Ever seen that bumper sticker, “God is my co-pilot”?

Heard that song, “Jesus, take the wheel”?

I totally get the sentiments behind that kind of thing, but over the summer I’ve been really troubled by the underlying, unspoken ideas that go along with those sorts of sayings and sentiments.

The reason why is because the Bible teaches that God created humanity to represent him and rule over the non-human creation. God’s desire is not to control us, but to save us and shape us so we can join the divine mission.