Page |124 parent from within the field of variously out of sight and mind, drops out of operative forces or influences on one’s Christian consideration for most intents life, and for that reason the Christian and purposes, most of the time. Such a need neither fear God’s loss nor rue God has little to offer as a “para-social” God’s absence as one would such a entity, as a factor fomenting or parent’s. Unlike relations with human supplementing a sense of social others, which are situation-sensitive and connection. thereby susceptible to change of Ta the back of thelr atade character, Tupture, and decline, God, Christians may believe that God is the Christians believe, is with one, whatever source of everything, but they may not happens, in exactly the SANIE Papacity-— feel compelled to consider that fact as the SIGS & ng sustaer ot whatever actively in the course of their everyday it is that remattis good alisut ene's His, lives. God hides behind, so to speak, all be that enly at a minimum atte bate fait the creaturely influences that God is that one continues to live. The Christian working through, which become matters who believes God is his or her creator is , 4 a8 : : of primary Christian preoccupation. At therefore confident that God continues to the center of attention are all the work for his or her ultimate good, that . . . . . . . ordinary influences and connections with God is engaged 0 the effort to mecTease one’s natural and human environments; It inane Hs sepa tas nah preoccupation with them pushes out of atte suggesting the woncany, absent, that focal awareness the fact of God as the is, almost any confirming evidence. ultimate source of them all. Apart from The Problem of Inattention specifically religious obligations—say, Although invisibility and thie eleamsunil 2 Bie Grail haere eat praise at times of worship—cChristians apparent absence do not pose the same : . . problem here as they do when God is who believe God is their creator would 3 fet . .