God is defined by looking at Jesus, Dr Adam Dodds asserts.
''For us Germans the toilet is a functional instrument, but for you, the basis of an entire culture.''
So said the German protagonist to his British counterpart on an episode of Blackadder.
While some Britons would enjoy such banter, others might find the tongue-in-cheek summary of British culture rather distasteful.
Such generalisations are usually unhelpful, dismissive, and reveal prejudice (meaning to pre-judge).
Nonetheless, prejudices of all kinds proliferate, and though often unspoken and subconsciously held, they exert enormous influence over human thinking.
Indeed, prejudices arguably exert more influence in those who do not realise that they have them.
As we approach Christmas, Aotearoa will stop to celebrate the God of the universe entering into that universe as a baby.
Of course, our nation will stop and celebrate, but for many, perhaps a majority, it will not be to celebrate Jesus - God with us.
One 2010 British survey found 51% of respondents agreed with the statement: ''The birth of Jesus is irrelevant to my Christmas.''
I have found among Kiwis the irrelevance of Christian faith to ''real life'' is increasingly assumed, and the God who introduced Himself in Christ rejected, all based on a pre-judgement. In other words, it is not a studied rejection but an assumed irrelevance.
At a certain Oxford college at the start of the academic year, the college chaplain, a Christian minister, would meet the incoming students. Each year some students would, appearing slightly embarrassed, say, ''Chaplain, you won't be seeing much of me this year.''
On inquiring why this was the case, the student would reply, ''Because I don't believe in god.''
Over time the chaplain developed a standard reply for such occasions: ''Oh. Which god don't you believe in?''
Those students who thought of an answer would often reply along the following lines: ''I can't believe in a god who causes wars, is too removed to care, spoils our fun, and allows terrible suffering down here while he remains up there and does nothing.''
To the students' surprise, the chaplain would then reply, ''I don't believe in such a god either.''
If the students' description of god is accurate, then I understand why many people have rejected such a god. If you don't believe in god, which god don't you believe in?
Historically, speculation about the nature of God is rife, and the range of answers offered reveals different, interesting and mutually contradictory conceptions.
Perhaps God, the real God, rather than a god which is the product of human conjecture or projection, knew how confused humanity had become.
Rather than allowing us to squabble over our rival projections or be mired down in confusion, God came and introduced Godself, in person.
The aforementioned chaplain, Prof N.
T Wright, says, ''The Christian message is not that we know who God is and then we fit Jesus into that. But that we don't really know who God is until we discover who Jesus was and is.''
Into this world of confusion steps Jesus, not resplendent in glory, but in nappies (in the days before disposables).
And from the cradle to the grave, from Christmas to Easter, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (in the Bible) describe the life of this God-man.
I have been married long enough to know that communication can be a hazardous undertaking, and in our digital age we are acutely aware that the best communication is done in person.
And so God came, in person, into our world.
In Jesus, God has shown He is not too removed to care; Jesus is Emmanuel - literally God with us. Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies.
His first miracle was to produce gallons of wine at a wedding celebration (almost irresponsibly).
His whole life, and death, was about alleviating suffering and dealing with the root cause of all human suffering in order to redirect the world back on to its original trajectory.
It appears that Jesus also did not believe in the god the students described.
Jesus was incredibly attractive - to Him crowds flocked, outcasts felt safe, children were welcomed, and religious teachers became students again.
The poor were fed, the condemned were embraced, the guilty were forgiven, the hypocrites were challenged, and the sick were healed.
Jesus still does this today.
The most read, most stolen and most famous book in history describes Jesus as the desire of the nations.
He is what every heart longs for, what every human spirit thirsts for.
I am convinced most people who reject God or who assume God is irrelevant are actually rejecting a false projection of God, something the Bible calls an idol. But isn't it fair to let God define who and what God is like?
The Christian claim is God has done this in Jesus, beginning at Christmas.
Christmas is the beginning of a whole new adventure.
The Christian life, following Jesus as leader, rescuer, and friend, is about living out that adventure.
If you pardon my prematurity, Happy Christmas!Dr Adam Dodds is senior pastor, Elim Church, Dunedin.
