A Process Theology View of Universalism: What About Injustice? Part 2

A PROCESS THEOLOGY VIEW

OF UNIVERSALISM:

What About Injustice?

PART 2

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

Introduction:

Christian universalism raises deep questions about love, justice, judgment, and redemption. For many, it offers the hope that all will eventually be saved. But in Process Theology, that hope is rooted not in divine force or inevitability, but in divine persuasion, freedom, and the ongoing possibility of transformation. This document explores the nature of heaven, hell, and divine justice through the lens of process thought, offering a vision of universalism grounded in love without coercion.

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Statement

If the unjust are never punished, and if the same perpetrators are ultimately redeemed, where is the justice for victims? Doesn’t this make evil meaningless or excusable?

Response

Heaven, Hell, and Annihilation in Process Theology

• Heaven is not a place of reward, but a state of full relational harmony with God. It is becoming aligned with divine lure and participating in co-creation with God.

• Hell is not a realm of torment, but the self-chosen experience of resisting love, narrowing one’s becoming, and isolating oneself from relational wholeness.

• Annihilation in the process view is not literal erasure but the unrealized potential of a soul. All experiences are retained in God’s consequent nature, even those marked by distortion or failure.

In Process Theology, time is real and ongoing—even beyond death. Eternity is not a static realm, but an everlasting openness to God's lure. Postmortem transformation remains possible because divine love never ceases its invitation, and creaturely freedom continues to respond.

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Justice and the Suffering of the Innocent

Evangelical theology often frames justice as retribution, asking: “Where is justice for the victim if the unjust are not punished?”

Process theology redefines justice as relational healing rather than divine punishment. It insists:

• The suffering of victims is never forgotten or erased. God holds and redeems it in the divine memory (sic, God's consequent nature).

• God is the great companion who suffers with the victim and works persistently to redeem that suffering in the unfolding of history.

• The pain is not erased. It is transformed through time, memory, relationship, and divine responsiveness.

• The unjust experience real consequence - not imposed punishment, but alienation, dis-integration, and eventual invitation to transformation.

• True justice includes the restoration of victims, the transformation of perpetrators, and the renewal of community.

God’s justice is not about punishment but about healing the whole.

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The Unjust Face Consequence

Even if coercive punishment is not part of the process vision, consequence still is:

• The unjust are not “let off the hook.”

• Their estrangement, distortion, and fragmentation from divine lure are themselves a kind of suffering - not imposed by God, but embedded in the nature of reality.

• God may still call the unjust into accountability, not for vengeance, but for transformation and restitution.

If hell exists, it is the felt experience of resisting love. But God never stops offering the way out via redemption.

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Redemption Includes the Wounded

If the unjust are ever truly transformed (freely, never forced), process theology insists that:

• It must include reparative action - the healing of relationships, including divine justice toward those harmed.

• The victim’s dignity is not overwritten by cheap grace but honored through divine memory and relational repair.

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The Role of Memory and Forgiveness

Process Theology emphasizes God’s consequent nature as the living memory of all creation. No experience - however joyful or tragic - is lost. God eternally values all moments and weaves them into the divine life.

Forgiveness, in this framework, is not dependent on the offender’s repentance but arises from God’s enduring will to reconcile and redeem. Divine forgiveness is offered without coercion, and its reception remains open-ended.

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The Christological Vision

Jesus Christ in Process Theology is not the enforcer of divine wrath but the archetype of persuasive love. In Christ, we see the embodiment of divine vulnerability, sacrificial compassion, and healing presence. The cross is not about satisfying divine justice through violence, but about revealing the depth of God's solidarity with the suffering and God's ultimate lure toward resurrection life.

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Cosmic Universalism

Process universalism extends beyond humanity. All creation - animals, ecosystems, and possibly conscious artificial intelligences - are part of God’s ongoing process. God’s lure is not limited to human souls but includes the flourishing of all relational life. Redemption is not only personal; it is ecological and cosmic.

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Pastoral Implications

A vision of hope without coercion transforms how we live, preach, grieve, and minister:

• To the grieving parent: your child is eternally held by God.

• To the victim: your pain is remembered and honored.

• To the doubter: salvation is not a test to pass but a relationship to grow.

Pastorally, this theology nurtures courage, compassion, and faithful imagination—trusting that love will have the final word.

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Summary Table: Evangelical vs. Process Views of Justice

Evangelical Justice	Process Theology Justice
Retribution for wrongdoers	Restoration of all relationships
Fixed judgment at death	Ongoing divine lure beyond death
Divine wrath against evil	Divine compassion with real consequence
Exclusion or torment	Transformation or enduring distance (by choice)
Vindication through violence	Vindication through healing and wholeness

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Conclusion:

Process Theology affirms a universal hope - but never by force. It envisions a world in which all are lovingly called, persistently invited, and eternally held by God’s persuasive presence. Salvation is not imposed; it is co-created. Justice is not retribution; it is transformation. Love does not end. And though the future is open, hope endures—because God never stops calling creation forward.

In a universe shaped by process, hope without coercion is not weak. It is divine.

A Process Theology View of Universalism: Hope Without Coercion, Part 1

A PROCESS THEOLOGY VIEW

OF UNIVERSALISM:

Hope Without Coercion

PART 1

by R.E. Slater and ChatGPT

Introduction

From time-to-time I wander in-and-out of past subjects I've written about. Today's subject on Christian Universalism is such an event. I have heard of painters who would paint the same subject over-and-over, and I feel that this sometimes describes my own passion to turn a Christian doctrine or theme around-and-around until I can see it clearly.

It would seem that the subject of Universalism is one of those dogmatic watersheds on which Christians deem a significant turning point which can dramatically reshape understanding, belief, or practice within a religious tradition. If accepted, it becomes a moment of profound change, altering the course of theological thought and leading to new perspectives or interpretations on the Christ-event and biblical teaching.

Universalism teaches that all humans will ultimately be saved through Christ. It seems reasonable to many Christians and unreasonable to many others. It might also be described a a theological theologoumenon which means that it is a concept which derives its force more from outside the bible than inside it. A theologoumenon is defined as "a theological statement or concept more in the area of individual opinion than of authoritative doctrine."

For myself, I might be generally persuaded towards accepting universalism though my greatest doctrinal obstacle has always been the resolvement of injustice and evil. If universalism is true than where is the justice for those who have suffered at the hands of evil men and women?

Thus, I have always felt there should be some form of penalty incurred on those who refused God's love - and in sharing that love in this life - with others. Additionally, though I no longer consider heaven or hell a spiritual destination I still am tempted to wonder about the theologoumenon teaching annihilation of body and soul of those who continued in refusing Christ.

But these were yesteryear's struggles as I've written about in the early years of this website. With process theology I find I may look at Christian Universalism, heaven, hell, annihilation, good and evil from yet another perspective.

I

Christian Universalism: Pros and Cons

Pros of Christian Universalism

Emphasis on God's love and mercy: Universalists highlight God's character as fundamentally loving and merciful, suggesting that a benevolent God would not consign anyone to eternal suffering.

Hope and comfort: This doctrine offers hope that all loved ones, regardless of their earthly faith, will ultimately be saved and reunited with God, providing emotional comfort for many believers.

Motivation for evangelism based on love, not fear: Universalism can motivate evangelism by emphasizing God's universal love and grace, rather than focusing on the fear of an eternal hell.

Provides answers to the problem of evil and hell: Universalism can offer theological answers to the questions of how a loving God can allow for evil and suffering, by suggesting a path for everyone to eventually be restored to God.

Biblical support: Proponents point to certain biblical passages like Romans 5:18, 11:32, Colossians 1:20, and 1 Timothy 2:3-4 as supporting the idea of universal salvation.

Historical precedent: Christian universalism was held by some in the early church, notably Origen.

Cons of Christian Universalism

Contradiction of traditional biblical interpretation: Many critics argue that universalism contradicts passages emphasizing eternal punishment and the necessity of faith in Christ for salvation, citing verses like Matthew 25:46, John 3:36, and Revelation 20:15.

Undermines the seriousness of sin and God's justice: Critics suggest that universalism may minimize the gravity of sin and the need for repentance, undermining the concept of divine judgment.

May diminish the urgency of evangelism: If all are eventually saved, some argue it lessens the urgency of sharing the Gospel and the importance of individual conversion in this life.

Potential for moral complacency: Some critics worry that the belief in universal salvation could lead to a less urgent pursuit of holiness and righteous living.

Impact on core Christian doctrines: Embracing universalism can lead to a re-evaluation of other key Christian beliefs, such as the nature of hell, the role of free will, and even the atonement of Christ.

Reinterpretation of scripture: Critics contend that universalists often selectively interpret or reinterpret biblical passages to fit their theological framework, rather than accepting the clear meaning of the texts. [I find this a moving argument fitting the background of the arguer]

NOTE

It is important to note that discussions surrounding Christian universalism involve diverse interpretations of scripture and varying theological viewpoints within Christianity

II.

What is the Process version of Universalism?

• Universalism is the belief that all beings will ultimately be saved. It has long been debated in theological circles.

• Some affirm it as a guaranteed outcome, citing God’s sovereignty and love as ensuring universal reconciliation.

• Process theology offers another perspective.

• Rather than asserting inevitability, it grounds its vision in divine relationality, persuasive love, and the open-ended freedom of all creatures.

• What follows is a very short expression of process-based universalism and a brief engagement with classical interpretations that insist on guaranteed outcomes.

1

Process-based universalism (short version)

All things are in process, and God's loving presence works within all processes to guide creation toward healing, wholeness, and harmony. Ultimately, no one is ever finally cut off from God's lure toward love.

BUT... it is a hope - not a guarantee - that all beings will eventually respond to the divine call, because love never forces but always invites.

2

How does Process Theology Differ from Guaranteed Universalism?

Process theology differs from guaranteed universalism in this key way:

Process universalism is hopeful - but not certain - because it honors freedom. Love cannot guarantee every being will respond - that is, Love can only lure, call, beckon the wayward to come.

A guaranteed outcome would violate the very relational, open-ended nature of process.

In short:

• Classical universalism: All will be saved — inevitably.

• Process universalism: All can be saved — hopefully.

3

What does this imply re living vs death?

In life, every moment is an invitation to grow in love, truth, and beauty.

In death, the process continues - God still lures the soul toward healing and wholeness.

But:

Freedom never ends, not even in death. Love may still be refused. And yet, the divine invitation never ceases.

Thus, hope endures, but not through force—only through unrelenting, patient love.

4

Question: Could one say the following...

"A guaranteed outcome gives everyone freedom while also recognizing that everyone will freely be transformed into the revelation that God is their origin and home because that’s why they were created. It is the telos of the universe and every created being. I believe scripture that every knee will eventually bow and every tongue acclaim Christ’s Lordship."

Answer

No.

This view affirms a beautiful telos - but process theology would gently challenge the logic. If transformation is guaranteed, freedom becomes illusion. True love honors the possibility of refusal, even if we hope none will choose it.

“Every knee will bow” can be read as poetic hope, not mechanistic certainty. In process thought, God’s love is persuasive, not coercive - and persuasion allows for real risk, real freedom, and real hope.

Conclusion

• Process-based universalism affirms that God’s love is endlessly active, luring all beings toward their fullest becoming.

• It shares the hope of universal reconciliation - but refuses to make it a certainty that overrides freedom.

• This open-ended vision of process theology preserves the integrity of love along with the corporeal (freewill) agency of all creation.

• In such a universe, salvation is not an imposition but a co-created journey of grace between God and creation.

Appendix

 By the way, the painter mentioned at the outset was Claude Monet:

Claude Monet is well-known for painting the same subjects multiple times, particularly in series. He focused on capturing the changing effects of light and atmosphere on his chosen subjects, such as haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and water lilies.

Monet's series of paintings on the same subject, like the Haystacks series, Rouen Cathedral series, or Water Lilies series, demonstrate his dedication to capturing subtle variations in light and mood across different times of day and seasons. He would set up multiple canvases and work on them simultaneously, switching between them as the light changed.

Other artists, like Rembrandt and Van Gogh, also created multiple versions of the same subject, but Monet's series are particularly notable for their systematic exploration of a single subject under varying conditions.

The Imagery of Revelation from a Processual Perspective

The Imagery of Revelation from

a Processual Perspective

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

Embracing the Lamb amid Empire Horror

From Imperial Ruin and Destruction to

Transformed Lives within communities of Christ....

- R.E. Slater

Imagery in Revelation

When checking with AI on the Internet about the imagery used in Revelation it said this:

The Book of Revelation is rich with symbolic imagery, employing metaphors, similes, and allegorical narratives to convey spiritual truths and warnings.

These images often draw from the Old Testament, ancient Jewish literature, and the Hellenistic culture of the time, and are used to paint a picture of God's ultimate victory over evil and the establishment of his eternal kingdom.

Key aspects of Revelation's imagery:

• Symbolic Numbers:
• Numbers like seven (wholeness, completeness), twelve (God's people), and multiples of ten (indefinite large number) are used symbolically.

• Visual Language:
• The book is filled with visions, and the term "imagery" is widely accepted to describe its style.

• Old Testament Connections:
• Revelation reinterprets and expands on Old Testament imagery, particularly from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Daniel, in the context of the New Covenant.

• Transformation of Reality:
• The imagery aims to transform the reader's understanding of ultimate reality, encouraging faithful discipleship and action.

• Good vs. Evil:
• The book presents a cosmic conflict between good and evil, with vivid depictions of both heavenly glory and the destructive forces of evil.

• Hope and Judgment:
• Revelation combines images of judgment and destruction with those of hope and ultimate restoration.

 

  

Examples of specific imagery:

• The Lamb: Jesus is portrayed as a slain Lamb, representing sacrifice and redemption.

• The Woman and the Dragon: The woman, representing Israel or the church, is pursued by the dragon, symbolizing Satan.

• The Beasts: Beasts from Daniel's visions reappear in Revelation, symbolizing corrupt worldly powers.

• The Whore of Babylon: This figure represents the seductive and corrupting influence of sin and worldly power.

• The New Jerusalem: This city symbolizes the ultimate dwelling place of God's people, a place of peace and perfection.

• The Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls: These represent judgments unleashed upon the earth, but also point to God's ultimate victory.

• The Four Horsemen: They represent conquest, war, famine, and death.

Understanding the imagery:

• The Book of Revelation is not meant to be interpreted literally, but rather symbolically.

• The imagery is intended to reveal, not conceal, spiritual truths.

• Context is crucial for understanding the meaning of the images, and modern interpretations can be aided by studying the Old Testament and other ancient Jewish texts.

• The purpose of the imagery is to exhort and encourage the reader to faithful discipleship

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Now let's look at how the imagery in the Book of Revelation might be understood using processual language from process theology as we have been doing in the past two recent posts....

Symbols in Revelation:

A Process Theology Reflection

Introduction

The Book of Revelation is rich with imagery, much of which is drawn from the Old Testament, particularly the books of Daniel and Ezekiel. These images include depictions of the divine realm (such as the sea of glass, the heavenly temple, and the Passover lamb), descriptions of evil (including the dragon, serpent, and beasts), and symbolic representations of God's people (such as the woman clothed with the sun, the 144,000 faithful, and the Bride of Christ).

Daniel’s beasts and Ezekiel’s throne visions are recontextualized in Revelation to challenge Roman domination, casting present struggles in cosmic, theological terms. These prophets offered symbols of resistance during exile - Revelation does the same in a world shaped by imperial evil and fear.

When viewed through the lens of Process Theology, these images are not fixed dogmatic symbols but dynamic invitations - living metaphors pointing to God's ongoing relationship with the world. In process terms, Revelation offers a vision not of predetermined events but of co-creative possibilities. Each symbol becomes a moment of divine lure, a call toward becoming, transformation, and faithful response.

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Symbolic Themes in Process Reflection

Divine Realm

• Sea of Glass – Purity and divine presence; mirrors cosmic stillness inviting participation, not separation.

• Temple – Sacred meeting place; a symbol of relational intimacy dissolving into unmediated communion (“God is the temple”).

• The Lamb – Jesus as the vulnerable center of divine love; in Jesus divine power is expressed through self-giving, not divine domination.

• Son of Man – Archetype of divine judgment through wisdom and radiance; symbolizes discernment more than wrath. Where the Lamb lures through self-giving love, the Son of Man stands as an archetype of relational truth—one who reveals where we have deviated from love’s becoming, not to punish, but to invite into deeper alignment.

• Seven Angels – Messengers of change; bearers of divine timing and transformation.

Descriptions of Evil

• The Dragon – Embodiment of chaos; resistance to divine lure and relational harmony.

• The Beasts – Institutionalized evil and domination; symbolic of empire, coercion, and disconnection from divine persuasion.

• The Serpent – Signifies primal deception and imperil man's temptation to control rather than cooperate with divine flow within creation's cosmic (divine) energy.

• Babylon – Cultural idol of excess and domination; represents collective resistance to just becoming. In process theology, Babylon symbolizes systems that ossify (become rigid and inflexible) - whether economic, political, and religious structures - that resist the lure toward justice. It is less a city than a recurring pattern of collective arrogance, pride, and resistance that denies relational becoming.

Symbolic Representations of God's People

• The Woman clothed with the sun (Rev 12) – Is the Bearer of new life and divine history; she images the faithful community of Christ across the ages; and may be described as "the faithful womb of becoming" giving birth to a future in God. She is:

• Clothed with the sun, moon under her feet, crowned with twelve stars
• Pursued by the dragon (Satan)
• Flees into the wilderness but is protected
• Gives birth to a male child who is to “rule the nations”

Process-based reading:
She symbolizes the faithful community in process - Israel, the Church, or the people of God as bearer of divine promise  (described as "the remnant of God"). She’s not static purity but a figure in motion, struggling to birth something new in history despite opposition. She is a participant in divine becoming.


• The Whore of Babylon (Rev 17): Is the Bearer of unrepentful life and works against divine history; she images the unfaithful community across the ages; and may be describes as "the false womb of decay and (imperial) coercion. This form of activity of man destroys love and devours hope. She is:

• Rides the scarlet beast with blasphemous names
• Dressed in purple and scarlet, adorned with gold and jewels
• Called “Babylon the Great, mother of prostitutes and of earth’s abominations”
• Drunk on the blood of saints and martyrs
• Eventually destroyed by the very powers she allied with

Process-based reading:
She embodies corrupt systems—political, religious, economic—that seduce through domination and false allure. Babylon is the anti-community, drawing others into false union, not true relationality. She reflects what happens when the lure of love is replaced with the lure of control.

• 144,000 – Symbol of fullness, not literal count; represents those aligned with divine becoming.

• Two Witnesses – Prophetic resistance; those who stand in the flow of divine justice against oppressive power.

• Bride of Christ – Covenant community in process; a people growing toward full communion.

Other Notable Images

• The Scroll – The unfolding of divine possibilities; each seal a revelation of becoming.

• The Four Horsemen – Cycles of consequence; reflections of disruption when divine lure is rejected. Basically, life choices my one or many are not without consequences.

• New Jerusalem – Image of healed community; the co-created future of beauty, justice, and presence. Represented as an eschatological event but seen as both a processual transformation in the present tense affecting the future tense of mankind and creation.

• Tree of Life – Enduring source of renewal; symbol of relational nourishment and eternal process.

• River of Life – Divine flow sustaining all; creative energy nurturing ongoing becoming.

Previously Discussed

• Doors – Thresholds of choice; divine invitations into deeper freedom.

• Lampstands – Communities of faithful light; bearing divine presence in the world.

• Bowls – Outpouring of stored consequence; embodiment of justice, not vengeance.

• Witnesses – Voices of processual faithfulness; present within cycles of resistance and rebirth.

• Cities – Babylon vs. New Jerusalem; collapse of (imperial or papal) coercion vs. rise of relational harmony amongst nations, peoples, tribes, clans, families and friends.

• Horsemen – Embodied process of breakdown and renewal; symbols of cosmic movement. Choices have consequences. Resistance to renewal may innure (make less sensitive) stubborn hearts and elevate acceptance towards evil.

• Trees and Rivers – Archetypes of continuity, regeneration, and divine flow.

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Conclusion

None of these symbols are ends in themselves. In Process Theology, they are dynamic invitations—lures—not signs of inevitable fate, but openings to awakening; resistance to sinful coercion; and co-creations towards New Creation.

Revelation, read through the eyes of process, becomes less a coded calendar and more a living poem—drawing us forward into the transformation of all things by love.

To read Revelation in this way is to train the imagination toward justice. Each image becomes a spiritual practice—a lens through which we resist domination, participate in divine persuasion, and midwife the world towards what could be beginning with us and working outward.

Processual Doorways in the Book of Revelation

PROCESSUAL DOORWAYS

in the Book of Revelation

A Processual Theology of Thresholds

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

Introduction

The Book of Revelation is often approached with apprehension - its apocalyptic imagery, cryptic messages, and cosmic drama can intimidate even the most earnest readers. Yet, embedded in its pages are recurring symbols of doors - symbols that invite rather than terrify, that open rather than close. These doors are not merely thresholds in a visionary narrative; they are theological invitations to step into new ways of seeing, being, and becoming.

In process theology, where all things are in dynamic relationship and unfolding through God’s ongoing call to novelty, doors serve as metaphors of transition. They represent God's gentle lure—what Alfred North Whitehead called the "initial aim"—offering each person, community, and cosmos a path forward. To pass through a door is to enter a new phase of concrescence: to bring together the past, respond to the present, and shape what will be.

This work explores the symbolism of doors in Revelation as portals of transformation. From the church in Philadelphia's open opportunity to John’s heavenly ascent, these doors reveal a pattern: God invites, we respond, and together we shape what comes next.

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"Come, All Ye Who Will."

I. Scriptural Doorways and Processual Interpretations

1. Revelation 3:8 — An Open Door for the Church in Philadelphia

“See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut...”

• Context: Spoken to a small, faithful community.

• Meaning: A divinely ordained opportunity for mission, growth, and endurance.

• Whiteheadian Interpretation:

  • God offers an initial aim—a pathway for co-creative action.

  • The church’s faithfulness becomes the actualization of this divine lure.

2. Revelation 3:20 — The Door of the Human Heart

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock...”

• Context: Invitation to intimate relationship with the divine.

• Meaning: Relational openness to Christ.

• Process Insight: The moment of invitation is a prehension of divine nearness, where openness births transformation.

3. Revelation 4:1 — An Open Door to Heaven

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven...”

• Context: Marks the transition from earthly messages to cosmic vision.

• Meaning: Access to divine mysteries and the heavenly realm.

• Whiteheadian Interpretation:

  • A transition from one level of actuality to a higher dimensional perspective.

  • A lure toward a vision of divine ordering and cosmic process.

4. Revelation 21:25 — Eternal Gates of the New Jerusalem

“Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”

• Context: Vision of the world remade.

• Meaning: Full and open communion with God.

• Process Insight: Fulfillment of divine intention; telos (ultimate aim or goal) as a participatory welcome.

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II. Typology of Doors in Revelation

Symbolic Door	Meaning in Revelation	Processual Insight
🔓 Open Door	Invitation to opportunity, insight, or mission	God's initial aim opened to conscious participation
🚪 Threshold Door	Liminal moment or crisis of change	A transition in becoming under tension
🔒 Closed Door	Resistance or foreclosed potential	Rejection of offered potential
💓 Heart Door	Entry to the soul, intimacy with God	Invitation to relational becoming
🌐 Heavenly Door	Apocalyptic revelation and cosmic vision	Expansion of awareness, call into divine rhythm
🧠 Cognitive Door	Shift in mental framing or worldview	Moment of rupture and reorientation
🕊️ Eternal Gate	Final telos of welcome and communion	Ongoing divine hospitality within fulfilled process

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III. Poetic Meditation

The Door

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

I saw a door, not locked, not shut -

But open wide with silent hush.
A whisper echoed, Come and see,
As time bent down on bended knee.

A door to mission, set in stone,
For those with little strength alone.
No riches bought this threshold prize -
But faith that dared to lift its eyes.

Another knock upon the wood -
If you will open, I will come.
A heart’s own hinge, a soul’s small gate,
Where God still waits to sup and stay.

A trumpet’s voice, a higher call,
A heaven’s door revealed to all.
The throne room glows, the glassy sea -
Creation’s rhythm, wild and free.

And at the last, those golden gates
Will never close, will never wait.
No night shall fall, no door be barred -
The world remade, the gate ajar.

For every door that once we feared
Now stands transformed -
The Way is clear.

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT
August 3, 2025

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications
all rights reserved

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Besides doors there are lampstands, bowls, temples,
angels, dragons, beasts, serpents, cities, witnesses,
horsemen, trees, and rivers, etc. What could be said
of each of these images using Process Theology?

IV. Study Guide: "Walking Through Revelation's Doors"

Each session includes:

• Scripture Focus

• Theological Reflection

• Processual Insight

• Discussion Prompts

• Spiritual Practice

Session 1: The Door of Opportunity (Rev. 3:8)

• Focus: Mission amid limitation.

• Insight: Faithfulness draws forth God’s possibilities.

• Prompts:

  • Where do you see "open doors"?

  • How do you walk through them?

Session 2: The Door of the Heart (Rev. 3:20)

• Focus: Relational nearness.

• Insight: God persuades, never coerces.

• Prompts:

  • What knocks on your heart right now?

  • What blocks your openness?

Session 3: The Door to Heaven (Rev. 4:1)

• Focus: Cosmic perspective.

• Insight: Crisis and vision often go together.

• Prompts:

  • What is your current threshold?

  • What new awareness are you being invited into?

Session 4: The Liminal Door (Crisis and Change)

• Focus: Transition and discernment.

• Insight: Becoming is often born in ambiguity.

• Prompts:

  • Reflect on a past threshold. What was transformed?

Session 5: The Ever-Open Gate (Rev. 21:25)

• Focus: Telos as communion.

• Insight: The future is participatory, not predetermined.

• Prompts:

  • How might you live now as though the gates are already open?

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Conclusion

In the final vision of Revelation, the New Jerusalem descends, and we are told:

"Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there" (Rev. 21:25).

Here, the door becomes the gate eternal—not a barrier, but a perpetual welcome. In a world often marked by locked doors and shut hearts, Revelation offers a cosmic reversal: the future is not closed off, but ever opening. This vision is not about finality, but fidelity; not about endings, but evolution.

Through a processual lens, every door in Revelation is a divine whisper:

"Come up here..." (Rev. 4:1)

It is an eschatology not of doom but of participation—a call to step into the unfolding co-creation of heaven and earth. Whether we face personal loss, communal crisis, or global transformation, the question remains: Will we walk through the door?

In every threshold stands a choice.
In every doorway, a becoming.
And through each door,
the God of process calls -

not with coercion, but with possibility.

The doors are open.
The thresholds await.
Let us walk forward.

---

Appendix: Visual Map

Forgive the diagram... my talents with

computerized drawing is rather crude.

- res

[Rev 3:8]
     ╔══════════════════╗
     ║ 🔓 Open Door to                     ║
     ║     Mission                                 ║
     ║  (Philadelphia)                        ║
     ╚══════════════════╝
              ↓
      [Faithful Response]
              ↓
         [Spiritual Call]
              ↓
             [Rev 3:20]
     ╔══════════════════╗
     ║ 💓 Door of the    ║
     ║   Human Heart     ║
     ║  ("I stand and    ║
     ║  knock…")         ║
     ╚══════════════════╝
              ↓
        [Relational Entry]
              ↓
             [Rev 4:1]
     ╔══════════════════╗
     ║ 🌐 Door to Heaven ║
     ║  (Apocalyptic     ║
     ║   Vision)         ║
     ╚══════════════════╝
              ↓
        [Cosmic Perspective]
              ↓
           [Thresholds]
     ╔══════════════════╗
     ║ 🚪 Liminal Doors  ║
     ║  (Crisis/Choice) ║
     ╚══════════════════╝
              ↓
     [Transformation / Becoming]
              ↓
            [Rev 21:25]
     ╔══════════════════╗
     ║ 🕊️ Eternal Gates  ║
     ║   (New Jerusalem)║
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      [Full Communion with God]

Revelation Beyond Literalism: A Process-Based Reading of Apocalyptic Imagery

Traditional Christian Apocalyptic

Reimagining Christian apocalyptic using Process Theology

REVELATION BEYOND LITERALISM:

A Process-Based Reading

of Apocalyptic Imagery

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

Embracing the Lamb amid Empire Horror

“The gospel is fiction when judged by the empire;

but the empire is fiction when judged by the gospel.”

- Walter Brueggemann

I. Introduction: Why Revelation Needs Reinterpretation

For generations, the Book of Revelation has been misread as a literal forecast of destruction - a final divine war plan. Especially in evangelical circles, Revelation has morphed into a horror story of rapture, wrath, and punishment. The literalist lens creates:

• A theology of fear, not freedom;
• A theology of coercion, not compassion;
• Often justifying power, empire, and exclusion in the name of a violent God.

But Revelation, when interpreted through the lens of process theology, becomes something else entirely. It becomes:

• A call to resistance against domination systems,
• A poetic vision of divine lure toward justice, and
• An open invitation to co-create a new world.

This project proposes that Revelation is not about divine violence, but divine vulnerability. Not about eschatological finality, but relational becoming. Not about destruction, but about deep unveiling - an apocalypse of love.

II. A Very Short Process-Based Summary of Revelation

Revelation is not a forecast of destruction, but a symbolic protest against empire and a call to faithful co-creation with God. It envisions love's ultimate triumph—not through violence, but through persistent, transformative presence.

III. Key Themes in a Processual Interpretation

**1. God’s Power as Persuasive, Not Coercive**

Revelation presents Christ not as a warlord but as the Lamb slain—a symbol of radical vulnerability. The power of God is not displayed through domination but through the invitation to love. The Lamb's 'victory' is not a military conquest but the triumph of relational fidelity.

**2. Symbolic Protest Against Empire**

The apocalyptic imagery is not predictive but poetic. Babylon is Rome—and every empire like it. The beast is a symbol of imperial force, economic domination, and religious manipulation. Revelation's drama urges readers to 'come out' of these systems, not to wait for their collapse.

**3. Hope Without Guaranteed Certainty**

Process theology does not teach predestined outcomes. Instead, it sees the future as open and becoming. Revelation is a vision of what could be, not what must be. The New Jerusalem is a lure—a divine possibility calling creation forward.

**4. Freedom within the Process of Redemption**

Love does not coerce. Even in judgment, Revelation does not depict God as cruel, but as one who reveals the true nature of all things. The apocalypse ('unveiling') is the peeling back of falsehoods so truth may shine—inviting transformation, not demanding it.

**5. A Call to Cosmic Renewal, Not Cosmic Erasure**

Revelation ends not with the annihilation of the earth but its healing. “Behold, I make all things new,” not all new things. The new creation is not a replacement but a renewal. The eschaton is not escape but embrace.

IV. Dialogue with Classical Views

• Literalism turns Revelation into a fear-based map. Process reads it as a vision of hope.

• Classical theism sees God's sovereignty in unilateral action. Process sees God's power in participatory becoming.

• Traditional eschatology implies divine coercion. Process insists on divine invitation.

• Evangelical frameworks lean on divine violence. Process theology emphasizes divine love.

V. Scripture as Poetic Lure

Revelation is not a newspaper headline from the future. It is a theological vision composed in apocalyptic imagery, political resistance, and pastoral urgency.

Like dreams or parables, it conveys deep truth through metaphor.

• “Every knee shall bow” is not a divine threat, but a poetic aspiration.
• The beast, the dragon, and the throne are archetypes.
• The scrolls and seals are cosmic metaphors.

To read Revelation faithfully is to read it processually, not literally.

VI. A Creed for Reading Revelation in Process

We believe the Book of Revelation is not a timetable of terror but a vision of divine love resisting empire, inviting all creation into the journey of justice, beauty, and peace.

We believe God's power is persuasion, not domination, and that the Lamb reigns not by violence, but by witness, vulnerability, and persistent love.

We believe that every image in Revelation invites us to become co-creators of a renewed world, where God makes all things new—with us, never without us.

VII. Conclusion: Apocalypse as Revelation, Not Ruin

The word "apocalypse" means unveiling, not catastrophe. In process theology, the Book of Revelation is the unveiling of what *could be* if love wins - and what happens when it is resisted.

It is not the end of the world. It is the divine lure toward the world's rebirth.

Revelation, reimagined, becomes a manifesto of hope, resistance, and transformation—one in which God calls us to join the procession of the Lamb in building the New Jerusalem (sic, a cosmic metaphor not a literal Jewish city) here and now.

Appendix A - Diagram

Classical vs. Process Readings of Revelation

See visual supplement: Revelation_Comparison_Diagram.png

The following table compares key theological elements in classical versus process readings of Revelation:

Theme	Classical Reading	Process Reading
God's Power	Coercive Sovereignty	Persuasive Love
Future Outlook	Predetermined End	Open & Becoming
Salvation	Guaranteed for Some	Hope for All
Violence	Divine Judgment & Wrath	Divine Vulnerability & Lure
Reading Method	Literal Forecast	Symbolic Protest
New Creation	Replacement	Renewal

 

Appendix B - Poem

New Heavenly Earth

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

Not by fire, nor by sword, nor sky undone,

But by the slow, burning light of a rising Son.

Nor by bright new city fallen from clouds above,

But by such a one rising in hearts awakening to love.

Nor by wrathful scroll, nor cold iron stylus -

But by Jesus doorways opening sightless hearts.

Despite beasts and wars and trumpets dread,

Leaving lambs leaderless when fear has fled.

Nor worlds remade by fierce divine decrees,

But by each divine/humane act which sets love free.

Behold, says God, all things can be made new -

And I will make them new with you too.

by R.E. Slater & ChatGPT

August 3, 2025

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications

all rights reserved

Appendix C - Study Guide

A Processual Reading of Revelation

Section I: Introduction

How has a literalist reading of Revelation shaped Christian imagination in recent history?

What dangers arise from reading Revelation as a divine war manual?

Section II–III: Process-Based Vision

What does it mean to describe God's power as persuasive, not coercive?

How does reading Revelation as poetic protest shift our understanding of its symbols?

Section IV: Dialogue with Classical Views

How does process theology challenge the idea of predestined finality?

In what ways does process theology make space for human freedom and divine persistence?

Section V: Scripture as Poetic Lure

How can apocalyptic imagery be understood symbolically rather than literally?

What role does metaphor play in revealing theological truths?

Section VI: Creed

What key affirmations stand out in the creed? How might these reshape a community’s eschatology?

Section VII: Conclusion

How does reimagining the apocalypse as an unveiling of divine love affect our present engagement with the world?

What does it mean to co-create the New Jerusalem in the here and now?