"You Ain't Got No Hands": God Can't Physically Intervene, But We Can

Since I was a kid, one of my all-time favorite movies is Forrest Gump. There's a scene when Lieutenant Dan finds out Forrest has become a shrimp boat captain. As promised, he shows up to serve as Forrest's first mate. Upon greeting Lieutenant Dan on a pier, Forrest asks, "Lieutenant Dan, what are you doing here?"

Lieutenant Dan sarcastically responds, "I thought I'd try out my sea legs." To which Forrest innocently responds,

"But Lieutenant Dan, you ain't got no legs."

If you haven't seen the movie, you can get the full effect by watching the scene at the link below:

As I've gotten older, this has become one of my favorite scenes of the movie. I love the scene because it highlights the genuine care the two characters have for each other. Forrest, from his innocent, almost childlike perspective, points out the obvious. At the same time, it highlights Lt. Dan's patience and compassion toward Forrest while grappling with deep emotions around the loss of his legs and the identity crisis that resulted. 

The scene serves as a beautiful illustration of friendship, resiliency, and the complex ways humans cope with trauma. It is also a great analogy for how we often view and relate to God when dealing with injustice and suffering. 

Our Desire for God's Intervention

A fancy word I learned in seminary is anthropomorphism, which is a word that ascribes human characteristics to God, animals, or objects. For example, we may describe a sunny day as "the sun smiling down on us." Other times, we may tell our family pet they're "such a loyal companion since they waited by the door for us to return home." 

We see this type of language applied to God throughout the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. For example, Ezekiel 37:1 says,

"The hand of God was upon me." 

In the Christian Testament, we see 1 Peter 3:12 say,

"For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer." 

When we read passages like these, they often create an innate feeling of God's presence. If we stop and contemplate for a moment, we can sometimes sense God's hand on us or feel God's eyes watching us.

Passages like these also shape much of our understanding of God as an omnipresent, all-powerful deity. Here's the thing: if I asked you, "the next time you feel God's hand upon you, can you get God's fingerprints?" After thinking I was crazy, you would most likely respond with something like, "That's such a silly question!" 

I agree that would be a silly question, but why would that be so silly of me to ask? It's ridiculous because we both know God doesn't have fingerprints, let alone a physical body. We know God is a spirit, but in times of injustice and suffering, we subconsciously recognize this, but we functionally live as if we believe God has a physical body.

Dr. Thomas Jay Oord explains it this way,

"God has no divine arms and legs to carry people from a warzone. God has no body to stand between a gunman and potential victims. God has no arms to wrap around a distraught person to keep her from cutting herself. But because creatures have localized, physical bodies, they can sometimes prevent evil." (God Can't: How to Believe in God and Love After Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils, p. 33)

Here's my point: Since God is a universal spirit, God cannot do what finite embodied humans can. When we describe God using human characteristics, it is to help us understand more profound truths of God in a way that we can comprehend. Those descriptions were never meant to be taken literally. 

God Can't Intervene, But It Doesn't Mean God Doesn't Care

What I'm not saying is that there is no God, or God is the god of theism that set the universe in motion and now sits back in a passive role. Please don't read either of those into what I'm saying. 

What I am saying is that God is a universal spirit without a localized body like humans. As a result, there are some things, like physically intervening, that God cannot do. At the same time, saying God cannot physically intervene doesn't mean that God doesn't care or is indifferent toward us. 

Open and relational thinking argues for quite the opposite. As a universal spirit, God is present, active, and deeply caring in all situations. Rather than ruling and controlling creation and humanity like the great dictator in the sky, God is uncontrolling and wooing. 

The implications of an uncontrolling God make most traditional Christians uncomfortable. We are so used to being told God is sovereign (in control of everything), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omniscient (all-knowing). To hear the character of God described in non-totalitarian terms is often a shock to the system. 

Here's the thing; if we're honest with ourselves, our experiences affirm God is not in control of everything, all-powerful, and all-knowing. 

Can we really say a God that is truly all of these things is actively willing the starvation of children in Palestine and Sudan? If God is truly these things, is it God's will for pastors to abuse their congregations to appease their desire for power and control?

If true, God may be in control of all things, all-powerful, and all-knowing, but this God is also malevolent, volatile, and utterly unworthy of anyone's worship. In all transparency, if these characteristics of God are actual and our lived experiences are also authentic, God seems a lot more like Satan than the Father Jesus embodied. 

We Know God Cares Because God Collaborates with Humans to Stop Evil

When I was first introduced to the concepts discussed above, they made me very uncomfortable. Like, as I read about them and listened to proponents of Open and Relational Theology teach them, I couldn't help but ask myself time and time again, "What the literal fuck?!" 

The problem for me was that the more I sat with these perspectives, the more I recognized they made me uncomfortable because they made a lot of sense. Not only did they make sense, but they did align with my lived experience. Most of all, they take the uncontrolling love of God and human freedom seriously. 

When injustice exists in the world, God works with those who are willing to stand up for justice. When we experience suffering, God collaborates and works alongside those who actively work toward bringing peace. 

This means our decisions in the here and now matter tremendously. Gandhi hit the nail on the head when he said, "Be the change you want to see in the world." When we align with God's uncontrolling love, good things happen; when we choose not to, we participate in causing preventable evil. 

Let me explain by returning to Forrest Gump. Although Lieutenant Dan doesn't have physical legs, we learn through his time working with Forrest Gump on a shrimp boat that he does have legs. Forrest became the legs Lt. Dan lost. 

Everything emotionally and physically, Lt. Dan lost Forrest helps him find through healing and shaping a new identity. Forrest became Lt. Dan's legs by choosing to be present with Lt. Dan. He decided to love Lt. Dan as he was, never judging, and always being willing to care for him. What is often overlooked is how Lt. Dan does the same thing for Forrest. 

Through Lt. Dan, Forrest finds a friend who cares for him the same way Bubba did. Forrest can become a millionaire because Lt. Dan chose to stand by his side when literally every other character in the movie thought he was crazy for becoming a shrimp boat captain. 

In the same way, God shows God's uncontrolling love by collaborating with humanity. We are the hands and feet of God.