Posts under "Open and Relational Theology"

God’s Will and the Coronavirus

March 17th, 2020 / 48 Comments

I’m not surprised some people are blaming God. Maybe “crediting” God is more accurate. I’m reading social media posts saying the Coronavirus (Covid 19) is God’s will. Our current suffering is part of some predetermined divine plan. One post put it this way: “Sorry to break up the big panic, but the Coronavirus will not […]

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Models of God’s Action

March 1st, 2020 / 6 Comments

A few podcast hosts have asked me to “locate” my theology in relation to other views of God. This is natural, and I like to compare views of God. Comparisons help me explain my Uncontrolling Love of God theology, which I also call Essential Kenosis. In my book The Uncontrolling Love of God, I explore […]

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A TimeFull God of Providence

December 26th, 2019 / 2 Comments

Most Christian theologies assume God is essentially timeless. By ‘essentially timeless,’ I mean they assume God does not experience in relationship with others moment by moment. Many assume God ‘sees’ history – beginning to end – from an eternal now, without engaging in giving and receiving relations with creation. Scholars offer various theories for how […]

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God Doesn’t Punish

November 19th, 2019 / 13 Comments

I don’t think God ever punishes. But I do think there are natural negative consequences to sin and evil. I spell out what this means in my book, God Can’t: How to Believe in God and Love after Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils. Although the idea God punishes is largely absent in the New Testament, numerous […]

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The Shack is Right, But…

October 1st, 2019 / 4 Comments

Wm. Paul Young’s best-selling book, The Shack, tackles questions about God, love, and evil. Young weaves positive themes to offer helpful answers. The book (and movie) continues to spark helpful conversations. (Click the video photo for my theological review). The Plot The plot of Young’s fictional story revolves around the abduction and murder of young […]

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John Wesley Says God Can’t

September 1st, 2019 / 10 Comments

My recent book, God Can’t, makes the claim God can’t do some activities. Although this strikes some as unprecedented, John Wesley said it before I did. God Can’t in the Bible Biblical writers said “God can’t” before John Wesley and me. In various books and blogs, I’ve listed biblical passages that explicitly say God can’t […]

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Does God Relate by Choice or by Nature?

August 19th, 2019 / 6 Comments

A “Four Views” book has just been published exploring God’s im/passibility (IVP Academic). I wrote one of the four essays. Instead of “passible” or “impassible,” most people today use the words “relational” or “nonrelational” to talk about whether creatures influence God. Relational theologians like me wholeheartedly affirm the idea God engages in giving and receiving. Others makes a difference […]

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