ABSTRACT
An ancient and provocative Chinese expression of well-wishing suggests that one is fortunate to live in interesting times. What makes this expression provocative is that it leaves people on their own to work out what counts as "interesting". The problem, of course, was that it was pure fantasy, and anyone bothering to give it a few moments of serious thought would know this. But thinking seriously about God can be distressing. It remains to say something about the place of worship in connection with the theme of God and Creation. All religious naturalists are united by a reverence for nature, but they are not united by any distinctive patterns for expressing their reverence. At the core of Norwegian Lutheran piety is the unromantic doctrine that humanity is essentially corrupt. Human beings are sinful creatures by their origins: conceived in sin, born into sin and destined to live sinful lives.
