Wiki God :The Pollster God

Our culture is full of many different kinds of polls. In order to best get data, a pollster will gather and organize people’s opinions. “Due to their research, they can take a cross-section of society, ask pertinent questions, and provide the rest of the culture with information regarding the leaning of the majority of people polled. In light of this information, many people will acknowledge the trends, adjust their thinking, and align their methods with popular opinion.” (Agnew)  When this kind of thinking and evaluating happens, people can fall victim to seeing God as the “pollster” God.

With the speed at which culture changes, and people’s opinions and values, “the Pollster God is such an alluring candidate for our societal flavor-of-the-month theology. Because we can’t fathom adhering to archaic directives in such a progressive time, the Pollster God exists to ascertain what people want and then give it to them.” (Agnew)  To those who follow this thinking, God should be like a candy dispenser and just give followers whatever their heart desires. Travis Agnew writes, “As soon as he [God] obtains the direction of the culture, he adjusts his thinking to be relevant with the times. If the prevailing attitude of the society has a particular bent, we assume that God will align himself with the majority’s leanings.”

The question then becomes, “Do we as followers truly want to serve a God who gives our sinful hearts all that we desire or all that the majority wants?” Thinking critically, would following or serving a God that goes only with the majority be worthy of such praise and adoration when the majority could, in essence, go against God’s standards? Where is the holiness in that line of thinking? One can only conclude, that God is not a pollster God.

“God is not a pollster. God is supremely wise. (Agnew)

One of the most important attributes of God is His wisdom. In comparison to God’s omniscience, God’s wisdom is different. “ God’s omniscience teaches that he knows all things; God’s wisdom teaches that he knows all the wise things to do.” (Agnew)  Therefore, God always knows the wisest things to do. Travis Agnew writes, “The wisdom of God means that only God knows how to come to the best destination by the best path at the best time.” Moreover, God is the wisest in all things. In fact, “God will never find a discipline in which he is not the wisest expert there is.” (Agnew)

“God will never find a discipline in which he is not the wisest expert there is. (Agnew)

He is the expert in all things. In fact, He is wise in all things and perfect in all matters of life. “For us, hindsight is 20/20, but for God, foresight is 20/20…His wisdom guarantees that even his timing and manner are ever impeccable…His understanding is infinite and without limitations. “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure (Ps. 147:5).” (Agnew)

Practically, God’s wisdom is available to His followers. As believers, we have access to God’s Word and can apply it to our lives. Furthermore, God “expects us to live out his principles in our lives. The infinite wisdom of God is meant to be transferred to our finite decisions today.” (Agnew)  His wisdom helps us make wise choices. Travis Agnew states, “God’s wisdom provides the needed discernment for our lives.” We need His wisdom and His Word to inform us on how to follow His principles and guidelines for our lives. Without it, we would be utterly lost.

Reflective Questions

1. Will we rely on Him and seek His wisdom?
2. Are you seeking God’s wisdom? If so, how?
3. What has God revealed to you in Scripture in regard to His wisdom?

Resources

Wiki God: The Dangerous Editable Deity by Travis Agnew

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