Ambivalent Quote by David Plotz
“God is erratic, sometimes vindictive, sometimes merciful. The people I was taught were heroes - Jacob or Moses or David - were ambivalent figures, or worse. But that messiness was joyful, and challenging. I loved having a Bible that I could argue with.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Podcast “The Ezra Klein Show”, 2022
Explores the unpredictable nature of God and biblical heroes, finding joy in a Bible that invites questioning.
In simple terms: God and heroes are complex and contradictory.
Key Takeaway
Question and engage with faith texts.
Themes
faith
complexity
joy
Mood
contemplative
hopeful
Type
theological
personal
When to use this quote
- spiritual study
- religious discussion
- personal reflection
Key Concepts
theology
personal belief
Questions to Reflect On
- What does a questioning faith look like?
- How do contradictions shape spiritual growth?
A Different Perspective
May conflict with doctrinal certainty.
![“The greatness of our God lies in the fact that [He] is both tough minded and tender hearted. ... [God] expresses [His] tough mindedness in [His] justice and wrath and [His] tenderheartedness in [His] love and grace. ... On the one hand, God is a God of justice who punished Israel for her wayward…” quote by Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8df/martin-luther-king-jr-2-1523_god_the-greatness-of-our-god-lies-in-the-fac_549073.jpg)
![“I do think students in public school (and private) should be required to study the Bible. [...] As a matter of pure education, it's shocking that we [the americans] are not compelled to learn the book, which is the source of our language, our common stories, our political structure, our conflicts.” quote by David Plotz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b04/david-plotz-14341_bible_i-do-think-students-in-public-school-and_134953.jpg)
![“I should say, the one thing you run into is, if you're trying to raise a round you have to decide, well, how much money are you trying to raise? And then you have to justify that to your investors, because they want to know why you [are] raising that much? Why aren't you raising either twice as…” quote by David Plotz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a84/david-plotz-14341_half_i-should-say-the-one-thing-you-run-into_586777.jpg)
![“When you 'make good,' you find out who your real friends are. You find out pretty quick. And it's a very ambivalent feeling, because you're, like, happy you found out that people are [jerkfaces], but you're kinda sad because you think, 'Wow, I wasted so much time being this person's friend.'” quote by Greg Camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7ab/greg-camp-64349_ambivalent_when-you-make-good-you-find-out-who-your_126934.jpg)
