Needed: A Theology for the Modern World

IN THIS ISSUE

  • SOUL-PRINTS: Surfing with God: Process Theology for Today (Lesson 2)

  • SIGNPOSTS: Anointed for Service

SOUL-PRINTS: Lesson 2 “Surfing with God”

I’m teaching a class at church you might enjoy. I’ll be posting the text I’ve written for each Lesson. This week: “Surfing with God: Process Theology for the Quantum Age.” Here’s a teaser. Read the full lesson on the Quantum page of my Tracks fo

The modern person views self, others, society, ethics, and God in fundamentally different ways than previous generations. Lexi, the Quantum Age woman, holds a worldview shared with millions of others: “I can choose what I want. I am entitled to be happy. I can make my own identity, groups, and work. I can decide right and wrong myself. I depend on science to give me answers in this evolving world. I am one of billions but have equal rights. I believe what I want and think God might help me sometimes.”

A philosophy and theology that brings vital meaning to the Quantum Age person must be shaped by the facts of today. Beliefs that are based on the worldviews of a previous age cannot sustain abundant life now or for future generations. Process philosophy and theology present ways of understanding God and the universe that are compatible with many ideas in the Quantum Age.

The key concepts of Process Thought reflect the reality of the world we experience. The principles are not abstract philosophies but a conceptual framework describing how all the components of the universe, from molecules to the Milky Way, actually work. This comprehensive ontology of reality extends from the Big Bang to the Big Unity, from diamonds to the Divine, embracing all in a unified scheme.

The foundational principles of Process Theology offer powerful connections to the Quantum Age and Biblical truths.

·        God is the ultimate exemplification of process Reality, the most dynamic and ever-changing entity within the universe. God, like all entities, has both the non-sensory and the sensory dimensions. God exists as pure, timeless possibilities for each material moment. From comprehensive awareness of the universe, God holds awareness of the past and present for all entities across the universe.

·        God’s essential nature of love is unchanging. This attribute is evident in nature and the central themes of the Bible and other sacred writings. In expression of this nature, God’s actions change constantly to influence and respond to actions in the universe, giving and receiving love, acting and responding, adapting and developing, and drawing all toward the highest possible choices.

·        God influences the world through the internal, non-sensory dimension, cohabitating each experience of all physical entities. The universe needs God and God needs the universe in the synergetic, evolving journey of abundant life. 

·        God knows what is most productive among all the possibilities of each moment and offers an aim or goal which may influence entities in their free choices toward the goals of love, beauty, and shalom.

·        The influence of God is non-coercive. Every entity in the universe possesses some degree of self-determination. God’s influence can vary in intensity with each occasion to fit the possibilities that promote the best outcomes.

·        Once choices are made, God incorporates the new reality into the divine life in real time, learning and changing in response to the universe. The dynamic flow of reality is received by God as the basis for the next interdependent experiences. The identity and experiences of every entity are held forever in the life of God.

SIGNPOSTS: Anointed for Service

Watch TRACKS on Youtube

Do you enjoy watching more than reading? Many episodes of Tracks for the Journey are videos on Youtube! The Index lists more than 25 short and full length episodes. Gain insight from “Get Better Sleep Tonight,” “Don’t Sabotage Your Well-Being,” “When the Bible Failed America,” or many others.