The mere fact that people like Jack find it intuitively possible to have invisible companions who talk back to them supports the claim that the idea of an invisible agent is basic to our psyche. But Jack\u2019s story also makes it clear that experiencing an invisible companion as truly present \u201d\u201d especially as an adult \u201d\u201d takes work: constant concentration, a state that resembles prayer.<\/p>\n
It may seem paradoxical, but this very difficulty may be why evangelical churches emphasize a personal, intimate God. While the idea of God may be intuitively plausible \u201d\u201d just as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are atheists who have prayed for parking spots \u201d\u201d belief can be brittle. Indeed, churches that rely on a relatively impersonal God (like mainstream Protestant denominations) have seen their congregations dwindle over the last 50 years.<\/p>\n
To experience God as walking by your side, in conversation with you, is hard. Evangelical pastors often preach as if they are teaching people how to keep God constantly in mind, because it is so easy not to pray, to let God\u2019s presence slip away. But when it works, people experience God as alive.<\/p>\n