say to yourself: I am a child of God, created in God's image. Then repeat the phrase "child of God, created in God's image" to the very next face you see, whether in person or on TV or on your phone. It will help to change the way you see yourself and others.
Love you, always,
Dad.
Permission granted to share today's content with family and friends. Copyrighted 2018. Walt Lichtenberger
See below for details on how to purchase Lighting Your Way, With Love
When teenagers leave home, it is a time of adjustment for the whole family. Lighting Your Way, With Love helps young and old find the wisdom, courage, and faith to face what lies ahead. Walt writes from the dual-perspective of a father whose son is going off to university and a seasoned pastor who has walked with others during times of transition.
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