Challenging our Understanding of God
- Robert van Mourik
- 1 day ago
- 6 min read
Introduction
In a recent Butterfly Series discussion we examined different images of God, how these images had changed over time. The Genesis story of creation has God creating the world in six days, yet we know from science that the universe came into being some 13.8 billion years ago, that life on earth began to emerge 3.5-4 billion years ago and that humankind has been evolving over the last million years. Additionally, science informs us that the universe is constantly expanding and that our own universe may be one amongst many.
Doesn’t this contradict the Genesis creation story of a static world, a world where God finished creation in six days? Perhaps, God wasn’t finished and has been continuing to create ever since? In this perspective, human beings are a very recent development in the evolutionary story.
The following meditation from Richard Rohr[1] examines not only the role of the prophets in challenging the existing status quo but also our own ability to change and adapt, to be able to grow towards a higher consciousness. Does this change our image of God and how God works?
Engaging in Good Trouble
Father Richard finds in the prophets an invitation to follow their path of disrupting injustice:
When prophets see that the status quo is not working, they encourage what I call “holy disorder,” a scenario in which the fundamental conditions and relationships of the group are disrupted (as when the Israelites were conquered by the Babylonians or persecuted by their enemies). This disruption can take positive form or negative form. Either God outgrows our present, limited understanding and we grow with God, or we regress due to our inability to love and trust what is happening. Then society reverts to legalism and formality until it ultimately disintegrates. From these disruptions, a new order arises (what I call “reorder”), in which human relations can work at a higher level that is more imaginative, less dualistic, and usually less violent than the first order or the reactive disorder.
The process of allowing and creating holy disorder is surely what Representative John Lewis called getting into “good trouble.” He was referring to the good and necessary trouble of civil disobedience in the pursuit of racial justice, but his philosophy is equally powerful when we think about the prophets. For them, good trouble and holy disorder could draw forth better things—an entirely different consciousness characterized by more justice, more mercy, greater closeness to God. Of course, the process is never linear, and it never stops. The new reorder soon becomes a new order, and we need prophets to keep us from idolizing the new status quo. The only thing more dangerous and more common than narcissism is group narcissism. We have always needed a mechanism for positive change that is organic and comes from within. We must ask, “Why has critical thinking always had to come from outside our religious systems and hardly been allowed from within?” This is a major problem.
We have tried to reform religion with the same codes of violence and willpower used by corporations, monetary systems, landowners, and nation-states, often leaving the egos and self-interests of hierarchs quite in control. Further, we have a tendency to minimize evil, attacking it in individual “bad guys” instead of exposing and convicting the intergenerational lies that consume most cultures: things like pride, deceit, power, war, and greed.
This, more than any other reason, is why Christianity did little to reform or evolve the Roman, Holy Roman, Russian, French, Spanish, English, or American empires, but instead slept comfortably with every one of them. The evils that ate us alive were seldom called evil because the “priestly” groups were intent on enforcing ritual requirements and purity codes—in which Jesus and the prophets showed little or no interest. Once we lose the prophetic analysis, most evil will be denied, disguised, or hidden among the rules and rituals of religion and the law itself. This is how truth is “discerned” in a dualistic world: by winning the purity and identity contests.
Challenging our Understanding of God
The presentation of God in Genesis is of an "other", separate to ourselves, a dualistic view, whereas an alternative view founded in the continuing evolution of our universe opens the way to considering God as dynamic and integral to our evolution. Challenging our understanding of God leads us to think more deeply about our relationship with God, not simply as an "other" but evermore bedded in our spirituality.
Reflection Questions
Consider the sentence “Either God outgrows our present, limited understanding and we grow with God, or we regress due to our inability to love and trust what is happening.”
Does this sentence imply that God is always growing and changing? That God is dynamic?
Consider the sentences “We have always needed a mechanism for positive change that is organic and comes from within. We must ask, ‘Why has critical thinking always had to come from outside our religious systems and hardly been allowed from within?’”
Rohr suggests the mechanism for change is organic, that change comes from within. This suggests a personal journey of growth. While Rohr suggests a failure on the part of religious systems to encourage or participate in this change, isn’t this our personal responsibility?
FAQs
1. Does modern science contradict the Genesis creation story?
Science describes the universe as developing over immense periods: approximately 13.8 billion years for the universe, billions of years for life on Earth, and a long evolutionary history for humanity. The article invites readers to consider Genesis not necessarily as a literal six-day scientific timetable, but as a theological account of God as the source and meaning of creation. From this perspective, creation may be understood as an ongoing, dynamic process rather than an event that ended after six days.
2. What does Richard Rohr mean by “holy disorder” and “good trouble”?
“Holy disorder” refers to necessary disruption when an existing social, political, or religious system has become unjust, stagnant, or unable to serve life and human flourishing. Rohr connects this idea with John Lewis’s phrase “good trouble”: the constructive disturbance created through courageous action for justice.
Rather than accepting harmful traditions merely because they are familiar, prophets expose injustice and call communities towards a more compassionate, imaginative, and less violent way of living. The discomfort of change can therefore become the beginning of a healthier “reorder.”
3. Is spiritual growth the responsibility of religious institutions or individuals?
The article suggests it is both, while stressing personal responsibility. Religious institutions can support growth by welcoming honest questions, self-examination, critical thinking, compassion, and prophetic challenge. However, individuals cannot leave their own spiritual development entirely to churches, leaders, traditions, or rules.
Each person is invited to examine inherited images of God, recognise where fear or rigid thinking may be limiting them, and remain open to growth in love, trust, justice, and mercy. In this sense, changing one’s understanding of God is not simply adopting a new belief; it is an ongoing personal and communal journey toward deeper consciousness and more faithful action.
BUTTERFLY SERIES
Challenging our Understanding of God
6 October 2026, 4:45 pm – 6:15 pm AEST
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About the Author - Robert van Mourik
Robert, a co-founder and guiding presence within St Lucia Spirituality, brings a wealth of insight and dedication to our community. While his roots lie in the Catholic tradition, Robert's spiritual journey has been one of profound inquiry and introspection, spanning many decades in search of what he terms "a coherent worldview."
Drawing inspiration from luminaries such as Anthony de Mello, Richard Rohr, Diarmuid O’Murchu, and Ilia Delio, Robert's quest for spiritual truth has been shaped by the wisdom gleaned from countless authors and mentors. Their insights have served as guiding beacons, illuminating the path towards deeper understanding and connection.
It was in the shared bond of seeking spiritual growth that Robert first crossed paths with John, their encounters over coffee in 2012 marking the genesis of a transformative journey. These intimate gatherings, fuelled by conversations on influential books and the evolving landscape of their perspectives, soon blossomed into vibrant small groups and virtual meetings on platforms like Zoom.
Through newsletters, discussion papers, and a shared commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue, Robert has played an instrumental role in nurturing the thriving community of seekers within St Lucia Spirituality. His dedication to facilitating growth, exploration, and connection reflects the essence of the community's ethos - a journey of discovery and transformation, embarked upon together.
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