Response to "Whatever Gods May Be" by Kody

            “Whatever Gods May Be” is a really powerful story about a small-town family and their religious journey. Thomas Abrams and his wife Bethany are deeply involved in the community church, and Thomas takes on the new role as the pastor. At first, it is a new profession that he enters with anxiety, but after awhile he gains confidence and falls in love with the pastoral duty. Complications start when Thomas finds out his wife is pregnant with a boy. He goes to Scripture for encouragement, but instead finds himself becoming increasingly doubtful and uncertain. The passage that particularly troubles him is the one in which Abraham is instructed by God to kill his son Isaac. His doubts only grow stronger, and the story ends with Thomas renouncing his position as minister, his wife remaining faithful by his side, and the birth of the son they name “Thomas” after both the father and the doubting Thomas of the New Testament.

            I loved this story, and I thought the atmosphere of it was very accurate to the small town it described. I could really see the shocked faces in the congregation and the elusive eyes after the service when Thomas told the ambiguous story of the apostle Thomas and later renounced his pastoral duty. I could also visualize the scene where Thomas comes home to a fried chicken dinner, before finding out the news that Bethany is pregnant; I also really like the description of their celebration at this news. I also thought the counseling meetings between Thomas and Russell and between Thomas and Bert Jenkins were also realistic and true to how such a pastoral meeting would actually transpire.

            There are a few characters that I would like to see more in the story. The Johnsons, for example seem vital to the story, as it is the grandmother Mrs. Johnson that gives Thomas the advice to follow his soul; I don’t feel like I know these people intimately enough. The same goes for Bert Jenkins and even Bethany. I think that realistically, Bethany would be a bit more hesitant at her husband’s decision to renounce his faith. I’d like to see this conflict fledged out more.