More on God’s Power
I just read a great article by Bob Mesle over at Patheos (HT Tripp Fuller) in which he discusses why Process Theology matters. One of the things I love most about Process Theology is it’s view on God’s power. Power has always been a huge issue for me. I’m fully convinced that, as Jacques Ellul puts it, human beings’ “two great characteristics, no matter what their society or education, are covetousness and the desire for power.” It’s so obvious that we build God in our image. Here is a quote form Mesle’s article:
It amazes me that so many traditional theologians and laypeople think that the God of process theism does not matter. If God does not know the future with certainty, they say, then God is not worshipful. If God is not able to control the world, they say, then God is not important. Both of these objections focus on issues of power. If God has perfect unilateral power – perfect ability to affect without being affected – then God cannot be affected by time. Either God has no knowledge of time, as Aristotle thought, or it is necessary subtly to deny the ultimate reality of time so that God’s knowledge is timelessly complete. It all boils down to this: if God is not perfectly powerful in the way we want, if God cannot infallibly see and guarantee the happy outcome we want, then God is unimportant. At least, they say, such a God is not the God of the Christian faith. I wonder how this position squares with Jesus and the cross. “We preach Christ crucified, the wisdom and power of God. “
Emphasis added. Read full article here.
Ya, what Mesle said.