ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 discusses agency and how various scholars have described the agency of the supernatural or divine in its relationship with humankind. The importance of agency in language is first discussed as it relates to social power and control. Different figurative and literal depictions of agency are then discussed, particularly in relation to how the action of the divine in the physical world can be understood in literal ways. Finally, different levels of agency are considered in relation to religious language, specifically looking at how the framing of the actions of humans and supernatural entities reveal important elements of belief and doctrine.
