Ex-Senator Sam Ervin tells about a man known as the most ignorant man of Burke County, North Carolina. When he was asked if he knew what county he lived in, he said, "Nope." Did he know the name of his state? "Nope." Then he was asked whether he had ever heard of Jesus Christ. "No," he answered. Finally, in desperation, they asked him if he had ever heard of God. "I believe I have," he replied "Is his last name Damn?" This might be considered a very unusual case, but this is just about all that many know about God.

God is a live issue in our time. In 1973, eighteen prominent theologians from nine denominations met at Hartford Seminary and drew up a theological affirmation calling for a recovery of the transcendence of God. Our God, in recent years, has become too small. He has become too …