Augustine’s beliefs about God and time have been highly influential in Western civilization, especially among Christians. Scholars often cite his beliefs about divine immutability and impassibility. But Augustine’s belief in a timeless God and waffling about the reality of time powerfully shaped the history of theology. The Confessions may be the most influential book from […]

It’s obvious to many believers that God is personal, relational, and experiences emotions. Christian, Jewish, and Muslim scriptures routinely describe deity in this way.[1] These abilities and attributes also seem required if the Spirit is loving, because lovers are persons who act and feel in relationships. It makes sense, therefore, for this systematic theology of […]

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 […]

I recently gave a talk in Oxford at the British Society for the Philosophy of Religion. My lecture, “Three Bold Moves to Make Sense of God’s Love,” was well attended and well received. I thank my fellow session presenters Lina Langby and Philip Goff for the great interaction and the session chair, Fiona Ellis. Below […]

My friend Ryan Patrick McLaughlin sent good questions about my theology. I addressed a couple in a previous blog. In this essay, I address his question about God’s everlasting creating and eschatological fulfillment. Ryan: “Your position on creation maintains that God has always been creating out of that which God has already created (because God […]

At the conclusion of The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence, I address the question in this essay title. It comes in my discussion of amipotence, which is the power of God’s uncontrolling love. The Spirit Gives Life The divine Spirit provides integrity, agency, self-organization, and freedom to all creation, depending on their complexity. God gives robust […]

I’m working on the final chapter of a new book called, The Death of Omnipotence… and Birth of Amipotence. In previous blogs, I’ve identified reasons we should stop saying God is omnipotent. The final chapter in this new book explains the word “amipotence.” Amipotence combines two Latin words ami and potens. The first means “love,” […]

Fifty years ago, a little-known theologian named Mildred Bangs Wynkoop published a provocative book. That book, A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism, still sparks conversation and controversy today. It presents a powerful argument for love as Christian theology’s priority. Love as Central The first third of A Theology of Love offers the heart of Wynkoop’s […]

I recently wrote a chapter for a book celebrating the work of Keith Ward. My argument is that Ward offers a metaphysics that supports both a conceptual basis for love and a basis to view God as loving. God is Love Keith Ward believes an adequate account of love requires an equally adequate account of […]

I’m excited to announce a new book project! Along with co-editors Annie DeRolf, Christy Gunter, John Loppnow, and Lon Marshall, I’m inviting therapists, psychologists, and counselors to write essays on their work in relation to uncontrolling love. What is Uncontrolling Love? The “uncontrolling love” label is found in several books, including The Uncontrolling Love of […]