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Predestination, Hell, and Eternal Life

My recent book, The Nature of Love, concludes with comments about what theologians call “eschatology.” The eschatology I offer coheres with my Essential Kenosis theology, which I propose in the book’s last chapter.

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Imitate God—Take Risks!

Mission is risky business. It means taking chances and being susceptible to failure. But God seems the biggest risk-taker of all!

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Open Theology’s Problem with the Problem of Evil

Open theology offers an impressive theological framework. But Open theology has a problem with the problem of evil.

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Pinnock, Alzheimer’s, and Open Theology

I received sad news in an email recently: Clark Pinnock is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

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God Can’t!—and the Bible Says So

I sometimes hear the argument that we should not speculate about the attributes of God’s nature. Overall, I don’t find this argument convincing.

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Characteristics of Evangelical Open and Relational Theology

In a previous blog entry, I noted many of the theological beliefs that open and relational theologians affirm. I now identify three characteristics of Evangelically-oriented open and relational thinkers.

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16 Comments

God Can’t Help But Love Us

Many Christians believe God does not necessarily relate to creatures. God at one time (or before time) existed alone – albeit as Trinity. Yet these same Christians believe they can count on God to love them. I don’t think there are good grounds to believe both ideas.

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Thanksgiving without Scruples

The Thanksgiving holiday is a terrific time for free-will theists to tout the benefits of their theological perspective. Free-will theology makes the most sense of the Christian urge to thank God on Thanksgiving.

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The Emergence of Open Theology

In 1994, a quintet of Evangelical scholars – David Basinger, William Hasker, Clark Pinnock, Richard Rice, and John Sanders – published The Openness of God: A Biblical Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of God. This work has caused – and continues to cause – an uproar within Evangelical circles.

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About this website

You’ve reached the online home of Thomas Jay Oord, a professor, author, and theologian from the Pacific Northwest. Read more