Process Theology with Dr. Blair

How can we speak of anything truly holy, most especially God, as being literally present in our sick, polluted world? In process, God is the chief exemplification of all metaphysical principles. One major principle is relativity, so that Whitehead says one of his major goals is to explain what it means to be present in another entity, We are all incarnate in one another, but in a radically inferior sense. In sharp contrast, God is omnipresent in the richest and fullest sense. That means there is a direct, immediate flow of all creaturely feeling into God, and vice verse. And God is no fair-weather friend. God experiences all the tragedies of life as well as the triumphs. How else could we think of God as all-knowing? If God is not a spacio-temporal being who can suffer, how could God even begin to understand those of us who are? In process, the highest form of knowledge is direct experience, a Da Sein (being there). Do God must be omnipresent, or God cannot be fully God. In classical t...

Recently, I called my favorite take-out restaurant to only one of their famous steak sandwiches, only to be told they are out of steak. I called another restaurant, only to be told they are out of Coca Cola, one of my favorite drinks. I had hardly hung up, when a friend, a geologist working in the field, called and told me he would be stuck for another month in a village out in the middle of nowhere, all air service having been canceled. These are just three examples of countless frustrations we have encountered as a consequence of the pandemic. But why? Why does the pandemic frustrate us so? Why cannot one simple say, "I am happy as a lark. I'm alive, surviving, still walking and talking, and that's enough for me”? It is a common myth that Darwin's is the only theory of evolution. Whitehead offered an alternative approach whereby the goal is more than mere survival. Rather he argued the trend has always been upward. First, there were relatively simple organisms, then ...

Now, I am well aware there are theologians, such as NT Wright, who are quite verbal in their insistence this is a time for lamentation, not explanation or insight. In a way, I agree. An important step in healing is verbalizing ones pain and suffering to a sympathetic listener. But I don't agree that this negates all insight. In moments of intense experience, we can become easily overwhelmed and confused. A kind of time-out where we can reflect on matters, gain insight is also essential to our healing. Otherwise, we end up but a flock of chickens with out heads cut off, running around, getting nowhere. So now is precisely the time to gain insight into pain and problems we all face with social distancing. How is it that something intended as a cure can be as devastating as the disease? My process response is that social distancing can be devastating right down to our core, for we are social-relational beings. All of reality is social, is interconnected. Quantum mechanics, for example...

 Hello,every one.   I'd like to start with a discussion of process and COVID-19  I wrote about this in several previous newsletters and am wondering what you think.  My argument was that  it would be inappropriate to blame the pandemic on God or to expect God could have prevented it.  I also argued stay-at-home and social distancing were uncomfortable for all persons because these restrictions  threaten  the fundamental social-relational nature of our being.  In addition, I argued the virus is best depicted in human terms as analogous to a foreign invader.  I am wondering about your thoughts.

 Hello,Everyone, I'd like to get to know each of you, so you please tell me a bit about yourself and process.  What would  you like to discuss in our process blog?I'm open for suggestions. I just want  to make sure the blog will be helpful and interesting to you.

Welcome to our online process-theology discussion group.  For those of you who are new, I am Dr. Blair Reynolds.  I am a process theologian and also a theologian-in-residence for our congregation. This blog grew out of my monthly column for the newsletter.  The goal is a more integrative dialogue on process.  I will discuss on line with you the questions and comments you submit and then present a monthly synopsis in the newsletter.   For those of you who are unfamiliar with process theology, it is a major movement in contemporary theology.  Primarily it is concerned with giving the doctrine of God a major facelift.  Traditionally, God was viewed as static and aloof, the Unmoved Mover.  In process, God is the Most Moved Mover.  God and the universe are mutually interdependent.  God grows as the world goes, you might say.  Most importantly is the notion that God does coerce us along.  God is not a Cosmic Dictator. ...