My thoughts tonight are theological. For most of my life I have identified with the Prodigal Son. I’ve done a lot of things that I think would cause me to slink home in shame. My mother and I had what could be considered a combative relationship. We were both stubborn, and we often butted heads. I went out to WA when she was dying, and 3 days before she passed she said she was proud of me. I don’t care if I get a dime from her estate, that was the most precious gift she could have given me.

But more directly regarding the Prodigal Son, my reading of Scripture leads me to believe that he could slink home time and time and time again, and expect the same welcome as the first time. So, my question is: If we believe that God is all-forgiving, all the time, why do so many people cling to the notion of God as an abusive parent? There’s more than a little dissonance there, in my view at least. I’ll probably be hashing this out in a post on my blog www.kevinlarose.net at some point soon.