You Cannot Put God in a Box
In this episode of Day1, Rev. Mark Birch, Canon Rector of Westminster Abbey, joins host Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime to reflect on the tension between human effort and divine grace. Birch, who has ministered at the historic Abbey during events like the Coronation of King Charles III, brings a rich perspective shaped by both tradition and personal faith.
This conversation clip delves into the idea that while science depends on control and repeatability, faith cannot be reduced to formulas. Rev. Birch reminds us that “you just cannot put God into a box.” Together, they highlight the importance of faithful stewardship that acknowledges human responsibility but ultimately rests on God’s grace. For those interested in exploring the dialogue between science and religion, this clip offers a good entry point.
Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
I'm so struck in thinking about what it is. We, as humans, are called to steward. How you note that it's beyond our manipulation. That as much as we lash ourselves to the mast when it comes to success or failure, or how we're going to do it. And it doesn't mean we shouldn't make every effort to do the hard work of stewardship. But there is a piece where it's for the grace of God.
It doesn't relinquish our responsibility, but it is so important to factor that piece in.
Rev. Mark Birch
Yup. I made reference in the sermon to Darwin, who would say (His body rests in the Abbey.) And that whole scientific approach to the world (And please don't hear me suggesting that science is in any way a bad thing. I don't feel that at all.)
It's essential to science that you can manipulate something. Science relies on something that you control and manipulate and test and repeat, and that's a really, really important method. It doesn't work with God.
Rev. Dr. Katie Givens Kime
Controlled studies don't work so well.
Rev. Mark Birch
You just cannot put God into a box. And when you do, when you try to, when you want to make everything fit your own kind of theories about God. Then I think we get into terrible, terrible trouble.
This short exchange highlights a tension many of us feel in our spiritual lives: the desire to control outcomes versus the call to trust God’s grace. In a culture that prizes metrics, formulas, and guarantees, Rev. Birch reminds us that the life of faith resists easy measurement. God’s work in the world is not bound by our systems.
For preachers, this reflection encourages a fresh perspective on stewardship—less about achieving predictable results, more about cultivating openness to God’s mysterious action. For theology educators, it underscores the importance of holding space for paradox: affirming science’s role while insisting faith operates in a different register. For all Christians, it is an invitation to release our grip. Let go. Let God.
Reflect on these questions:
- Where am I tempted to measure faith by success or failure?
- How do I balance responsibility with trust in God’s grace?
- What practices help me resist the urge to “box in” God’s work?
Explore Rev. Mark Birch’s full sermon from Episode 4202 >>>