Divine Map App

Where do your beliefs fall within the 15 theological concepts in our Divine Map App?

Answer our 8 questions for a rough idea of your theological position on our map. We have placed the 15 faith concepts in distinct positions on two axes: Personal ↔ Abstract and Transcendent ↔ Immanent.

Don’t worry, there is a tab defining the terms and definitions. Take a look before answering the questions. At the end of the questions, give your initials so you can be placed on the map.

Question 1 of 8

Group Roster

InitialsQuadrant
No one has placed themselves yet — take the questionnaire!
Everyone can answer on their own phone: each dot is saved to a shared spreadsheet, so the map builds up across devices and is still here next week. Tap Refresh to pull in the newest answers. Hide removes a dot from this screen only. Start New Group asks the leader for a passphrase, saves the current group to its own dated tab in the spreadsheet, then clears the live map for everyone.

The Two Axes

The map has no better or worse corners. It has two questions running at right angles to each other: what kind of thing the divine is, and where it is.

Vertical axis — top

Transcendent

From the Latin transcendere, to climb across or go beyond. The sacred is beyond the ordinary world — other than it, above it, not contained by it. Creation is not the same as its Creator.

Sounds like: “God is holy, wholly other, not to be confused with anything made.”

Vertical axis — bottom

Immanent

From the Latin immanere, to dwell within. The sacred is here — indwelling this world, present in matter, bodies, soil, breath, and ordinary encounters. Not far off, and not waiting elsewhere.

Sounds like: “The holy is in this room, in this forest, in this face.”

Horizontal axis — left

Personal

The divine has something like personhood: it wills, relates, addresses, and can be addressed back. You can speak to it and be known by it. Prayer makes sense as conversation.

Sounds like: “Thou.”

Horizontal axis — right

Abstract

The divine is more principle than person — a ground, a force, a depth, an ultimate condition. Not a someone with intentions toward you. Prayer becomes attunement rather than conversation.

Sounds like: “the ground of being,” “that than which nothing greater,” “the Tao.”

The two axes are independent, which is why there are four corners rather than a single line from religious to secular. A personal and immanent God (the holy in the neighbor) is a different position from a personal and transcendent one (the holy on the throne) — and both differ from abstract immanence, where the sacred is the world's own depth.

The Fifteen Positions on the Map

Short working definitions. Each is a family of views rather than one fixed doctrine, and thoughtful people inside each tradition disagree about the details.

These are placed by their dominant emphasis, not by the whole of any tradition. Most living faiths hold transcendence and immanence together and would resist being pinned to one dot — Christianity, for instance, claims both a God beyond the world and a God who took on flesh within it. Treat the placements as conversation starters your group is free to argue with.

Self-Placement Slide (Google Slides / PowerPoint)

For groups who'd rather do this visually and by hand — no scoring, no login. Everyone drags their own initials chip directly onto the map on one shared slide.

The downloaded slide already includes the quadrant map as its background — no extra setup needed.
  1. Download the file below, then upload it to Google Drive and open with Google Slides (or open directly in PowerPoint).
  2. Share the Slides link with your group and set permission to "Editor" so everyone can drag their chip.
  3. Each person double-clicks their assigned colored chip in the bottom tray, types their initials, and drags it to their spot on the map.
  4. Project the slide on a screen during your session so the group can watch placements happen live.
Best for groups of 15 or fewer editing one at a time or in turn — simultaneous drags from many people at once can overlap or conflict, since Slides has no built-in scoring or collision handling.

Which version should we use?

Questionnaire (this app)Slides file
Placement calculated from answersPlaced by feel, by hand
Works on phones, no installNeeds Google/PowerPoint access
Shared map, saved to a spreadsheetManual, one-at-a-time editing
CSV export built inScreenshot the slide to save results