Rev. Dr. Matthew Shear’s presentation explores the long‑standing divide between those who believe in God and those who do not, beginning with the observation that people often mean very different things when they use the word God. As he notes, when asked whether he believes in God, he responds, “Tell me what you mean by God,” because most people describe not a biblical figure but “a spirit or a presence, something outside of and greater than themselves.” This divide, he argues, is no longer just theological but increasingly political, shaping how people perceive one another across social and ideological lines.

To illuminate the complexity of the God–No‑God question, Shear draws on cultural and literary references. He reflects on the song “From a Distance,” which evokes what transcendentalist Theodore Parker called ...