The nature of God
Theism and incarnation
The core of human personality has often been thought to be human moral existence, and, accordingly, theists have often taken this fact to be the main clue to the way they are to think of divine perfection and to the recognition of a peculiar divine involvement in the world. Prominence is thus accorded to the high ethical teaching and character of saints and prophets, who have a special role to play in transmitting the divine message. In some religions this tendency culminates in doctrines of incarnation, of God manifesting himself expressly in refined or perfected human form. This trend is peculiarly marked in the Christian religion, in which the claim is usually made that a unique and “once for all” incarnation of God has occurred in Jesus Christ. Islam, on the other hand, centres on a transcendent personal deity yet envisions the holiness and majesty of God in such a way that it rejects incarnational doctrines as a form of blasphemy. However, it sometimes represents actions by a human individual as the action of God within him. This identification of humanity with God is most evident in the mysticism of the Sufis, yet in its devotional and emotional dimensions it also accords with theism.
Incarnational claims seem certainly to take their place easily in some main forms of theism. The vindication of such claims, however, relies much on consideration of the personal factor in religion generally. For these and related reasons, the theist may find himself calling to his aid certain other disciplines that centre upon the person, such as psychology and anthropology. Not all of the forms and findings of these studies favour the theist, and he should take special note of their challenge when they seem hostile, for they may touch him at his tenderest spot. He may, on the other hand, find in such studies, and certain general literature that borders on kindred themes, substantial help in reconstructing his case in the full context of contemporary thought and culture.