Why God Hides (AUDIO)

Atonement & Apocalypse

“Expulsion from the Garden” by Thomas Cole

Hi friends,

Mere Orthodoxy recently published an essay of mine entitled, “Why God Hides.” It is the first in a two-part series dealing with the hiddenness of God. Because of its welcome reception there, I thought I would post an audio version of it here. In it, I discuss the interplay between “atonement” (covering) and “apocalypse” (uncovering) as a kind of macro-framework for how God reveals himself…and why he hides.

For those curious, the second essay will use a similar framework to focus on the microcosm of Jesus’s earthly ministry: how he communicates, why he also “hides,” and how he saves the word by “getting through” where every other prophets failed. For what it’s worth, I think it’s one of the better pieces I’ve ever written. I actually wrote both pieces about a year ago (you can find original versions of them in the Patient Kingdom archives), but I’ve been editing and refining them ever since, because the concepts are difficult to grasp and even more difficult to put succinctly. Anyway, let me know what you think!

— Ross