God -made in our image?

Sitting in the kitchen on Monday morning munching my toast I was much taken with Radio Four’s Thought for the Day.  The speaker was that provocative Anglican Cleric – one time Canon Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral during the ‘Occupy’ episode, The Revd Dr Giles Fraser.  I don’t always agree with his utterances but what he said on Monday struck a chord which has stayed with me ever since.

He was remembering an exercise done for his class during his time at Theological College training for the priesthood – called Myers Briggs.  Through a series of exercises one comes up with a classification about personality type – such a process can be helpful in understanding what makes us tick, and more importantly, why others see the world differently to us (I know of a church where the whole Diaconate has very recently gone through the process so that they could understand each other better).

Giles Fraser then told us his group did a further exercise – they defined what category of Myers Briggs Jesus might fit.  Perhaps unsurprisingly the introverts in the group defined Jesus as an introvert whilst the extroverts painted him as much more outgoing individual, someone who found his energy outside of himself.

In other words – every member of the group created God in their own image!!  Perhaps we all do.  We believe he is pre-eminently comfortable with our worship style, biblical interpretation or lifestyle choices.  I suspect we may just have got it a bit wrong and probably the wrong way round! 

These thoughts have lingered in my mind as I’ve attended the Baptist Union Retreat Group Committee and mini-retreat at Warminster this week.  Alongside like-minded people (most of us probably have a very similar Myers Briggs classification) we have been planning retreats which probably appeal most to introverts – indeed I often think of BURG as an oasis of calm in the midst of a sometimes very noisy denomination.  It would be interesting for us to organise a Quiet Day/Noisy Day specifically for extroverts.

I suspect, however, that whatever our type, all of us need to focus down on Christ more regularly – giving Him centre place in our prayers and reflections.  Lent, retreats – and even Radio Four’s Prayer for the Day – can help us to do that!

With best wishes,

Ian