Process Christianity:
"Farewell to Secular Evangelicalism"
by R.E. Slater
A long time ago I attended a class or two with Scot McKnight, then a very good basketball player for the college's varsity team. I've met or spoken to him a few times since but mainly have followed him on-and-off over the more recent years as I have developed the Relevancy22 website.
I consider Scot a sound Christian resource and influential NT Scholar in the world of evangelicalism. Though there are many evangelic preachers and theologians I would wish people would not follow, there are many others, like Scot, who serve as an excellent baseline for Reformed Theology. Especially in the area of expanded Covenant Reformed Theology standing alongside of Progressive Christianity.
To this foundation Scot has worked to incorporate many of the newer line thinkings of his faith as he envisions Jesus for the masses and not only for the evangelical church at large. Which means you'll find relevant discussion on evolution, biblical and systematic studies in the OT and NT, relevant issues on social justice and black theology, and perhaps, ecology. I've even noticed that he will critique his own reader's and their beliefs which I view as a help to the evangelical faith.
What I do not expect to find in any of Scot's discussions are his thoughts on Process Theology as the newest direction for the church to consider as it approaches the traditional bible from a cogent philosophical/theological perspective. This would not be dissimilar to other bible interpretations of the past found in the biblical narratives as prophets of the bible to the ancient theologians to this present era as all have spoken within their own philosophical contexts. From the many worlds of Semetic thought, to Sumerian, Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Reformational, Scholasticism, and such like. The only difference here is that the church never delineated its philosophical assumptions from its theological interpretations. It simply presumed its eclectic mishmash of philosophical thoughts to be right, and true, and "of God".
All Biblical Systems are Founded on Cultural Philosophies
Today's more informed theologians will preface their remarks by delineating what kind of philosophical context and religious tradition they are speaking out from. Typically, the nominal Christian will tend to ignore the philosophical contexts of the church's past creeds and doctrinal dogmas - including their own present existential contexts and presumptions of God and the bible. But be assured they are alive and well within any faith setting.
For the religion of evangelicalism, it writes from the broad cultural bias of a plethora of Westernized philosophies bathed in the cultures of American and British values. In Europe, those philosophies would be more Continental Philosophy bathed in German idealism et al. So for me to say that the bible may now be considered from within a process philosophical context is simply acknowledging the setting which "biblical" theologies have tended not to do within their own settings. If I am to presume at all then it is my assertion that Process Philosophy seems the more applicable in our quantum world of the 21st Century.
Moreover, process theology is not unlike the biblical or systematic theologies attempting to overlay the bible with their own sets of meaning which we in the world of American evangelicalism tend to think of as the "correct" interpretations of the bible. But it is only "correct" in that it is approved by a larger set of followers in those traditions. Traditions rooted in the eclectic past but not in the more focused present.
The Roots of Process Theology as a Metaphysic
Process philosophy (as is Process Theology) are rooted in the near present starting with Alfred North Whitehead's development of it in the early 1900s. Since that date, it has slowly been appearing in the sciences and in philosophical discussions (sometimes linked to Alain Badiou's Being and Event or GWF Hegel's Hegelianism).
For myself, I've noticed structured process thinking in the realm of quantum computing which is displacing the 20th Century's hybridized Boolean systems found throughout silicon-based high-speed computing. Newer orders of material mediums such as quantum entanglement will require newer orders of processing mediums such as process thought. As such, Process Thought is being found to be quite flexible in adapting the newer quantum medium to the technologies of the 21st Century.
Whiteheadian Process Thought is a cosmological metaphysic continuing the Hegelian effort of cosmogency begun several hundred years ago until it was replaced by the reductionism of the universe in terms of a machine-like, law-and-order kind of cosmogeny. This then bled over into social forms and morays, economics, politics, legal codes, etc. Under Whitehead, reductionism was left behind by reasserting that the universe is full of chaos, randomness, being, and event. It does not operate like a clockwork mechanism but more like a living and reactive organism ensnared in the processes of flow and interchange within itself as a whole.
And as a metaphysic it must then interplay with ontology, epistemology, and the many disciplines of contemporary scientific study. Process Philosophy is being viewed as an Integral Theory displacing all previous integral theories such as Platonism, Aristotlienism, and any other subtending philosophical approaches. As application, Process-based earth restoration in developing ecological civilizations will be profound even as China has been incorporating process features throughout its own ecological programs.
We live in a Process World
Consequently, the metaphysician Whitehead had stumbled upon an idea of reality which fits in with how the world operates from a quantum level to a biological level. A world of process. A process world of sociology, community, timeful event and era, human and organic psyche, movement, transport, learning, and so on. One should not think then that Process Thought cannot be applied on a spiritual or a religious level. Nor should one think that it cannot be found in the bible. If one knew what Process Thought was and how to look for it, then one should be able to see it everywhere in biblical theology. Even as John Calvin or Jacobus Arminius looked for their opposing systems in the bible, so too has this similar effort been done innumerable times before within the Church and by Gnostic sects setting themselves apart from the Church's official dogmas.
If Process Thought is true, as it seems it is in the world of science, then it nicely bundles up how we might rethink of God and His teachings in the bible as a whole and in its parts. Which is the beauty of the bible in meeting the needs of societies as they age and mature in perspective and value over time. Examples abound in today's contemporary matters of ethics and morals: Black Lives Matter, Minority Rights, Immigration Policy, Economic Security and Equality for the Impoverished and Middle Classes of Democracy, and even the Expansion of Constitutional Rights and Liberties of Citizens of an expanding, polypluralistic Democracy competing against non-democratic populist groups and Autocracies (such as evangelical culture's dominionist mindsets)
If I view the bible as being applicable to every age of man, then we need a bible which speaks to every age or era in the tongues of the vernacular. Missionaries and Evangelists have been doing this for years. Look at the story of Peace Child which stopped cannabalistic practice by exchanging tribal chiefs' progeny to their rival to be raised as their own in suing for peace between warring tribes. In the words of the Indo-Asian missionary, this God had done by offering His Son to the world. Or in the days of prohibition when a street preacher stood on the corners of Cicero, Chicago, shouted at gangsters as they gunned down one another to stop and repent. Good preaching must be relevant preaching. Relevant teaching uses all the tools at hand which God gives into the minds and hearts of those burdened with preaching the gospel of Jesus in all its forms and ways.
Process Theology Can Be Radically Salvific
In my mind, I would wager Process Theology will be quite in vogue twenty years from now. It tells a clearer story of God as Creator and Savior; of God's love centered in the atoning work of Jesus Christ to the world; of the world we live in and are to lean into rather than out of waiting for the proverbial heaven; and of a bible having become stilted in its readings and apprehensions by the secularized church.
Process Theology treats the bible on its own terms without forcing in layered assumptions and interpretations of its text. It will challenge all religions, including Christianity, and provide a common nexus for all national cultures and contexts to speak to one another from within. For myself, God has become more relatable, far closer, more intimate with the world I live in. The bible tells of this God in ways which updates the bible away from the common practices of evangelicalism literalizing its pages while creating an air of biblicism around the bible. Making the bible more magical than comporting with literary reality as process theology would do.
I could go on and on but for first-time Christians, or for those interested in Christianity, we should set a baseline of faith. In this case, I am choosing Scot McKnight as one of the more relevant voices of what a good, evangelic faith should look like. How it should breathe, walk, and talk, without all the dominionist, kingdom reconstructivist, or Trumpian talk of forcing secularized religious dogma upon a pluralistic democracy craving respect and dignity. True Christianity does not seek to enforce draconian religious laws into the reading of the United States Constitution by quasi-church supremacy beliefs. No, its seeks Jesus. To love as Jesus loved. To serve as Jesus served. Process Theology (as a formal structure) coupled with the (unrelated) social movement of Progressive Christianity will do that. And is being done now.
In summary, evangelicalism has breathed its last under this past pre-pandemic Covid19 era. The result has been to move God further away from us than ever before. Any church wishing to preach Jesus has been harmed in its gospel by the far-right Christian nationalist movement arguing for guns and personal liberties over the greater good of humanity itself.
I'm pretty sure God doesn't want the church's religious approval on what it means to be a Christian when God said, "All Who Are Weary, Come Unto Me." Process Christianity thinks this way too. All may come... and that without any prior qualifications. We come as we are not as we should be. This is the old timey gospel that has more recently been lost in the Moral Majority and 1990s Bible Inerrancy movements of Secular Evangelicalism. Its time to say "Farewell" to the evangelical church and to move forward in acclaiming the love of God for all, to all, and through all unto others. Amen.
R.E. Slater
April 29, 2021
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Meet Scot McKnight
His Body of Work: Northern Seminary
Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament
(630) 620-2113
Dr. Scot McKnight is a world-renowned speaker, writer, professor and equipper of the Church. He is a recognized authority on the historical Jesus, early Christianity, and the New Testament. His blog, Jesus Creed, is a leading Christian blog.
Dr. McKnight’s most recent books include Reading Romans Backwards and Pastor Paul.
A sought after speaker, he has been interviewed on several radio and television programs as well as spoken at numerous local churches, conferences, colleges, and seminaries in the United States and around the world. Scot McKnight is a member of the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for New Testament Studies.
McKnight’s books have been translated into Chinese, Korean, Russian, and Portuguese.
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The Jesus Creed is hosted on Patheos, an all-inclusive religious website. When searching on Scot's Blog be careful to search on it and not on the Patheos menu bar directly above the Jesus Creed. Remember, the Jesus Creed is hosted by Patheos. Essentially it is one of many blogs within the Patheos Community.
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| https://www.patheos.com/blogs/jesuscreed/ |
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Other YouTube Vids from Scot McKnight:
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Scot McKnight
Scot McKnight | |
|---|---|
 McKnight speaking at ACU's Summit in 2013 | |
| Born | November 9, 1953 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, theologian, speaker, author and blogger |
| Spouse(s) | Kristen |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Thesis | (1986) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | North Park University Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Northern Baptist Theological Seminary |
Scot McKnight (born November 9, 1953) is an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, theologian, and author who has written widely on the historical Jesus, early Christianity and Christian living. He is currently Professor of New Testament at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lisle, IL.[1][2] McKnight is an ordained Anglican with anabaptist leanings, and has also written frequently on issues in modern anabaptism.[3][4]
Childhood and Education
McKnight was raised in Freeport, Illinois. He earned a B.A. from Grand Rapids Baptist College (now known as Cornerstone University), an M.A. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and, in 1986, a PhD from the University of Nottingham, where he studied under James Dunn, who is known for his work on the New Perspective on Paul.
Career
McKnight was the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University from 1994 to 2012. Prior to joining the NPU faculty in 1994, he was a professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
McKnight is a prolific author, and has written more than fifty books. One of his most popular books, The Jesus Creed, won the Christianity Today book award for 2004 in the area of Christian living, and has spawned a number of popular small group studies and a DVD series.[5]
McKnight's blog, Jesus Creed (formerly hosted by Beliefnet and now by Patheos) is currently one of the most popular Evangelical blogs online.[6]
McKnight is a popular author and speaker on issues related to the emerging church; his blog was named the most popular blog online related to the movement.[7][8][9] He has supported many of the movement's aims. In recent years, however, he has expressed concern about the direction of the movement, particularly regarding the "emergent" stream within the emerging church and some of the work of Brian McLaren.[10] McKnight and California pastor Dan Kimball more or less officially broke with the emerging movement, and have since formed ReGeneration, an initiative that focuses on ministry to and with young adults.
McKnight has lectured in numerous countries, including Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, England, and Ireland. He has also been identified with the New Perspective on Paul.[11][12][13]
In April 2014 McKnight announced that he had joined the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a denomination founded by former members of The Episcopal Church. ACNA is not a member of the Anglican Communion.[14][circular reference] On April 26, 2014 he was ordained into Anglican Holy Orders as a Deacon at Church of the Redeemer in Highwood, Illinois.[15] In January 2017, McKnight began a series of posts explaining more about his transition into the Anglican tradition. He emphasized how much the church calendar was key in his decision to become Anglican, and included screen shots from Robert Webber's 2004 book Ancient Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year.[16]
Personal life
McKnight and his wife, Kristen, a psychologist, live in Libertyville, Illinois and have two grown children.[17] He and his daughter, Laura Barringer, coauthored the children's version of The Jesus Creed, called Sharing God's Love: The Jesus Creed for Children (2014).
Works
Books
- McKnight, Scot (1988). Interpreting the Synoptic Gospels. Guides to New Testament Exegesis. 2. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. ISBN 978-0-801-06235-3. OCLC 17805736.
- ——— (1989). Introducing New Testament Interpretation. Guides to New Testament Exegesis. 1. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books. ISBN 978-0-801-06260-5. OCLC 20522962.
- ——— (1991). A Light Among the Gentiles: Jewish missionary activity in the Second Temple period. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Pres. ISBN 9780800624521. OCLC 22451115.
- ———; Green, Joel B.; Marshall, I. Howard, eds. (1992). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. IVP Bible Dictionary Series. 6 (1st ed.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0-830-81777-1. OCLC 24538732.
- ——— (1993). Galatians: from Biblical text - to contemporary life. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-48470-7. OCLC 30594629.
- ——— (1996). 1 Peter: from Biblical text - to contemporary life. NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-49290-0. OCLC 33080191.
- ——— (1999). A New Vision for Israel: The Teachings of Jesus in National Context. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-802-84212-1. OCLC 40347339.
- ———; Williams, Matthew (2000). The Synoptic Gospels: An Annotated Bibliography. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell. ISBN 978-0801022272.
- ——— (2002). Turning to Jesus: The Sociology of Conversion in the Gospels. Louisville, KY: Westminster, John Knox Press. ISBN 978-0-664-22514-8. OCLC 49210209.
- ——— (2004). The Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press. ISBN 978-1-557-25400-9. OCLC 55665399.
- ———; Osborne, Grant R., eds. (2004). The Face of New Testament Studies: a survey of recent research. Grand Rapids, MI ; Leicester, England: Baker Academic ; Apollos. ISBN 978-0-801-02707-9. OCLC 53231282.
- ——— (2005). Embracing Grace: A Gospel for All of Us. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press. ISBN 978-1-557-25453-5.
- ———; Dunn, James D. G., eds. (2005). The Historical Jesus in Current Study. Sources for Biblical and Theological Study. 10. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. ISBN 978-1-575-06100-9. OCLC 61445802.
- ——— (2005). Jesus And His Death: Historiography, the Historical Jesus, And Atonement Theory. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. ISBN 978-1-932-79229-4. OCLC 61211229.
- ——— (2005). The Story of the Christ. London: Continuum. ISBN 978-0-826-48018-7.
- ——— (2006). Praying with the Church: Following Jesus Daily, Hourly, Today. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press. ISBN 978-1-557-25481-8.
- ——— (2006). The Real Mary: Why Evangelical Christians Can Embrace the Mother of Jesus. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press. ISBN 978-1-557-25523-5. OCLC 71312773.
- ——— (2007). A Community Called Atonement. Living Theology. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press. ISBN 978-0-687-64554-1. OCLC 81942825.
- ——— (2008). The Blue Parakeet: Rethinking How You Read the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-28488-8. OCLC 192081154.
- ———; Modica, Joseph B., eds. (2008). Who do my Opponents Say I Am?: an investigation of the accusations against Jesus. Library of New Testament Studies. 327. London: T & T Clark. ISBN 978-0-567-03126-6. OCLC 170035734.
- ——— (2010). One.Life: Jesus Calls, We Follow. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-27766-8.
- ——— (2011). The Letter of James. NICNT. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-802-82627-5. OCLC 644647197.
- ——— (2011). The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-49298-6.
- ——— (2013). A Long Faithfulness: The Case For Christian Perseverance. Patheos Press. ISBN 978-1-629-21469-6.
- ——— (2013). The Sermon on the Mount. The Story of God Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0310327134. OCLC 900633393.
- ——— (2013). Jesus is Lord, Caesar is Not: evaluating empire in New Testament studies. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. ISBN 978-0-830-83991-9. OCLC 812258103.
- ——— (2014). Kingdom Conspiracy: returning to the radical mission of the local church. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press. ISBN 9781587433603. OCLC 869268977.
- ———; Barringer, Laura McKnight (2014). Sharing God's Love: The Jesus Creed for Children. Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press. ISBN 978-1-612-61581-3.
- ——— (2015). A Fellowship of Differents: Showing the World God's Design for Life Together. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 978-0-310-27767-5.
- ——— (2016). The Apostle Paul and the Christian life: ethical and missional implications of the new perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. ISBN 978-0-801-04976-7.
- ———; Venema, Dennis R. (2017). Adam and the Genome: Reading Scripture after Genetic Science. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press. ISBN 978-1-587-43394-8.
- ——— (2017). The Letter to Philemon. NICNT. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-802-87382-8. OCLC 972802438.
- ——— (2018). The Letter to the Colossians. NICNT. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-802-86798-8. OCLC 1006532704.
- ——— (2018). It Takes a Church to Baptize: What the Bible Says about Infant Baptism. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press. ISBN 9781493414635.
Chapters
- ——— (2008). "Jesus as mamzer ("illegitimate son")". In ———; Modica, Joseph B. (eds.). Who do my Opponents Say I Am?: an investigation of the accusations against Jesus. Library of New Testament Studies. 327. London: T & T Clark. pp. 133–63. ISBN 978-0-567-03126-6. OCLC 170035734.
Articles
- ——— (1990). "James 2:18a: The Unidentifiable Interlocutor". Westminster Theological Journal. 52 (2): 355–364.
- ——— (1992). "The Warning Passages of Hebrews: A Formal Analysis and Theological Conclusions". Trinity Journal. 13 (1): 21–59.
References
- ^ "Scot McKnight". Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
- ^ "Northern Seminary | Scot McKnight Joins Northern Seminary". Seminary.edu. April 26, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ^ "Anabaptists: What, who, what?". February 29, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ^ Scot McKnight (March 25, 2007). "The Original Third Way: Anabaptism - Jesus Creed". Blog.beliefnet.com. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ^ "The Jesus Creed: Loving God and Loving Others". Paracletepress.com. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ^ "Blogging at Patheos". Patheos.com. August 24, 2010. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
- ^ [1]
- ^http://www.andyrowell.net/andy_rowell/files/scot_mcknight_what_is_the_emerging_church.pdf
- ^ "Five Emerging Streams". Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ "Brian McLaren's 'A New Kind of Christianity'". Retrieved March 27,2017.
- ^ "Jesus Creed - Scot McKnight on Jesus and orthodox faith for today". Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ "N.T. Wright, Scot McKnight and the Gospel: Compared and Contrasted". October 22, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ "Jesus Creed - Scot McKnight on Jesus and orthodox faith for today". Retrieved March 27, 2017.
- ^ Anglican Church in North America
- ^ "Jesus Creed blog". Patheos. April 9, 2014.
- ^ "Jesus Creed Blog". Patheos. January 9, 2017.
- ^ "Scot McKnight: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks, Kindle". Retrieved May 23, 2012.
External links
- Jesus Creed—Scot McKnight's personal blog
- Indepth Interview with Scot McKnight -- "Beyond Evangelical"
- Scot McKnight biography from Theopedia
- North Park University
- A Review of McKnight's FASTING
- Review of McKnight's The Blue Parakeet
- Off The Map Episode 4 Scot McKnight Talk from Missional Matrix in 2007
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