Comparative Essay: Exploring God and Fatherhood in McClung's Book

This essay delves into Floyd McClung's 'The Father Heart of God,' exploring the parallels between God and earthly fathers. It examines themes of love, consolation, teaching, and sacrifice, highlighting how both God and fathers provide emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical support. The analysis considers both the positive and negative aspects of fatherhood, acknowledging that negative experiences can hinder one's ability to perceive God as a loving father. The essay further reflects on the author's personal understanding of fatherhood and its connection to the divine, emphasizing the importance of cherishing and learning from fathers to create a legacy of love and spiritual growth. The essay concludes that a father's love is a conduit for divine spirit, passed down through generations, transforming lives and mirroring the heart of God, and encourages respect for both father and God, recognizing their equal importance in guiding and nurturing individuals.

Running head: ESSAY
Father and God
Name of the Student
Name of the Unibversity
Author’s Note

1ESSAY
Description
Floyd in his book tried to relate the character of god with something more mortal state
that is our own father. By asking his followers to find the heavenly father in him, Jesus tried to
represent the role of god as the father. The book represents multiple dimensions of father.
Several themes of father are highlighted in this work of McClung out of which the important
ones are reflected in this study. The role of a father and god is compared and stated similar
(McClung, 2004). The readers can find in the love they have for their children. The children
receives every support from them to fulfil the emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical needs.
The book also represents the god as the father of every living being and has enough love to share
with all of his children. It is just like a mortal father, who loves each one of his children and
treats each equally (Dau, 2013). Another theme of the book upholds the friendly nature of father
and compares it with god. Human seeks consolation from god. Father, on the other hand provides
similar consolation and easily befriend with their children. A father always rectifies his for
performing wrong did, which is quite similar to the role of god, from whom human seeks
salvation (Keller, 2011). Both god and father plays the role of a teacher where they both corrects
their children if they do something wrong. They show their compassion for their children and
help their children in getting back to the right course to save them form misfortune (Porteous,
2011). Our father gives his last sweat in the course of making our life comfortable no matter how
grownup we are. His passionate care for us is comparable to the one of god as we believe in god
and hope for his blessings for living a comfortable life. The book also reflects the negatives of a
father that makes it hard for children to compare god with their own father. For instance, the
denial of the fatherhood or negligence or even misbehave represented by some leads to the
children affected and to loose faith form their own father. The image they create of their father is

2ESSAY
something they hate instead of cherishing it. However, these wounded childhood experiences are
not the only things that blocks the person from understanding god as their father. A number of
people feel mental block as per McClung’s word as they do not know god personally. Believing
in god and knowing him personally is something different which restrict them from comparing
god as father. However, the love of god is unconditional for his children. The only thing he seeks
is the truth in his children’s heart, as any father seeks from their children. However, some fathers
creates condition for his children to love him. It is solely for the betterment of his children and
help them in getting success in their lives (Dau, 2013). Both god and father have different
approach in teaching us the rules of our lives and the way for getting success. However, both of
them desires to see their children to succeed in their lives.
Analysis
McClung in his book “The Father Heart of God” gives light on the heart of the god and
compares with the one of our mortal father and vise versa. The almighty has provided us an
opportunity to born, grow, and live on the face of earth (Rizzuto, 2011). The nature of god as
mentioned in the bible is highlighted with kind, merciful, caring, compassionate, gracious, and
powerful. McClung compared these nature or characteristics seen in god with the one of a father.
Father also holds the same characteristics, which he reflects with his emotions live love and care
for his children. We are provided with the freedom of choice. A choice of responding to his love.
We find love from the god in the form of blessing and we seek his assistance with emotional,
mental, and spiritual needs (Dau, 2013). We seek salvation for overcoming these distress and
address god for showing us the way out of the misery. The reality of life is brought forwarded by
the author by comparing the heart of a god and a father. God provides us guidance and instructs
us to maintain a proper path for gaining success within the limits of truth. He also protects and

3ESSAY
saves his fellow children from miserable pain in the world. This is completely similar to the
father who always protects his children and saves them from any harm in the world. He also
guides them when required and communicates the way of life to the children. McClung
portrayed the real world and compared it with the heavenly father for understanding the
signification of father through the understanding of god. The god seeks his children to be happy
and live a peaceful life while collaborating and cooperating with their brothers and sisters as a
father does. He also corrects his children when required that we see in a father. Every failure is a
lesson for the children as the god forgives the mistakes and shows him the way to learn from his
mistakes. The hope of bringing good this in life keeps motivated and makes them stronger to live
a peaceful life. God’s kindness and mercy leads an individual out of the evil path. The god
provides the comfort in difficult times (Miller, 2011). This type of comfort is available in the
mortal world and the father is the sole provider of that comfort and knowledge. Only the heart of
the father is similar to the heart of the god, which provides their children kindness, everlasting
love, and forgiveness (McNeal, 2011). The heart of a father and the god seeks to defend their
children from harm and loves to protect children. They transmits only the good things into their
children. He is like a huge umbrella that provides us shelter and joy. He struggles for providing
the happiness of the children that they deserve. The bible reflects god as almighty with all the
powers in the world, which he uses in loving and protecting us as out father does. Hence, one
should respect his father and god and treat them equally to provide them equal opportunity to
grow in the same environment (Lewis, 2011). Everyone equal in the eyes of god and give the
statement of justice with is free from biasness. Father like god treats his children equally and
same rule applies for all his children. People in mortal world are often diverted from their path

4ESSAY
and the god is the one to show the right path. Father is the direct reflection of god and plays the
part of gods role in a smaller scale as the society starts from the family (Rizzuto, 2011).
Reflection
This book helps in understand the meaning of father and god and enabling one to become
a father with a golden heart as I inspired me in the process of learning. It taught me the actual
nature and duties that a father should follow and reflect the same for his children and family. My
understanding form the book enrich my knowledge about the roles and responsibilities a father
should carry. The god send us in this world as vulnerable children that needs protection from
someone stronger. It is to ensure the bonding of a father and son. It is to enable the child to find
god within the father, who plays similar role in protecting his children in the mortal world. It is
impossible for god to resolve every problem at the same time, which gave him the idea to create
father for carrying out his share pf responsibility. Hence, I think god has created farther with the
responsibility to ensure the balance in the society by protecting his family and give it direction.
This also helps me in understanding the challenges faced by a father being a true representative
of the god. It further provides the explanations on the types of hurdles faced during the provision
of the poor testimony and the specific actions that describes father as the representative of god.
The book also help in understanding the nature of golden heart that is according to me the part
presence of god in this mortal world (Rizzuto, 2011). The book contribute in determining the
intimacy created with understanding the solution. It created better understanding in me about the
true nature of a father’s heart. It cleared my imagination about the role and responsibilities of a
father, which helped me relating the heat of a father with the one of the god. It enlightened my
heart as it enabled me to understand the special role played by the father that provides me with a
solution for differentiating the god and father. I now believe the love is brought into the world

5ESSAY
through the heart of a father, which helps in passing the spirit from generation after generation,
as the child becomes a father and passes it to his child who will eventually become a father
himself. I now understand the holy blessing does not come into automatically comes into a father
but needs to be created. The fatherhood is something that needs to be cherished and learned from
the father. It is a transformational process needs to be passed through generation that glorifies the
heart making it worthy to be presented and compared with the god. According to me, it provides
the pure and true presentation of the heart of the god. A father transforms and glorifies the lives
as the Holy Spirit helping it to encounter the sin deeds.

6ESSAY
References
Dau, D. (2013). Touching God: Hopkins and Love. Anthem Press.
Keller, T. (2011). The Prodigal God. Penguin Books.
Lewis, R. (2011). Raising a modern-day knight: A father's role in guiding his son to authentic
manhood. Tyndale House Publishers, Inc..
McClung, F. (2004). The father heart of God. Harvest House Publishers.
McNeal, R. (2011). A work of heart: Understanding how God shapes spiritual leaders (Vol. 60).
John Wiley & Sons.
Miller, R. W. (2011). The Heart of Light: God as Mystery. New Blackfriars, 92(1039), 358-376.
Porteous, J. (2011). After the heart of God. Lanham, Md.: Taylor Trade Publishing
Rizzuto, A. M. (2011). The birth of the living God: A psychoanalytic study. University of
Chicago Press.