fretheim defends his thesis by claiming that "metaphors matter" and appealing to biblical images of an immanent deity. for him, the most significant metaphors for god in the old testament are anthropomorphic. if man is created in the image of god, he argues, then we have "permission to reverse the process and, by looking at the human, learn what god is like" (p. 11). the human metaphor is presented as the dominant expression of god's nature and character. the author says that many aspects of humanity are not appropriate for describing god. sexuality, death, sinfulness, etc. are aspects of human nature that should not be ascribed to god. these "ungodly" aspects of humanity have moved some christians to dismiss anthropomorphic descriptions of god out of hand, but fretheim argues that the human metaphor is so pervasive and appropriate that it acts as a sort of guide, directing the reader as to the proper way to understand all non-human metaphors.