Recently I had open heart surgery and have been recovering these past several weeks. In lieu of my occasional essays I will provide readers with additional process resources which may be read here and then linked over to process websites for future readings and study along with my own here.
Below is the inter-religious process site, Process & Faith, tended by Sheri Kling, a process scholar and theologian. She has chosen to interlink the world's major religions to Whitehead's process philosophy and thereby bring a point of common ground between process Christianity (mainly Protestantism, but some Catholicism and Eastern Christian sects) with process Islam, process Buddhism, process Judaism, and so forth.
Too, Chad Bahl is a Facebook friend of mine whose latest work is being promoted this month on the Process & Faith website. Hence, I've included Chad's book and Youtube video herein.
As I recover I urge exploration of the sites I will share in the week(s) ahead. Mainly Jay McDaniel's writings which he has been airing out on Facebook. For my own ambition, I am thinking of relearning Whitehead's Process Philosophy and Cobb's Process Theology through Andrew Davis' insights which I'll share in time.
Further, I hope to begin piecing together how we should begin learning to read the bible in a process-based evangelic which I'll call a process of post-evangelic, metamodern, and process theological cultural "eyes" and understanding.
Since I was raised as a fundamental Baptist and my training is in Reformed theology and evangelical Calvinism, recent "maga-shunning" ex-vangelicals might find comfort in my site as I explore pushing out the boundaries of my former faith via process theology. If I were to rewrite this site and my journey again, I think I might do it by way of writing process commentaries on the books of the bible just like theologians of old did via their own background and training. Perhaps in a year or so I might start this as I've been contemplating writing a commentary on the book of Colossians lately. We'll see.
Otherwise, I wish to tie together my many past hundreds of articles previous developed on the theme of Evolution and God with a final series on The Evolution of God and Religion. Much of it is charted out... I just have to put it all together.
As always, Relevancy22 tells of mine own journey out of traditional evangelic Calvinism through evangelical Arminianism into Open and Relational theology and finally, into Open and Relational PROCESS theology. Both of which Chad Bahl and Thomas Oord do assent by way of seeding process thought into evangelicalism by way of Oord's own version of Open and Relational thought reform.
Myself, I'm just going to state process theology outright - whether it's accepted by my past fellowship or not. I feel that the future of Christianity is dependent on process thought if it is to survive outside of the mythic and existential-subjectivism that it currently has lapsed into.
Christian processualism expands the Christian faith; recenters it into God's love and Christ Jesus alone (without the typical doctrainnaires of the Institutionalized Church); and expands the entire study of systematic theology from the Godhead through to Eternity.
Process Christianity proposes an Open Faith, and Open Future, and an Open Godhead, as I've explained over the years. It's now up to my readers to grasp the subject, learn the subject, and learn to speak it better than I have in the years ahead if it is to find any footing in the Christian faith.
For both Schleiermacher and Whitehead, God is not “up there somewhere.” Rather, God is most readily found by looking inward, to where God is experienced.
In theological circles, German philosopher Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834) may be best known for his text, On Religion: Speeches to Its Cultured Despisers, his effort to defend religion from Enlightenment skeptics. He’s also been a subject of interest to process thinkers like Philip Clayton, Thandeka, and, more recently, Chad Bahl. In his doctoral research, Chad has been putting Schleirmacher’s thoughts on faith and feeling into conversation with the work of Alfred North Whitehead.
He has found that “In both process thought and Schleiermacher’s philosophy, the essence of existence is not lifeless matter or dogmatic precepts. Rather, it is lived experience. In this lived experience, we are interconnected both as human beings and in fellowship with the Divine.”
Schleiermacher is known for talking about faith as a feeling of “absolute dependence.” Resonant with Whitehead’s thinking about God’s aims for every actual event, Chad describes this as a “natural result of being in tune with our deepest intuitions. It arises from our recognition of the presence and purpose of God in our lives.” As we cultivate our awareness of God—through spiritual practices like contemplation—this feeling naturally arises as a kind of “God-consciousness” that is “developed as we experience community with others, fellowship with the Divine, interaction with nature, the Gospel story, and much more.”
While each of us may experience the Divine differently, it is this “personal perception, (not reason, dogma, or scientific proof), which serves as the centering principle for faith.” According to Chad, attuning to this interior faith and feeling is crucial to human life. “We become fully actualized human beings when we realize fellowship with the Divine in our experiences of both Creator and creation.”
About the Speaker:
Chad Bahl, DThM candidate at Northwind Theological Seminary, specializes in the study of Open and Relational Theology. Bahl is the author of God Unbound: An Evangelical Reconsiders Tradition in Search of Truth, the author/editor of Deconstructing Hell: Open and Relational Responses to the Doctrine of Eternal Conscious Torment, and, most recently, the author of Mornings with Schleiermacher: A Devotional Inspired by the Father of Modern Theology.
Process & Faith is a multi-faith network for relational spirituality and the common good.
The theme of
his ninth day is “Beauty and Peace.” He begins with Schleirmacher: “One
can say that the distinguishing essence of Christianity exists not in
action, but in rest… The highest human perfection is portrayed as rest
in the contemplation of God and God’s self.” Chad then ties that to
Whitehead on God’s vision for beauty and Jesus’ declaration of the
peace he would leave with his followers.
But it’s
Chad’s own sentence that captured me. He writes, “We are given Peace so
that we can join God in the creation of Beauty.” Such a simple yet
profound sentence.
I recently had
the opportunity to hear Dr. Barbara Rossing, a New Testament professor
at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, speak about the book of
Revelation. (Her book The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the
Book of Revelation is on this topic.) Dr. Rossing
mentioned that she’d learned from a Hebrew scholar that a frequently
appearing line in the book of Genesis most often translated as “And God
saw that it was good,” could also be translated as “And God saw that it
was beautiful.”
Maybe Beauty
has been the point all along!
Whitehead
suggests that the divine vision for Beauty is only finally achieved
when the discordant elements that exist in such tension and suffering
in the world pass or perish into the ever-enlarging consequent nature
of God and are held and harmonized there into a greater whole with
everlasting value. This may be what is meant by “the Peace of God that
passes all [temporal] understanding.”
For Whitehead,
this is the kingdom of heaven and the love of God for the world. This
is the way that the particular sufferings of the world achieve peace.
And those transformed conditions then become the redeemed possibilities
that initiate every new moment of becoming and offer us our own pathway
to Beauty.
As Whitehead
describes it, “What is done in the world is transformed into a reality
in heaven, and the reality in heaven passes back into the world.”
Another beautiful turn of phrase.
May these and
other sentences inspire you to create more beauty of your own in the
world!
Relationally
yours,
Sheri D. Kling, Ph.D.
Director
Please
consider making a donation to Process & Faith today
Process
and Presence: Explorations in Process Philosophy and Zen Buddhism
Beginning
October 22, this learning circle will have five monthly sessions. Led
by Reverend
Reirin Gumbel (resident priest, Milwaukee Zen Center) and Jay McDaniel (Chair,
Center for Process Studies), this
conversation will explore the synergies between Zen Buddhism and
Process Philosophy, with a particular emphasis on Taoism as a
foundational source for Zen.
NOTE:
Registration for this offering has filled, but you can email
info@mkzen.org to be added to a waitlist.
Subsequent sessions of this learning circle will be offered in the
future.
Online
Workshop with Sheri Kling
November 12
& 19, 7:00-8:30PM Eastern.
P&F
director, Sheri
Kling, is offering a two-session online workshop with
Ilia Delio’s Center for Christogenesis (of
Villanova University) in November. In the workshop, “Healing Our
Collective Pain: Worldviews, Dreamwork, and Transformation,” Sheri will
draw from the process thought of Alfred North Whitehead and the
analytical psychology of Carl Gustav Jung as integrating resources to
address the fragmentation of western culture. She’ll also introduce
dream work as a spiritual practice for transformation.
Readings
on Faiths Around the World: In the Beginning… Creativity
Three Mondays,
November 18, 25, and December 2. 8:30am Pacific / 10:30am Central.
In this
learning circle, Terry
Goddard will lead discussions on Gordon D. Kaufman’s In the Beginning… Creativity.
In this little book Kaufman suggests a different way in which to
conceive of God—as creativity. In some ways his claim is not
unlike that of Alfred North Whitehead. Whitehead suggested
creativity not as God but as the ultimate in the
universe. However, in many other ways Kaufman’s thought is
very different as his book reveals.
Interweavings:
Sacred Practices, Dynamic Texts (NEW DATE)
Wednesday,
November 13, 5pm PDT/8pm EDT
How might
ancient texts speak to us afresh today? Can pre–modern practices be
revitalized and re-imagined to address modern concerns? Rabbi Leila Gal Berner
and Sheri D.
Kling strongly believe that there is still something
life-giving in both ancient texts and pre-modern practices, and that
both can be explored in dynamic ways while still being grounded in
timeless wisdom. In this event, Rabbi Berner and Dr. Kling will share their
own experiences with reshaping traditional practices to reawaken modern
sensibilities to potentially transforming encounters with texts and
with God.
Renewing
Faith Online Conference
January 23-25,
2025
Process &
Faith invites you on a sacred online journey to renew your faith and
explore how we live into Christian process and open & relational
theology together. During this multi-day online event, we’ll explore
several core themes of Christian faith—not academically, but in “big
conversations” and practices.
Christian
Process Explorations (Ongoing)
Fourth Monday
of every month, with Sheri Kling and Jay McDaniel 5:00 PM
Pacific / 8:00 PM Eastern (Monday, October 28, November 25)
This Learning
Circle focuses on the exploring, sharing, and practice of Christian
process-relational theology, as relevant to all age groups: children,
teenagers, adults, senior citizens. This Learning Circle is
co-sponsored by the P&F Christian Path Group.
Process
& Faith on YouTube!
We continue to
add to our Process & Faith YouTube channel
with recordings of our public offerings! Subscribe and enable
notifications to stay updated with our latest releases!
Process & Faith
publishes lectionary commentaries for Christian clergy and faith
communities, thanks to the leadership of Rev. Dr. Nichole Torbitzky,
associate professor of religion at Lindenwood University who is
coordinating the effort. You can access each week’s commentaries at
this with the button below.
The
Center for Process Studies
CALL FOR
PAPERS: Is It Too Late?: Toward an Ecological Civilization
We are pleased
to officially announce this call for papers for the “Is It Too Late?:
Toward Ecological Civilization” conference, commemorating the centenary
of eco-sage John B. Cobb Jr. This significant event will also mark a
decade since our transformative 2015 “Seizing an Alternative”
conference and the founding of the Institute for Ecological
Civilization. Held in conjunction with the 18th International Forum on
Ecological Civilization and the 7th International Youth Forum on
Ecological Civilization, the conference will take place at Claremont
School of Theology in Westwood, Los Angeles.
The
Living Earth Movement/Church for Our Common Home
The Living
Earth Movement is a co-sponsor of the Church for Our Common Home, a
community that meets in person (Dallas, OR) and online on Sundays at
4pm Pacific. They also offer Earth Crisis Support Groups and Potluck
Parties in Oregon and New York.
The Importance
of Happiness During Challenging Times
This month,
we’d also like to share a new series of animated videos by Jewish
creator Hanan
Harchol on “The Importance of Happiness During
Challenging Times.” In this three-part series, Hanan looks at happiness
vs. pleasure, the importance of relationships, social media,
disconnection and addiction, loneliness, and the choices we can make
that will lead to happiness. There are links to all the videos below as
well as to a study guide.
New
from SacraSage
The Quest for Thin Places: How to Find Spirituality
after Deconstruction
Religious deconstruction is not a linear process. We
won’t one day “arrive” and figure it all out. There is no “end” to
the deconstructing and reconstructing cycle. In this book, Dana Robert Hicks
outlines a cyclical model of continuous deconstruction and
reconstruction. The model helps facilitate the deepest longings of
the human heart: the experiences of awe, wonder, and transcendence.
Find it here.
Beyond Fairy Tales: A Couple’s Guide to Finding
Clarity, Doing the Work, and Building a Lasting Relationship
Let’s be real—love isn’t all roses, margaritas, and
sunsets; it’s messy, complicated, and sometimes really hard. It’s not
about chasing some perfect ending, but about ditching the fantasies,
learning to love each other as you are, and doing the gritty, beautiful
work of thriving together. Beyond Fairy Tales will show you how to
make that journey a reality. Find it here.
Why the Church of the Nazarene Should Be Fully LGBTQ+
Affirming
A growing number of people are calling for fresh
conversations about sexuality and gender. And many want fundamental
change. This book gives voice to those people. There are strong
reasons the Church of the Nazarene should become fully LGBTQ+
affirming. The writers of these essays – whether queer or straight –
lay out those reasons, share their experiences, and explain why
change is needed. Find it here.
Community Found: A Process for Getting to Good
Together
The stories in this book provide compelling evidence
that community is the key to sustainability—our getting to good
together. Discover what happens when a divided and left behind people
experience community. Witness how a small dying town with a single story
of pervasive decline and a draining economy restores life to
themselves and their town, and in the process light a path towards
shared goodness that others can follow. Find it here.
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