Quotes & Sayings


We, and creation itself, actualize the possibilities of the God who sustains the world, towards becoming in the world in a fuller, more deeper way. - R.E. Slater

There is urgency in coming to see the world as a web of interrelated processes of which we are integral parts, so that all of our choices and actions have [consequential effects upon] the world around us. - Process Metaphysician Alfred North Whitehead

Kurt Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem says (i) all closed systems are unprovable within themselves and, that (ii) all open systems are rightly understood as incomplete. - R.E. Slater

The most true thing about you is what God has said to you in Christ, "You are My Beloved." - Tripp Fuller

The God among us is the God who refuses to be God without us, so great is God's Love. - Tripp Fuller

According to some Christian outlooks we were made for another world. Perhaps, rather, we were made for this world to recreate, reclaim, redeem, and renew unto God's future aspiration by the power of His Spirit. - R.E. Slater

Our eschatological ethos is to love. To stand with those who are oppressed. To stand against those who are oppressing. It is that simple. Love is our only calling and Christian Hope. - R.E. Slater

Secularization theory has been massively falsified. We don't live in an age of secularity. We live in an age of explosive, pervasive religiosity... an age of religious pluralism. - Peter L. Berger

Exploring the edge of life and faith in a post-everything world. - Todd Littleton

I don't need another reason to believe, your love is all around for me to see. – Anon

Thou art our need; and in giving us more of thyself thou givest us all. - Khalil Gibran, Prayer XXIII

Be careful what you pretend to be. You become what you pretend to be. - Kurt Vonnegut

Religious beliefs, far from being primary, are often shaped and adjusted by our social goals. - Jim Forest

We become who we are by what we believe and can justify. - R.E. Slater

People, even more than things, need to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. – Anon

Certainly, God's love has made fools of us all. - R.E. Slater

An apocalyptic Christian faith doesn't wait for Jesus to come, but for Jesus to become in our midst. - R.E. Slater

Christian belief in God begins with the cross and resurrection of Jesus, not with rational apologetics. - Eberhard Jüngel, Jürgen Moltmann

Our knowledge of God is through the 'I-Thou' encounter, not in finding God at the end of a syllogism or argument. There is a grave danger in any Christian treatment of God as an object. The God of Jesus Christ and Scripture is irreducibly subject and never made as an object, a force, a power, or a principle that can be manipulated. - Emil Brunner

“Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” means "I will be that who I have yet to become." - God (Ex 3.14) or, conversely, “I AM who I AM Becoming.”

Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. - Thomas Merton

The church is God's world-changing social experiment of bringing unlikes and differents to the Eucharist/Communion table to share life with one another as a new kind of family. When this happens, we show to the world what love, justice, peace, reconciliation, and life together is designed by God to be. The church is God's show-and-tell for the world to see how God wants us to live as a blended, global, polypluralistic family united with one will, by one Lord, and baptized by one Spirit. – Anon

The cross that is planted at the heart of the history of the world cannot be uprooted. - Jacques Ellul

The Unity in whose loving presence the universe unfolds is inside each person as a call to welcome the stranger, protect animals and the earth, respect the dignity of each person, think new thoughts, and help bring about ecological civilizations. - John Cobb & Farhan A. Shah

If you board the wrong train it is of no use running along the corridors of the train in the other direction. - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God's justice is restorative rather than punitive; His discipline is merciful rather than punishing; His power is made perfect in weakness; and His grace is sufficient for all. – Anon

Our little [biblical] systems have their day; they have their day and cease to be. They are but broken lights of Thee, and Thou, O God art more than they. - Alfred Lord Tennyson

We can’t control God; God is uncontrollable. God can’t control us; God’s love is uncontrolling! - Thomas Jay Oord

Life in perspective but always in process... as we are relational beings in process to one another, so life events are in process in relation to each event... as God is to Self, is to world, is to us... like Father, like sons and daughters, like events... life in process yet always in perspective. - R.E. Slater

To promote societal transition to sustainable ways of living and a global society founded on a shared ethical framework which includes respect and care for the community of life, ecological integrity, universal human rights, respect for diversity, economic justice, democracy, and a culture of peace. - The Earth Charter Mission Statement

Christian humanism is the belief that human freedom, individual conscience, and unencumbered rational inquiry are compatible with the practice of Christianity or even intrinsic in its doctrine. It represents a philosophical union of Christian faith and classical humanist principles. - Scott Postma

It is never wise to have a self-appointed religious institution determine a nation's moral code. The opportunities for moral compromise and failure are high; the moral codes and creeds assuredly racist, discriminatory, or subjectively and religiously defined; and the pronouncement of inhumanitarian political objectives quite predictable. - R.E. Slater

God's love must both center and define the Christian faith and all religious or human faiths seeking human and ecological balance in worlds of subtraction, harm, tragedy, and evil. - R.E. Slater

In Whitehead’s process ontology, we can think of the experiential ground of reality as an eternal pulse whereby what is objectively public in one moment becomes subjectively prehended in the next, and whereby the subject that emerges from its feelings then perishes into public expression as an object (or “superject”) aiming for novelty. There is a rhythm of Being between object and subject, not an ontological division. This rhythm powers the creative growth of the universe from one occasion of experience to the next. This is the Whiteheadian mantra: “The many become one and are increased by one.” - Matthew Segall

Without Love there is no Truth. And True Truth is always Loving. There is no dichotomy between these terms but only seamless integration. This is the premier centering focus of a Processual Theology of Love. - R.E. Slater

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Note: Generally I do not respond to commentary. I may read the comments but wish to reserve my time to write (or write from the comments I read). Instead, I'd like to see our community help one another and in the helping encourage and exhort each of us towards Christian love in Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior. - re slater

Sunday, January 14, 2024

R.E. Slater - Some Important Theological Terms Then and Now under Process Theology, Part 1



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Wikipedia - biblical critique




Some Important Theological Terms
Then and Now under Process Theology,
Part One

by Curt Daniel, Faith Bible Church, Springfield, Illinois

abridged by R.E. Slater - my words in red


Here, I will endeavor to speak briefly to each term by applying process philosophy and/or process theology to each description. This will necessarily be a lengthy, but important read. I'll next create a follow-up post-or-two on (1) biblical criticism and (2) critiquing God's people in the prophetic tradition of the bible re contemporary forthtelling (as versus the more popular, but famously unbiblical idea of prophecy as a future telling of things to be). - re slater

 

Biblia: Bible. Book. Biblia Sacra: Holy Bible. Vulgata: Vulgate (official Latin Bible). Vetus Testamentum: Old Testament. Novum Testamentum: New Testament.
Process Response: The bible is a collection of ancient neolithic+ thoughts on God, religion, purpose, destiny, death, life and salvation. As God communicates at all times past, present, or future... and in all manners, forms, and expressions... a contemporary process theology of God and the church must entertain an expansion of Holy Spirit communiques at the hands and deeds of God's people both then, now, and always. After two centuries of Christian thinking one must assume the words and deeds of God have not closed the bible as a one-time revelatory dispensation but as an ongoing and contemporaneous dispensation of divine will and way. Which is a proper definition of prophecy, not as future-telling, but forthtelling... sic, as disseminating the divine Word breathed upon us via his emissaries. - res

Sola Scriptura: Scripture Alone. This was the fundamental point in dispute in the Protestant Reformation. It is taught in 2 Tim. 3:16-17; I Cor.4:6; Acts 17:11; Isa.8:20, etc.

Process Response: Yes and No. In contemporary biblical criticism we wish to enhance God's words without minimizing those same words. As example, in Calvinism, God is presented as a wrathful, judging kind of force which comes-and-goes at will. Whereas in Panentheistic (NOT pan-theistic) process theology, God never leaves; always stays; upholds and sustains all creation in every way imaginable; and, at all times, speaks to us and creation in loving terms of endearment, help, aids, healing, and etc. Further this manner of "divine speech and/or activity" comes via atoning, redemptive, and salvific forms of divine intersection with the world. Hence, sola scriptura per Jesus Christ, but also via every age's leading prophetic lights at odds with the church or in helps and aids to the living church of God. Which makes it highly important we speak the best kind of theology, faith, and religion as possible. - re slater


Analogia Scripturae: The Analogy of Scripture. This is explained in the formula: “Scripturam ex Scriptura explicandam esse“, or “Scripture is to be explained by Scripture.” Related to this principle is the principle of Analogia Fide, or “Analogy of Faith.” That is, Biblical doctrines are to be interpreted in relation to the basic message of the Bible, the Gospel, the content of faith, often called The Faith. Cf.1 Cor.2:13, 15:1-4.

Process Response: All well and good. Process theologians will re-apply to the church's Westernized/Greek and Hellenic interpretations of theology with processual forms, methods, logic, and biblical exposition, interpretation, extrapolation, etc. - re slater

Testimonium Internum Spiritu Sanctu: The Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit who inspired Scripture also authenticates and proves its divine origin through the Scripture itself. This is especially emphasized by Calvinists. Cf.Heb.10:15; I John 5:7-8

Process Response: This was previously discussed in a limited expression under the section "Biblia" above. - re slater


Textus Receptus: Received Text. The Greek text first published by Erasmus, then with slight modifications by Stephanus, Beza and Elzivir, upon which the King James Version is based. It follows the vast majority of the Greek manuscripts, is much the same as the more recent Majority Text, as opposed to the editions based on a minority of manuscripts.

Process Response: The history of the bible's translation, transcription, and travel has been answer in textual criticism, redactive criticism, and historical/literary genre criticism. Other resources include evolutionary paleontology, psychological/societal analysis, and so forth. But has was initially stated, process theology also regards the history of the church's words and deeds in reflection to its own process-based philosophic-theology which chooses not to limit God to previous eras two to four thousand years ago. It is an important function of the Holy Spirit that God's Word stays relevant, meaningful, and corrective via its many forms of prophetic speech, thought, and activities. As illustration, I am taking my own Baptist heritage and have updated it from Christian fundamentalism to conservative evangelicalism to Christian forms of social justice (Christian humanism) via evangelical emergentism (see recent post) to currently a post-modified evangelical-Reformed-Baptistic expression utilizing my own background with Whiteheadian (and John Cobb) forms of process expression. - re slater

Deus: God. Corresponds to the Greek word THEOS. Deus est: God is. Deus Absconditus: The Hidden God. Deus Revelatus: The Revealed God.Verbum Dei: Word of God. Lux Dei: Light of God. Vox Dei: Voice of God. Imago Dei: Image of God. The word “deity” comes from Deus.

Process Response: All well-and-good. The Hidden v Revealed God was written of in the immediately preceding post from a process perspective. - re slater

Trinitas: Trinity. Probably coined by Tertullian by combining the Latin words for three and one. The word is not found in Scripture, but the doctrine is (Matt. 28:19).

Process Response: Trinity is find. Triunity is better when referring to (1) the ontological arrangement of God's Self with God's several covenantal modes of operative revelation; or to the (2) economic = functional aspects of Father, Son, and Spirit within God's triunie relationship to God's Self and to creation. A big part of process theology states that the  concept of relationality is a fundamental and organic structure inherent within God's Self and God's creational Imago Dei when birthing material forces and substances. Process theology speaks to an elemental and essential forms of organic panrelationalism, panexperientialism, and panpsychism... meaning, all things relate to all things in all manners of ways; that all things experience (and react) to one another including the concrescent event which nominally and procedurally must occur upon meeting one another; and third, as God is everywhere and inherent in creation as it's majeure force vitae (that which is the greater force of life) then a universal and creational panpsychic presence of a dynamically living God testifies to this aspect of God's Imago Dei creation.



* * * * * * *

~ UNDER CONSTRUCTION ~

Process Response: T - I will stop here and continue growing these paragraphs out over the day's to come... res/1.14.2024


Actus Purus: Pure Actuality. Refers to God as to His perfect self-existence. Creation is potential or derivative in being, or growing in being once created. God is perfect being.

Process Response: T

Sensus Divinitas: The sense of divinity. All men know that God exists (Rom. 1:18-21). Thus, there are no real atheists. Especially emphasized by Calvinists, particularly those of the Presuppositionalist school of apologetics, such as Cornelius Van Til.

Process Response: T

Theologica: Theology. Based on the Greek words for God and science. Summa Theologica: Sum of Theology. This was the title of the famous systematic theology by Thomas Aquinas.

Process Response: T

Loci Communes: Common Places. This was the usual term for systematic theology by the Lutherans, such as the important one by Philip Melanchthon. It refers to the collection of Scripture texts according to subject. Locus Classicus: Classic Place. The major Bible text on a subject.

Process Response: T

Institutio Christianae Religionis: Institutes of the Christian Religion. Calvin’s main work.

Process Response: T

Summum Bonum: Chief Good. God is the first cause of all, and the final goal. And so, the chief end for which all things were created is the glory of God.

Process Response: T

Analogia Entis: Analogy of Being. The error that says that God and Man both share the same kind of being, differing in quantity but not in quality. Basically pantheistic.

Process Response: T

Protoevangelium: The First Gospel. The first revelation of the Gospel was Gen. 3:15.

Process Response: T

Foedus: Covenant. Federal Theology (or Federalism) is Covenant Theology.

Process Response: T

Lex: Law. Lex Dei: Law of God. Lex Naturalis: Natural Law, revealed in Creation (Rom.1:18-23, 2:14-15). Lex Mosaica: Law of Moses. Lex Ceremonialis: Ceremonial Law. The temporary and symbolic laws of Moses, replaced by baptism and communion (Col. 2:16-17). Lex Moralis: Moral Law, God’s fundamental, unchangeable Law, in force in both testaments. Lex Talionis: Law of Retribution (or retaliation). An eye for an eye, the punishment fits the crime, you reap what you sow. Lex Rex: Law and the King, or Law of the King. Title of important book by Samuel Rutherford on the use of Biblical civil law today.

Process Response: T

Creatio ex Nihilo: Creation out of nothing. God created merely by speaking it into existence.

Process Response: T

Infralapsus: Infralapsarian. God first ordained the Fall and then elected men in the logical order of the eternal decrees. Supralapsus: Supralapsarian. God first elected some and rejected others before He ordained the Fall. Lapsus: Fall.

Process Response: T

Ordo Salutis: Order of Salvation. Reformed theologians coined the term. Armilla Aurea, or Golden Chain, to relate the elements and stages of salvation according to Rom.8:29-30, etc.

Process Response: T

Sola Gratia: Grace alone. Grace-faith-justification-works, not grace-faith-works-justification.

Process Response: T

Sola Fide: Faith alone. Bona fide: Good faith. Credo: I believe. Notitia: Knowledge, the first element of saving faith. Assensus: Assent, the second element of faith. Fiducia: Trust, the third element of faith.

Process Response: T

Simul lustus et Peccator: Simultaneously just and sinful. When we are justified, we are still sinful of ourselves. Even though our natures are changed in regeneration, there is still indwelling sin within us. The basis of our acceptance with God is not our changed nature, but rather the righteousness of Christ. His righteousness is thus Iustia Alienum, an alien righteousness – it is inherent in Christ, but not in us. In justification, God imputes or accounts this to us. It is then Iustia Imputata, imputed righteousness.

Process Response: T

Articulus Stantis et Cadentis Ecclesiae: The article by which the Church stands and falls. Luther’s statement concerning justification of the imputed righteousness of Christ by faith alone, rejected by Roman Catholicism.

Process Response: T

Solo Christo: Christ alone. Not Christ and priests, pastors, parents, or anyone else.

Process Response: T

Extra Calvinisticum: The Calvinistic Extra. The Lutherans believed in the ubiquity (omnipresence) of Christ’s human body and nature, whereas the Calvinists have believed the historic view that Christ’s human body-and-soul is not infinite or omnipresent, but is only now at the right hand of the Father. Calvinists hold to the principle Finitum non Capax Infiniti, or the finite is not capable of the infinite (the finite human nature of Christ is not capable of containing His infinite divine nature in its entirety).Thus, ever since the Incarnation, there is still infinite deity beyond Christ’s human nature. The beyond is “extra” or outside, infinite.

Process Response: T

Corpus Christi: The Body of Christ. Hoc est Corpus Meum: This is My Body.

Process Response: T

Sacramentum: Sacrament. Catholicism believes the sacraments are magical instruments which actually and physically confer grace. Their principle is Ex Opere Operato, or out of the work worked. Do something or receive a physical sacrament, and grace is automatically given. True Protestants, however, rightly reject this and take the word sacramentum to mean mystery, a symbolic ordinance in which grace is given through the Word of God.

Process Response: T

Papa: Pope, father. Catholicism says he is infallible when he pronounces a truth as dogma when he speaks Ex Cathedra, from the chair (of Peter). This contradicts Sola Scriptura.

Process Response: T

Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus: Outside the Church there is no salvation. The Catholic heresy that there is no salvation outside Catholicism. Protestants believe rather that salvation is not given through a Church but through Christ. There are true believers in many churches, but not outside Biblical Christianity or out of the Body of Christ.

Process Response: T

Reformata sed Semper Reformanda: Reformed and always reforming. The Protestant principle that the Church should always be striving to conform to Scripture. So should Christians.

Process Response: T

Posse non Peccare: Able not to sin. Adam’s state before the Fall, and in another way also ours after we are saved. Non Posse non Peccare: Not able not to sin. Total inability to obey God or resist sinning. Unregenerate Man. Non Posse Peccare: Not able to sin. In one sense, God alone is unable to sin, being intrinsically holy. In another sense, the elect will be unable to sin when they are perfected in Heaven (Heb. 12:23; Eph. 1:4).


*For full definitions of these and many more, see Richard A. Muller, Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1985):
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(2017 Publish date) This indispensable companion to key post-Reformation theological texts provides clear and concise definitions of Latin and Greek terms for students at a variety of levels. Written by a leading scholar of the Reformation and post-Reformation eras, this volume offers definitions that bear the mark of expert judgment and precision. The second edition includes new material and has been updated and revised throughout.


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