The Spirit as a Relational Person Who Feels
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 […]
Receiving Love
I drew often from personal experiences when writing my forthcoming book introducing Open and Relational Theology. In this essay, I talk about how I express receiving love and God does too. Thank You for that Sermon In my twenties, I served as an associate pastor in Walla Walla, Washington. (A town so good they named […]
God as Emotional Friend
“God experiences emotions.” Open and relational theologians believe this statement is true. But it carries baggage. What do they mean by it? I’m nearly finished writing a book introducing open and relational theology. I write in an accessible way and explain the basic ideas. It should help both newbies and vets to identify the core […]
Does God Relate by Choice or by Nature?
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 […]
Strong Passibility, Trinity, and Theocosmocentrism
An increasing number of Christians believe God is relational. To be “relational” is, in the classical language, to be “passible.” It means that God is affected by others. I’ve written an essay for a new book on im/passibility, and I defend what the editors call “strong passibility.” In my language, I call this God’s essential […]
God’s Love is Relational in Three Forms
The theo-logic of God’s love says divine love is relationally full-orbed rather than one-dimensional. Three forms of love — agape, eros, and philia — demonstrate this theo-logic. And the Bible gives witness to them. AGAPE God expresses the agape form of love by responding to sin with forgiveness and healing. Those are activities that assume God relates with […]
The Jesus Argument for God’s Relationality
Christians often say what they know best about God comes from the revelation of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God is specially incarnated (Jn. 14:9). Those of us who think God is relational believe Jesus reveals a relational God. Jesus’ Compassion Scripture tells us that Jesus himself had compassion for those in need (Mt. 9:36, 14:4, […]
What Does “God is Relational” Mean?
If you read many theology books, you’ve likely come across many theologians who say God is relational. But it’s not always clear what being “relational” means. I believe God is relational, and here’s what I mean… In the past, theologians used various words as or near synonyms with “relational.” The most common was “passible.” And […]
God IS Relational!
It’s obvious to me that God relates with creation. It will come as a surprise to some, however, to hear that many Christians in the past and present DON’T think God relates with creation! By “relate,” I mean God influences creatures and creatures influence God. God is passible, to use the ancient language; God is […]
God on a Mission—Jesus Wept
A robust missional theology has a Christological focus. And that focus undermines what many Christians from yesteryear assumed: God was impassible. Jesus reveals, instead, that we make a difference to God.