widespread in the future. Pantheism and panentheismaccord with many important themes in contemporary thought. One often hears the word "force" in discussions about God. "May theforce be with you" is how Obi-Wan Kenobi blesses Luke Skywalker in theoriginal Star Wars film. For many, the problems inherent in the trilemmado not require them to abandon belief in God, but the problems do causepeople to reconsider the traditional concept of God. The result is animpersonal God, one who becomes the force we experience underlying allof reality. This force is dynamic, changing. It is relative to, andperhaps one with, events as they happen. Is this not what ferventChristians mean when they describe the work of the Holy Spirit? Likewise, one often hears believers speak about the "presence ofGod." God is everywhere, in everything. No one can escape the presenceof God. By this believers generally mean that God is present in the areathat surrounds things, but that He is distinct from physical things. However, this belief in God's separateness is problematic, becausethese believers don't think of God as merely being in the spaces; theythink of Him as immanent. "God is in you," they may say. This idea isn'tfar from pantheism or panentheism. In other words, the presence of God,a concept widely used by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, can easilychange to a God that is identifiable with everything, the totality ofreality, the universe in its ever-changing, relative state. The presenceof God is the force behind change and the unity of the evolving universeitself.SAVING GOD Such a concept of God already resonates with many believers and maybecome more acceptable as they ponder exactly what happens when Godinteracts with them. Is it not through time and nature, according totheir belief, that God manifests His power (force) to them? Such an ideaalso resonates with atheists and agnostics who might loathe the wordGod, but would agree that the universe i...
