Process Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed

188 Pages·2011·3.253 MB·English

by  Bruce G. Epperly

PROCESS THEOLOGY:
A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED
T&T Clark Guides for the Perplexed
T&T Clark’s Guides for the Perplexed are clear, concise and accessible
introductions to thinkers, writers, and subjects that students and readers
can find especially challenging. Concentrating specifically on what it is that
makes the subject difficult to grasp, these books explain and explore key
themes and ideas, guiding the reader towards a thorough understanding of
demanding material.
Guides for the Perplexed available from T&T Clark:
De Lubac: A Guide for the Perplexed, David Grumett
Christian Bioethics: A Guide for the Perplexed, Agneta Sutton
Calvin: A Guide for the Perplexed, Paul Helm
Tillich: A Guide for the Perplexed, Andrew O’Neill
The Trinity: A Guide for the Perplexed, Paul M. Collins
Christology: A Guide for the Perplexed, Alan Spence
Wesley: A Guide for the Perplexed, Jason E. Vickers
Pannenberg: A Guide for the Perplexed, Timothy Bradshaw
Balthasar: A Guide for the Perplexed, Rodney Howsare
Theological Anthropology: A Guide for the Perplexed, Marc Cortez
Benedict XVI: A Guide for the Perplexed, Tracey Rowland
Eucharist: A Guide for the Perplexed, Ralph N. McMichael
Forthcoming Titles:
Political Theology: A Guide for the Perplexed, Elizabeth Philips
Martyrdom: A Guide for the Perplexed, Middleton
Sin: A Guide for the Perplexed, Derek Nelson
PROCESS THEOLOGY:
A GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED
BRUCE G. EPPERLY
Published by T&T Clark International
A Continuum Imprint
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, includ-
ing photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system,
without permission in writing from the publishers.
Copyright © Bruce G. Epperly, 2011
Bruce G. Epperly has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author of this work.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN13: 978-0-567-63255-5 (Hardback)
978-0-567-59669-7 (Paperback)
Typeset by Newgen Imaging Systems Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India
Printed and bound in India
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments vi
Chapter 1 What is Process Theology and
Why is It So Perplexing? 1
Chapter 2 A Truly Personal God 31
Chapter 3 Transforming Christology 62
Chapter 4 The Spirit and the Dancing Trinity 77
Chapter 5 The Human Adventure 83
Chapter 6 Faith and Science in Creative Transformation 92
Chapter 7 Ethics for a Small Planet 103
Chapter 8 The Church in Creative Transformation 120
Chapter 9 Survival After Death in a Pluralistic Age 135
Chapter 10 New Horizons for Process Theology 155
Notes 159
Selected Bibliography 169
Index 175
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A religion, on its doctrinal side, can thus be defined as a system of
general truths which have the effect of transforming character when
they are sincerely held and vividly apprehended. In the long run your
character and your conduct of life depend upon your intimate
convictions.1
Despite the challenging theological language of Alfred North
Whitehead and some of his followers, process theology can be acces-
sible to students, laypeople, and pastors as well as academics; but,
more importantly, process theology can be life-transforming. I am a
process theologian, who has integrated writing, teaching, preaching,
administration, pastoral care, and spiritual direction, for over thirty
years. I teach process theology at the seminary and graduate school
level. But, I also preach process theology to literate urban congre-
gations and unlettered rural churches. I have come to believe that
good theology presents a life-changing vision that can be expressed
in the language of laypersons as well as scholars. Anyone who reflects
on the interplay of life, death, and suffering, or ponders the meaning
of her or his life or personal vocation is, by definition, a theologian.
Process theology provides an insightful and inspirational way to
express the deepest truths of Christianity as these truths relate to the
nature of God; the relationship between divine and human power; the
transforming influence of Jesus Christ in a pluralistic, post-modern
age; the scope and nature of salvation; the interplay of faith and science;
the vocation of the church; and the challenges of ethical decision
making. Process theology presents a transformative vision of reality
that is responsive to the challenges of postmodernity, pluralism, and
technology.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My approach to process theology reflects my experience as a pastor-
theologian, committed to spiritual formation, social justice, confes-
sional pluralism, and the healing ministry of Jesus. In addition to
my academic appointment, until recently I served as co-pastor of
an emerging Christian congregation, committed to welcoming and
affirming all of God’s children, regardless of ethnicity, gender, theo-
logical viewpoint, or sexual identity. The lens through which I view
process theology involves openness to healing and wholeness, religious
diversity, social justice, and mystical experience. While I describe
myself as a progressive Christian, my faith has been shaped by my
evangelical roots, mystical experiences, the Christian spiritual tradi-
tion, post-modern theology and spirituality, Buddhist and Hindu
spiritual practices, and complementary and global medicine. These
experiences shape my interpretation of process theology and its
importance for twenty-first century Christian faith. Process theology
has shaped my character and conduct of life as a pastor, professor,
husband, father, and citizen.
Process theology can be perplexing, but it can also be explained
in ways that illuminate the experience of laypersons and pastors as
well as academics. Freed from its unique and virtually incomprehen-
sible language, process theology presents a vision of a God-filled uni-
verse which affirms mystical experiences and surprising, naturalistic
expressions of divine power. More than that, process theology pres-
ents an open-ended vision of the universe and human life in contrast
to many traditional academic and popular theologies, which assert
that God determines in eternity every event in our lives. Process
theology asserts that God does not and cannot control everything.
Rather, than being bad news, process theologians believe that the
reality of divine limitation opens the door to greater human creativ-
ity and responsibility. We have a role as God’s companions in healing
the planet. With its emphasis on God’s creative-responsive love and
relationship to all creation, process theology provides a bridge join-
ing progressive and evangelical Christians in a common ethical and
spiritual cause.
This book is the product of nearly forty years of studying process
theology. I first encountered process theology in 1971 at San Jose
State University in California. As a sophomore, I had the opportunity
of taking a course in process theology from Professor Richard Keady
in the Religion Department. Later that academic year, I participated
in a seminar on the Philosophy of Charles Hartshorne, taught by
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Professor Marie Fox in the Philosophy Department. Along with
reading Paul Tillich’s Dynamics of Faith, which I also encountered
that year, these two courses transformed my life and enabled me to
find a faith I could affirm. I can honestly say that apart from the
impact of process theology, I might not be a Christian today. Inspired
by the insights of process theology, I enrolled at the Claremont
Graduate University in 1975, where I studied with John Cobb, David
Griffin, and Bernard Loomer. I am grateful for their passion for join-
ing process theology with personal and global responsibility and the
reality of religious pluralism. To these five professors, my gratitude is
immense.
I would also like to thank my fellow students at Claremont Gradu-
ate University, most especially Jay McDaniel, Catherine Keller, Rita
Nakashima Brock, and Rebecca Parker. For over thirty five years,
my own understanding of process theology has evolved in lively
dialogue with their insights. I am also appreciative of new generations
of process theologians such as Helene Russell, Monica Coleman,
and Tripp Fuller, who are bringing process theology to the internet
generation.
My colleagues at Lancaster Theological Seminary have provided a
lively environment for theological reflection, most especially Professor
Lee Barrett, Dean Edwin David Aponte, and President RiessPotterveld.
My colleagues in the Office of Continuing Education—Kathy Harvey
Nelson, April Bupp, and Brenda Marin—provided a creative and
supportive environment that enabled me to have sufficient time for
study and writing. I am also grateful to my students in courses on
process theology at Lancaster Theological Seminary and Claremont
School of Theology, and to Jeanyne Slettom who directs the Summer
Process Institute in Claremont and the Process and Faith program.
Jeanyne and I both seek to make process theology accessible to pas-
tors, laypersons, and congregations. I am grateful to my editor at
Continuum Thomas Kraft for his support and insight. Patricia Adams
Farmer, Anna Rollins, Jo Ann W. Goodson, and Kathy Harvey Nelson
generously read and commented on the text, making it a richer and
more comprehensive text as a result of their contributions.
I would like to thank Kate Epperly, who has been my spiritual,
relational, and theological companion, since the late 1970s. Process
theology brought us together, when her roommate process theologian
Catherine Keller invited her to join the members of Bernard Loomer’s
Advanced Seminar in Process Theology for a “happy hour” at the
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Imagination Station in Claremont, California. Her pastoral insight,
reflected for over thirty years in our integration of marriage and
professional life, has deepened my appreciation for the practical
application of process theology in the life of the church and the
transformation of society. For nearly six years, Kate and I served as
co-pastors of Disciples United Community Church in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania, where we preached and taught process theology and
spirituality as a path to vital Christian faith. The congregants of this
small, but lively congregation have by their questions and comments
enabled me to more fully connect process theology with everyday
lived experience. Finally, I dedicate this text to my son Matt Epperly,
his spouse Ingrid, and our recently-born grandson, Jack, for whom
I hope process theology will be life-changing in decades to come.
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