Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed -- A Review
PROCESS
THEOLOGY: A Guide for the Perplexed. New York:
T&T Clark, 2011. Ix +177
pages.
Christianity
is one of the more complex faith traditions, with its embrace of doctrines such
as the Trinity and the divinity of Christ, so even on a good day enquirers can
be left perplexed. Process Theology,
which takes much of its inspiration from the philosophical musings of a British
mathematician/physicist, can leave even those acquainted with and comfortable
with basic Christian doctrines perplexed and confused. Thus, a primer that would translate and
explain for the uninitiated the intricacies of this theological system is most
welcome. This is especially true at a
time when many Christians are looking for a system that makes sense of the
world of the 21st century, especially concerning the relationship of
faith and science. Although many people
continue to embrace premodern religious beliefs, many others find these
beliefs, especially relating to a divine being that supernaturally sweeps in
and adjusts things from outside the universe to be incompatible with reality as
they know it. Of course, it’s not only
science that poses challenges; it’s the problem of evil as well. Process Theology, with its sense of openness to
the future and its rejection of an all powerful divinity seems to offer a more
compelling vision – if only we understood the vocabulary!
In this book Bruce
Epperly, himself a Process Theologian who studied at one of the leading centers
of Process Theology (Claremont), but who also writes with a pastor’s heart, provides
us with a primer that seeks to translate and explain the ideas and vocabulary
that form Process Theology. One of the
reasons why this system is both controversial and difficult to understand is
that it starts with a modern philosophical system that challenges traditional
ways of seeing the world and the divine.
It is a system that is rooted in the thought of a scientist/mathematician
who chose to wrestle with the relationship of faith and science, seeing them
not as irreconcilable enemies, but as conversation partners. To do this, however, Alfred North Whitehead
didn’t privilege the biblical and theological traditions of historic
Christianity. He also rejected the Greek
philosophical systems that had served as the foundation for Christian
theologizing for centuries. His was a system
that asked of religion questions raised by the modern world, and for many of us
this has been not only challenging but off-putting. It’s not easy to let go of cherished
traditions. It’s also difficult to let
go of a belief in an all-powerful deity.
But, as Schleiermacher pointed out a century earlier, the questions
raised by modernity won’t go away.
The challenge posed by
Process Philosophy and Theology (and we might want to put theology in the
plural, for there are a variety of expressions, as Bruce notes in an early
chapter of the book) is the vocabulary.
To understand process thought you have to learn a new vocabulary, one
that is philosophically rooted. Words
like dipolar, panentheism, and prehension aren’t part of our normal vocabulary,
and yet their important to this system.
Bruce attempts to translate these terms, but he does say that many
Process thinkers insist that this system is unique enough that it needs a
different vocabulary to distinguish itself from other systems.
One could say that Process
Theology isn’t one of the most user-friendly theological schools on the market,
but Epperly believes that it holds out great hope for the church in this
modern/post-modern age. He believes that this is a system that speaks
to the moment in which we live, offering a vision of God that makes sense of
scientific challenges and moral questions and that speaks to those for whom traditional
models of faith no longer work. This
includes people living both inside and outside the confines of the Christian
faith.
Before
taking a look at the substance of Bruce’s introduction to process theology, I
should note that I have long been leery of Process Theology. I’ve found its vision of God to be less than
inspiring, perhaps because I grew up believing in an omnipotent and omniscient
God, who had the power to do whatever God chose to do. I understood why theologians such as John
Cobb were concerned about questions of theodicy (defense of God in the face of
the presence of evil in the world) and sought to find an answer to these
questions, but I found in their answers a diminishment of divine power. Over time, even if I didn’t become a devotee
of Process, I began to better appreciate their positions on such issues as
divine power, transcendence, and the belief that God does not change
(impassability). I suppose I still want
more transcendence than Process allows, but I find that it makes a lot more
sense of the world than I once thought. Therefore,
while I’m not ready to jump in with both feet, I have found much more to like
about this system, and want to better understand it. Therefore, I am very pleased that Bruce has
taken on this project.
One
of the reasons why Epperly became a Process theologian is that the conservative
evangelicalism of his youth no longer made sense. He shares that had he not discovered Process
theology he may have lost his faith, but upon discovering this theology while a
student at San Jose State University, he found the key to making sense of the
scientific challenges to Christianity as well as questions raised by the
persistence of evil in the world. He was
attracted both by its rationality and the way it lent itself to mysticism. Process theology, which took on a salvific
purpose for Bruce, offered a vision of God and the world that sought “to
transform people’s lives by providing an insightful vision of reality that
enables persons to find meaning, inspiration and challenge” (p. 3).
Among the key elements
of process theology that make it attractive to the modern age is that it
presumes that God is present in and with the world. Although it affirms the doctrine of divine
transcendence, it puts its emphasis on God’s immanence in and with the world. The philosophical term that perhaps best
describes this theological vision is panentheism,
in which God is in the world and the world is in God. They are not one and the same as in pantheism
or monism, but God and the world are intimately related to one another. This appeals to many because God is not a
distant being who on occasion rushes in to set things right.
Another key element is
its view of the openness of the future.
Classical theism assumes that if God is perfect, God must know
everything, including what happens in the present and the future. This perspective often, though not always,
leads to rather deterministic understandings of human destiny. For process theology, the future is
open. God knows what God wants to do,
but God can’t determine the future, because God is dependent on our
choices. That is, God responds to our
choices. Now, God is always trying to
draw us toward what God deems to be the good, but since God doesn’t act
coercively, we have to follow God’s lead.
If we don’t, and often we don’t (that’s sin), then God must adapt. Such a theological vision, of course, is much
easier to integrate with evolutionary biology, but it does raise questions in
the minds of many about God’s power. Is
this the kind of God who we should deem worthy of our worship? On the
other hand, if God has all power so as to determine the future, then is this a
God worthy of our worship and service?
It might not surprise some that Bruce has in several different forums contrasted
the vision inherent in Process with that of Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life.
The
purpose of this rather brief book is to introduce the reader to process
theology, its primary proponents, beginning with Alfred North Whitehead and
Charles Hartshorne and taking us up to the present, introducing us to figures
such as Bernard Loomer, David Griffin, and John Cobb, and offer a rationale for
why the reader might want to consider adopting this theological system. He covers the primary theological areas, such
as the nature and purpose of God, Christology, the Holy Spirit and the Trinity,
the relationship of faith and science, ethics, the church, and the
afterlife. He concludes with a look at
the future of process theology, which he believes is bright.
As noted earlier, process
theology is rooted in the thought of Whitehead, and perhaps to a lesser extent
Charles Hartshorne. Standing at the core
of Whitehead’s understanding of reality is the relationship of two realities –
everything is in flux and yet there is permanence. It is in the relationship of these two
realities that he seeks to find God. What
he discovers is that this reality is dynamic and evolving and thus it allows
for creativity and for freedom – both for God and for the creation itself. This also allows for relationality in our
experience of the divine, for God works in partnership with the world – down to
the tiniest of cells, inviting all to live and change and create. There is, in process theology an absence of
unilateralism and coercion, which is why evil occurs. It is a negative expression of freedom. Although God is responsive and creative, that
doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have a sense of where God is going. Bruce speaks here of God’s initial aim, which
serves as the guiding principle. With
this initial aim in mind, God relates to us as an intimate companion and even
fellow sufferer.
If God is engaging us
at such an intimate level, one might wonder about the process Christology. Although there are a variety of positions on
the Christological question, it would be safe to say that process theologians
do not believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the one unique incarnation of the
divine, but the Christ is, in their mind, present in Jesus in a revelatory
manner, especially in his teachings and in his suffering on the cross. As for the Holy Spirit, this expression of
the divine is God’s intimate presence with us – God’s energy. The doctrine of the Trinity describes the
relationship of these three expressions of the divine, which he refers to as
the “dancing Trinity.” Process
theologians, he writes, envision the Trinity as “lively, moving,
interdependent, and intimate both within itself and within the world” (p.
81).
From this important
discussion of the nature of God, including the place of Christ and the Holy
Spirit, he moves to what he calls the “human adventure.” He suggests that process theology offers a
holistic vision of human existence, in which our experience of life is an open
and evolving reality. That is, we have
choices to make, and in this regard we can speak of sin, which he describes as
putting our own aims ahead of the aims of the planet, as well as holding on to
outworn traditions that cause us to turn away from God’s creative work of
transformation. There is, however, the
presence of grace that seeks to invite us back into relationship so as to
experience transformation.
One of the reasons why
process theology is compelling to so many is that it has offered a response to
the challenges of science. Because of
its vision of openness of the future, it is very compatible with evolutionary
biology and even geology. Part of the
reason for this coherence is that the font from which this theology emerged was
a physicist/mathematician. If the
science/theology question is ameliorated to a great extent by process theology,
the issue of ethics might prove even more challenging. As Bruce notes, the ethical vision of process
theologians is not absolutist. It is,
one could say, relativist in many ways. Thus,
one won’t find a command ethic – do this or do that. Instead, ethics emerge out of basic
principles such as the importance of relationships, the universality of
experience, and God’s vision of reality, which seeks as its aim the pursuit of
beauty or wholeness. Thus, the basic
ethical question is – do our actions contribute to beauty? If it addresses these important questions,
Bruce confesses that one area that to which Process has given little attention
is the question of survival after death.
He notes that many Process theologians and their adherents have found
this question to be distracting to larger concerns, and yet it persists, which
requires, Bruce admits, that attention be given it.
Process Theology is
modern and liberal and seeks to address modern questions. If it is to be of use it will need to be
understood, and Bruce has given us an excellent translation/introduction to
this important theological movement that is drawing the attention of many who
once wrote it off as “unpreachable!” If
you’re interested in engaging the questions raised by modernity, then I think
you will find this to be a most helpful book, and perhaps it will prove
salvific!
Comments
I'm glad Bruce wrote this. A process perspective can make a lot of sense for those of us who find the traditional hellenistic theology to be, well, hellenistic.
I hope people read this with an open mind and open heart. No need to suffer from a hardening of the orthodoxies.
Yes, I've been adopting aspects and bringing it into my sermons. I found it difficult to preach until I realized that I didn't have to bring everything into the sermon!!
This is a helpful book, however!
Two images from the Hebrew Scriptures seem to butress Process ttheology as I understand it, the throne of Yahweh in the Holy of Holies which is devoid of an image filling the seat, and the name of God: "I will be what I will be."
The throne represents not only the ineffable nture of God, but the directive discouraging any attempt to capture in a limited image, that which cannot be captured iin any image. Not that God is infinite in any capacity, but that God defies limits, and certainly defies human attempts at imaging the divine. Any image risks limiting the imagination of the imaginer. Images are dangerous.
The divine name communicates openness, change, and dynamism. The name denies the notion of impassible, as well as the notion of perfection in the sense of completion. It suggests that God is always in the process of perfecting/completing - and that by revealing God's self to us, God has invited in to be partners in this ongoing process. Names are important, and the names of God (I will be what I will be) and God's people (the one who has struggled with God and who has succeeded) are the most important of names.
God cannot be captured, but God can be engaged .... and engaging.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5X4N2exOsU
The first link worked on my wife's Apple, but not my PC. Here's a better link.
No offense to any honest lawyers out there...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-2TxIcdaOs
For a buck, for a buck
If you’re looking for someone to pull you out of that ditch
You’re out of luck, you’re out of luck
Ship is sinking
The ship is sinking
The ship is sinking
There’s a leak, there’s a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
Digging up the dead with a shovel and a pick
It’s a job, it’s a job
Bloody moon rising with a plague and a flood
Join the mob, join the mob
It’s all over, it’s all over
It’s all over
There’s a leak, there’s a leak in the boiler room
The poor, the lame, the blind
Who are the ones that we kept in charge?
Killers, thieves and lawyers
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
God’s away, God’s away on business, business
Goddamn there’s always such a big temptation
To be good, to be good
There’s always free cheddar in a mousetrap, baby
It’s a deal, it’s a deal
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
I narrow my eyes like a coin slot baby
Let her ring, let her ring
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business
God’s away, God’s away
God’s away on business, business