Divine Hiddenness
If God exists and wants a relationship with us, why is he not more obvious?
How to use this guide
This guide is built for a 45-60 minute small-group conversation about "Divine Hiddenness." Open with prayer, read the framing aloud, and use the questions below to surface what people actually think before you walk through the case. Aim for honest engagement over consensus.
Facilitator tips
- Read the lesson before the meeting; you do not need to be an expert, just a guide.
- Resist the urge to fill silence. The best discussions follow long pauses.
- When someone raises an objection you cannot answer, write it down and follow up next week.
- Close with a single takeaway from each member, not a doctrinal summary.
What we're studying
J.L. Schellenberg's hiddenness argument is one of the most powerful contemporary atheistic arguments. It asks why, if a loving God exists, there are sincere non-resistant non-believers. Christian responses range from skeptical theism to arguments that the "hiddenness" is itself strategic for the kind of relationship God wants.
The case in brief
Schellenberg (1993): (1) If a perfectly loving God exists, he would ensure that every sincere seeker is in a position to relate to him. (2) There are sincere non-resistant non-believers. (3) Therefore, a perfectly loving God does not exist. Responses: (a) Plausibly, many apparent non-resistant non-believers have subtle resistance they themselves do not see (Pascal). (b) God's hiddenness may serve the moral development and freedom of a free response — an overwhelming display would coerce. (c) Historically, God has not been silent: the prophets, the incarnation, the resurrection are public, not hidden, revelation. (d) Christian tradition (Ps 42, Job, dark-night mystics) acknowledges God's apparent hiddenness without denying his reality.
What if someone says...
"This is dismissive of genuine seekers who remain unconvinced."
Not dismissive — but honest about the layered nature of belief. Many who think they are fully non-resistant discover, on reflection, deeper commitments they were not fully aware of.
"God could reveal himself strongly without coercing."
Perhaps — but the threshold between strong and coercive is elusive. And Christian belief points to a God who has done something very public (the resurrection) to balance hiddenness.
Discussion questions
- Have you experienced God as hidden at times?
- What role does human freedom play in the kind of revelation God offers?
- How does the resurrection affect the hiddenness question?
- [Small group] Where in your own life does this question feel most pressing?
- [Small group] Who do you know that wrestles with this — and how could you talk with them about it this week?
Going deeper
- Warranted Christian BeliefAlvin Plantinga · 2000 · Religious epistemology
- The Problem of PainC.S. Lewis · 1940 · Problem of evil
- Reasonable FaithWilliam Lane Craig · 2008 (3rd ed.) · Natural theology