(Ir)religiosity

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I recieved some more Transforming Theology material the other day.  Three pamphlets:  two on the bible and one on process theology by John Cobb, entitled “Process Theology:  An Introductory Introduction,” which, because of the subtitle, immediately caught my eye.

As I understand it, the aim of  Transforming Theology project is bring the church and the academy back into dialogue with one another in order to participate in individual and collective transformation.  If that is true, then this process theology booklet makes a good contribution.

It is very short.  A mere 30 pages containing the manuscript of a lecture Dr. Cobb gave at Claremont School of Theology back in 2004.  The subtitle is spot on; it is about as introductory as introductory can be, but that is its strength.  Because of its philosophical nature (Whitehead, Hartshorne, etc.), process theology is often dismiss by many non-academicians who lack such a background.  However, process thought is in a unique position to provide a lasting contribution to practical theology in my opinion because of its answer to theodicy and its suggestions as to the nature of God.

Because process theology’s answer to both those questions (why evil? and who is God?) tends to diverge from the traditional views many Christians hold (at least in my experience) an account of process theology that relies on scripture more than philosophy is needed in order to adequately bring it into dialogue with the average person in the pew.

Cobb does exactly that in this short essay.  I found it to be surprisingly accessible and I almost wished it were longer.  That may be another strength.  It just enough to whet the appetite of one who has no prior exposure to process theology or a background in philosophy.  Just enough to spark a conversation.

The pamphlets are published by the Center for Process Studies.  I think they would make excellent brochecure box stuffers!

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