What KIND of God Exists?
In my last blog post (“Reasons to Think God Exists”), I noted atypical reasons to believe God might exist. Those reasons come after a yet-to-be-published discussion of traditional reasons people think God exists. Those typical arguments appeal to design, first cause, morality, religious experiences, and so on. In that as-of-yet-unpublished discussion, I also address reasons […]
Open and Relational Biblical Issues
Chad Bahl and I contributed a chapter to a massive handbook on postconservative interpretation. The book is aimed at college students, and our task was to sketch out an open and relational vision. Here’s what we wrote… Open and Relational Hermeneutics Open and Relational Theology (ORT) addresses key questions about biblical inspiration, interpretation, inerrancy, authority, […]
What is Amipotence?
God is amipotent, not omnipotent. That’s been my argument in several books, but I made the case extensively in The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence.[1] It’s the idea pondered by 140+ essayists in a recently published, two-volume work called Amipotence. I believe theists should reject the notion that God is omnipotent. By omnipotent, […]
Amipotence vs. Omnipotence – John Cobb
My heart sank when I heard that John B. Cobb, Jr. died on December 26, 2024. I’m told that he died peacefully, surrounded by family. John was one of the greatest theologians of our time, and his influence upon me is immeasurable. His death made me realize how much I looked forward to sharing with […]
Thank Goodness, God Can’t Control Elections!
I don’t think God wanted Donald Trump to be elected President of the United States. Of course, I’m not certain about this. Or certain about much of anything. So I could be wrong. But I evaluate this election the best I can. And a theology of uncontrolling love helps me do that. A theology that […]
Five Kinds of Biblical Inspiration
It’s common for Christians to claim God inspired the authors who wrote the Bible. If God inspired the biblical authors, goes the thinking, then the Bible is inspired by God. Steven Hause recently asked me about biblical inspiration. In my response, I claimed that biblical authors get some ideas about God right, but other biblical […]
Imitating God
An essay I wrote on imitating God has just been published. My essay is in an academic book called Exemplars, Imitation, and Character Formation (Routledge). Eric Yang is the book’s editor, and contributors examine the relevance of exemplars and the practice of imitation in character formation. My arguments use Ephesians 5:1,2a as a springboard. This […]
Basics of Open & Relational Theology
In our book God After Deconstruction, Tripp Fuller and I explore the good reasons people deconstruct and offer an open and relational theological response. We think this theology makes better sense than traditional theologies, and we believe it’s better than atheism. To conclude God After Deconstruction, we offer an overview of this theological perspective to […]
The Opening to God After Deconstruction
The book Tripp Fuller and I have written, God After Deconstruction, will be available to purchase in early April. The class of the same name will also begin in April, so sign up here to be part of the conversation. Below are the opening paragraphs to the book. In the chapters that follow, we look […]
Evil and Deconstruction
Tripp Fuller and I are writing a book, doing a podcast class, and holding an in-person lecture tour on the theme, “God After Deconstruction.” The first two tour events are coming soon. Find info here for the Drew University event this February 9-10 and the Denver, Colorado event this April 12-13. For information on how […]