Who is God?
God is, in the most general sense, the unity and oneness which humans strive towards. As Anderson points out, this notion is not limited to monotheism. Polytheism and atheism also agree that the “absolute” is united and unique, though each differs in the belief of the manner in which humans and the absolute are in relation. For polytheism, there is one Being that stands behind a multiplicity of Gods, and for atheism, all being is united in that it is matter. Humans, by our very nature, strive for a being-in-relation with an absolute, and that absolute is God.
From the reading in Exodus and Anderson, God is established as “I am who I am.” Although this can seem almost like a refusal to answer and reveal His identity, it is in fact much more profound. By using the verb “to be,” God then becomes not something that can be pinned down with an encompassing name, so to speak, but more of a concept that is not to be defined explicitly. Further, as Anderson explains, the word “am” functions as a negative theology by “[cancelling] out the significance of the name as a name…. It dissolves the name into mystert, so that the familiarity and unfamiliarity of God, concealment and revelation, are indicated simultaneously” (128).
The “El” in Isra-el tells us that God is a personal god, that is, “He is not anywhere in particular; he is to be found at any place where man is and where man lets himself be found by him” (123). In this way, God is established by His relationship with us, His creation, which makes sense given that humans are inherently social animals. Further, the “being” of God is not left at just “being,” but it instead is a “Being for” (129). God unmistakenly establishes himself in loving relationship with us, and this is brought to fruition in the person of Jesus. Thus, the name “I am” becomes a person, and further, He becomes one of us, “standing in coexistence with us” (135).
Kelsey's Foundations of Theology Responses 
It is interesting to see the impact of God’s name on humans as a whole. We are lifted into relationship and communion with him, and with each other. I agree that humans are inherently social animals, and I see that this can partly be because of God’s relationship with us, one that he created through a name.
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I also found it interesting that polytheism has characteristics of monotheism; for instance, among many gods there is usually one being that is more powerful than the rest. This points towards humans’ natural tendencies to discover and come to know the one supreme ruler of the world, God. I also liked how you stated that God’s name implies that He is a personal God, found in any place man is. This is a very comforting feeling because it suggests that we are never truly alone and God is always with us.
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I like how you went through both Exodus and the assigned article. I think the way you focused God as personal is essential to understanding Judeo-Christian life. Without a person God who cares about us, our belief system would crumble.
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