Alfred North Whitehead

[glintofpewter]

After "Common Sense" any one interested in Alfred North Whitehead?

 

Here is a secondary source that might be do-able. I haven't read it yet. The Chapters are long walls of text. Maybe we could find a way to break it down.

 

 

Alfred North Whitehead by Norman Pittenger

 

http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=2212

[AllInTheNameOfProgress]

I would be interested.

[glintofpewter]

I have been looking at the library at religion-online. I think "What is Process Theology?" by Robert Mellert, might be a better choice. It is organized into 13 chapters -- and has paragraphs.

 

 

http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=3040

 

Dutch

[rivanna]

I particularly like this from Mellert’s chapter 4 (only one I’ve looked at so far):

 

“God is not a last resort who stands outside the system and remains independent of it. Rather, God is an integral element in the whole and participates actively in its struggles and concerns…What we do on earth makes a difference to the very reality of God.”

 

To me Process thought’s concept of a constantly changing God is persuasive in many areas, but in other ways I tend to agree more with Open theism (Clark Pinnock, primarily)--

 

In open theism, God created the world out of nothing; process theology says God is dependent on the world.

For open theism, God limits his power voluntarily to give humans freedom of choice; whereas in process thought God’s power is inherently limited.

In Open theism, God is able to determine certain aspects of the future, whereas in process thought, God is doing all that he can do. Seems like this would deny that prayer could ever change anything, including oneself. Though perhaps it could be comforting to know that, depending on one’s experience.

 

Lewis Ford's book, The Lure of God, is also a good one, on the same site.

[glintofpewter]

Rivanna,

Thanks for you interest.

I particularly like this from Mellert’s chapter 4 (only one I’ve looked at so far):

God limits his power voluntarily to give humans freedom of choice; whereas in process thought God’s power is inherently limited.

Chapter 4 was the first one I read.

I looked briefly at Open Theism's website last week.

Over the years I grew dissatisfied with the "voluntarily limited" view of God's relationship with humankind because freewill, a source of moral good, and cruel if not evil behavior all predate homo sapiens. The "voluntarily limited" view of God also creates serious questions about the decisions God makes. Whitehead sees two natures of God, the primordial and consequent. As creator God is the structure and context out which creation come. I haven't read enough to say with certainty that Whitehead sees a God creating out of nothing but Boehme does.

 

Lewis Ford's book, The Lure of God, is also a good one, on the same site.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to take a look. My goal is to come to a better understanding process theology. Personally I need to develop language that I can use when I talk about passages in the Bible that is consistent with my understanding.

 

Dutch