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, June 22, 2025

Moses in Process Theology: Jewish, Islamic, Christian



Moses in Process Theology
Jewish, Islamic, Christian

A Tri-Faith Comparative Study of Moses

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT


Having looked at Moses in several fashions in the last post lets do it again. This time I would like to re-envision Moses in Process Thought and in so doing offer a relational, processual reinterpretation of Moses across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the hopes of enriching the broader theme of processually evolving bibliology and interfaith understanding.

RES

In brief, as related to the literalistic interpretations of traditional Christianity and Islam, let us compare  the processual forms of Jewish, Islamic and Christian teachings on Moses as a mytho-historic figure of Moses from a processual viewpoint.

This would differ from the more typically traditional teaching of Moses from a literal-historic viewpoint using the philosophies more typical of (Christianized) Western civilization such as Platonism, Aristotelianism, Aquinas, et al.

ChatGPT

Certainly. Here’s a brief comparison of how Jewish and Islamic traditions—particularly in literalist or traditionalist interpretations—approach Moses (Hebrew: Moshe, Arabic: Musa) in relation to the biblical Exodus narrative:

📜 Moses in Jewish Literalism

AspectJewish Traditional View (Literalist)
RoleFounder of Israel’s nationhood; greatest prophet; lawgiver of the Torah.
RevelationReceived the Torah verbatim from God on Mount Sinai—both the Written Torah and the Oral Torah (per Rabbinic tradition).
MiraclesPlagues, parting of the Red Sea, water from the rock—accepted as historical, divine interventions.
Sinai EventCentral moment in Jewish identity; literal giving of the Ten Commandments by God.
LegacyMoses is revered, but not divine. Prophecy is understood to have ceased after him, with later prophets seen as lesser.

☪️ Moses in Islamic Literalism

AspectIslamic Traditional View (Literalist)
RoleOne of the greatest prophets (nabi) and messengers (rasul) before Muhammad.
RevelationReceived the Tawrat (Torah), a holy book originally given by God but believed to have been partially corrupted over time.
MiraclesHis miracles (staff turning to a serpent, parting of the sea) are literal signs (ayat) of God's power.
Exodus StoryCentral narrative in the Qur'an (e.g., Surah 20, 26, 28), emphasizing Moses vs. Pharaoh as a timeless battle of faith vs. tyranny.
LegacyMoses is honored as a Muslim prophet, but not above Muhammad, who is the final prophet and seal of revelation.

🔍 Key Differences in Literalist Contexts

FeatureJewish ViewIslamic View
ScriptureTorah given once and fully through MosesTawrat was true but later altered; Qur'an corrects the record
TheophanyGod appears and speaks directly to Moses (but without visible form)Moses hears God, but cannot see Him; God’s transcendence strictly upheld
LawMosaic Law remains binding for JewsMosaic Law was valid, but abrogated by the Qur'an
SupremacyMoses as supreme prophet for JewsMuhammad as final and supreme prophet in Islam

🧠 Summary Insight (Process Lens)

Both traditions literalize the core events of Moses’ life, seeing him as a true historical figure, chosen by God, and involved in miraculous acts. However:

  • Judaism centers Moses as the apex of divine-human revelation.

  • Islam honors Moses but places him within a line of progressive prophecy culminating in Muhammad.

In both cases, literalist readings preserve authority, but often suppress metaphorical, evolving, or communal interpretations—precisely where a processual theology would re-open the text for relational and transformative engagement.


ChatGPT

Let us now reimagine Moses through the lens of Jewish and Islamic processual thought—that is, theology grounded not in static literalism or rigid dogma, but in relationality, evolving revelation, and divine-human co-becoming.


✡️ Moses in Jewish Processual Thought

While traditional Judaism tends toward reverence for Torah literalism, Jewish processual or post-literal theology (e.g., Martin Buber, Mordecai Kaplan, Arthur Green) reinterprets Moses as a relational archetype rather than a fixed historical instrument.

Core Themes:

ThemeProcessual Jewish Interpretation
Revelation at SinaiNot a one-time event, but an ongoing encounter between Israel and the Divine—what Kaplan called the “continuing revelation” of God in community.
TorahNot dictated law, but evolving wisdom, shaped by centuries of communal wrestling with justice, ethics, and identity.
Moses' LeadershipEmbodies the struggle of the prophet—mediator between people and Presence, both revered and resisted.
Divine Name (“Ehyeh”)“I will be what I will be” signals a God-in-becoming—a Presence that adapts, evolves, responds in relationship.
The ExodusMore than a literal event—it is the pattern of liberation repeated in every generation. “In every generation, one must see oneself as if one came out of Egypt.”

Reframed Moses:

Moses becomes not the deliverer once, but the every-time voice that calls us to leave whatever Pharaoh binds us and cross whatever sea holds us back.


☪️ Moses in Islamic Processual Thought

Though Islam is deeply scriptural and prophetic in structure, modern Islamic thought influenced by processual ideas (e.g., Fazlur Rahman, Mohammed Arkoun, and process-friendly mystics like Rumi and Ibn Arabi) allows us to reinterpret Musa (Moses) through a lens of unfolding divine relationship.

Core Themes:

ThemeProcessual Islamic Interpretation
ProphethoodProphethood is not mechanical transmission but the unfolding of God’s will in time and context. Each prophet, including Musa, reveals aspects of divine guidance suited to their era.
The Qur’anic MusaMusa’s dialogue with Pharaoh, his fear, his stumbling speech—all emphasize a deeply human, evolving prophet who grows through divine encounter.
Divine CommunicationGod speaks not from outside history, but within it, through signs (ayat), symbols, and moral consciousness.
LiberationThe Exodus narrative (retold across many Surahs) is a recurring spiritual truth: God liberates those who struggle for justice in every age.
Divine NameThough God's name is not rendered like “I AM,” the 99 Names of God suggest a relational, multifaceted divinity—mercy, justice, patience—unfolding in response to creation.

Reframed Musa:

Musa is not just the prophet of the past, but the one who still stands at the burning bush, calling each generation to confront its Pharaoh and hear God's whisper in its own tongue.


🔄 Processual Harmony

Both Jewish and Islamic reinterpretations can, when untethered from rigid literalism, approach Moses/Musa as:

Shared Processual Themes

  • A symbol of liberation in every generation.
  • A prophet who grows in his relationship with God, not one who has everything revealed at once.
  • A servant of a relational, dynamic God—not a remote dictator but an involved Presence.
  • A voice of ethical conscience and moral becoming—God’s will unfolds not in law alone but in justice, mercy, and struggle.

🌿 Final Processual Midrash

In fire that does not consume,
in speech that does not silence,
in laws that evolve,
in freedom not yet fulfilled—
there stands Moses.

Not behind us.
Not above us.

But within us,
calling us to listen again
for the voice
that is always
becoming.

          - ChatGPT


IX. Tri-Faith Comparative Study: Moses in Process Thought

Moses (Moshe/Musa) stands as a central figure across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. While literalist traditions emphasize his historical acts, laws, and miracles, a processual lens reimagines Moses not as a fixed figure, but as a living archetype of liberation, transformation, and divine-human partnership.

✡️ Judaism (Processual View)

  • Revelation: Sinai is not a one-time event, but a continuous unfolding of divine wisdom in community.

  • Torah: Evolving ethical and ritual guidance reflecting God’s lure through generations.

  • Leadership: Moses is the paradigm of the reluctant prophet, mediating justice, wrestling with God and people.

  • Divine Name: “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” (I will be what I will be) reflects God’s processual becoming.

✝️ Christianity (Processual View)

  • Mosaic Typology: Moses foreshadows Christ, but Christ deepens the relational invitation—from Law to Love.

  • Liberation Motif: Moses as the symbol of deliverance reinterpreted in Christ's cruciform liberation.

  • Law and Grace: In process theology, both Law and Grace are evolving revelations, not opposing absolutes.

  • Revelation: Christ is the Living Word, but Moses remains a co-journeyer in God's story of becoming.

☪️ Islam (Processual View)

  • Tawrat: Originally given to Musa, not as a fixed code but as divine guidance within historical context.

  • Prophethood: Musa exemplifies the moral, struggling prophet; revelation is responsive, not mechanical.

  • Miracles: Symbols of divine nearness and moral awakening, not suspensions of natural law.

  • Justice: Musa's confrontation with Pharaoh represents the eternal ethical struggle against tyranny.

🌿 Shared Processual Themes

ThemeJudaismChristianityIslam
LiberationExodus as enduring modelChrist as liberator in Mosaic traditionMusa as model for confronting injustice
Divine Becoming“I will be what I will be”Christ as God becoming fleshGod's many names unfolding in response
Law as InvitationOngoing dialogue with TorahFrom law to love as growthSharia as contextual unfolding of divine will
Prophet as PartnerMoses co-labors with GodJesus as Son-partner of GodMusa as faithful servant of divine justice

Final Reflection

Moses, like a prism, refracts divine light differently in each tradition. But through process eyes, we see the same truth: that God does not act alone, and that revelation is always in motion. In every faith, Moses invites us to step into the fire that does not consume—to listen, to struggle, and to become.


As a reminder, this study integrates with the broader theme of process-relational bibliology by showing how sacred figures - whether literal or mytho-historic - participate in the dynamic process of divine-human evolutionary history.

R.E. Slater
June 22, 2025


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