Now, at McCormick, I would say I had an So that in the course of my McCormick studies, There is a message experience which began to alter the way I in order to sustain some sort of integrity about “ looked at the biblical message, and that was my own faith, I had to make an adjustment that has integrity in the death of my father. My father, whom I around the question as to what the love of God the biblical text, that respected deeply, was a businessman but means. And I found ample basis for believing can be found and also a man of great faith, moderator of the that the love of God does not mean bailouts, defended because congregation. [He]died of leukemia. He was folks. It means that He’s with us. As the apostle 48 and I was 24. And here I am at McCormick Paul says, we can face anything with Him who it is coherent, it is learning what? How to preach the message gives us strength. But, no guarantees. And I reality-speci昀椀c, and of God’s love; assuming, I suppose like must confess, I like the other version. it’ll make a di昀昀erence everybody does, that the message of God’s love means that He helps us, takes care of But that’s where I came out as a result of that in your life if you us, answer our prayers, etc. Needless to say life event with respect to my father. trust it. That’s sort of that was an occasion for an adjustment of my understanding of the love of God. I came to Kenilworth Union Church…and also where I came out realized that intellectual integrity is not saving of McCormick.” And in a sense, I was forced to go back to the faith. Can I repeat that? Intellectual integrity is Bible and the creeds to ask the question as important, but it’s not saving faith. And to what the love of God was all about. And the thing that occurred to me is that in some I did come to the conclusion, with the help respects, both the church I grew up in and the of a fellow by the name of Paul, and Jesus, theology I learned at McCormick, elevated in that maybe God does not exist for us in love the life of faith the business of intellect to a in order to rescue us. And, I came to the very high level. conclusion that even if you pay attention to the Bible, God is not basically an interventionist *Learn more about the contributions Gil god. He doesn’t spend his days reaching down and Marlene Bowen made to communities and 昀椀xing things. stretching from towns in western Michigan where he and Marlene grew up, to his Now, the interesting question is of course 昀椀rst call in Blue Earth, Minnesota, to the why do we assume that in the 昀椀rst place. Well Chicago suburbs, and across eastern Freud had something to say about that as a Europe and the Holy Land. matter of fact. The kind of god we want is the kind of god who 昀椀xes thing. And I think we sort of assume he’ll probably do that, for us at least. Because I’ve heard people say, “It’s not I found ample basis for fair—why me? I can think of a lot of people “ believing that the love of God who deserve this, but I don’t.” does not mean bailouts, folks. It means that He’s with us.” 26 MCCORMICK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY