The Uncontrolling Love of God ; An Open and Relational Account of Providence

Readers' Choice Award Winner "For God so loved the world . . ." We believe these words, but what do they really mean? Does God choose to love, or does God love necessarily? Is God's love emotional? Does the love of God include desire or enjoyment? Is God's love conditional? Can God receive love from human beings? Attempts to answer these questions have produced sharply divided pictures of God's relationship to the world. One widely held position is that of classical theism, which understands God as necessary, self-sufficient, perfect, simple, timeless, immutable and impassible. In this view, God is entirely unaffected by the world and his love is thus unconditional, unilateral and arbitrary. In the twentieth century, process theologians replaced classical theism with an understanding of God as bound up essentially with the world and dependent on it. In this view God necessarily feels all feelings and loves all others, because they are included within himself. In The Love of God , John Peckham offers a comprehensive canonical interpretation of divine love in dialogue with, and at times in contrast to, both classical and process theism. God's love, he argues, is freely willed, evaluative, emotional and reciprocal, given before but not without conditions. According to Peckham's reading of Scripture, the God who loves the world is both perfect and passible, both self-sufficient and desirous of reciprocal relationships with each person, so that "whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Voted one of Christianity Today's Books of the Year The Openness of God presents a careful and full-orbed argument that the God known through Christ desires "responsive relationship" with his creatures. While it rejects process theology, the book asserts that such classical doctrines as God's immutability, impassibility and foreknowledge demand reconsideration. The authors insist that our understanding of God will be more consistently biblical and more true to the actual devotional lives of Christians if we profess that "God, in grace, grants humans significant freedom" and enters into relationship with a genuine "give-and-take dynamic." The Openness of God is remarkable in its comprehensiveness, drawing from the disciplines of biblical, historical, systematic and philosophical theology. Evangelical and other orthodox Christian philosophers have promoted the "relational" or "personalist" perspective on God in recent decades. Now here is the first major attempt to bring the discussion into the evangelical theological arena. Voted One Of Christianity Today's 1995 Books Of The Year! The Openness Of God Presents A Careful And Full-orbed Argument That The God Known Through Christ Desires Responsive Relationship With His Creatures. While It Rejects Process Theology, The Book Asserts That Such Classical Doctrines As God's Immutability, Impassibility And Foreknowledge Demand Reconsideration. The Authors Insist That Our Understanding Of God Will Be More Consistently Biblical And More True To The Actual Devotional Lives Of Christians If We Profess That God, In Grace, Grants Humans Significant Freedom And Enters Into Relationship With A Genuine Give-and-take Dynamic. The Openness Of God Is Remarkable In Its Comprehensiveness, Drawing From The Disciplines Of Biblical, Historical, Systematic And Philosophical Theology. Evangelical And Other Orthodox Christian Philosophers Have Promoted The Relational Or Personalist Perspective On God In Recent Decades. Now Here Is The First Major Attempt To Bring The Discussion Into The Evangelical Theological Arena. Presents a careful and full-orbed argument that the God known through Christ desires "responsive relationship" with his creatures. While it rejects process theology, the book asserts that such classical doctrines as God's immutability, impassibility and foreknowledge demand reconsideration. The authors insist that our understanding of God will be more consistently biblical and more true to the actual devotional lives of Christians if we profess that "God, in grace, grants humans significant freedom" and enters into relationship with a genuine "give-and-take dynamic." The Openness of God is remarkable in its comprehensiveness, drawing from the disciplines of biblical, historical, systematic and philosophical theology. Evangelical and other orthodox Christian philosophers have promoted the "relational" or "personalist" perspective on God in recent decades. But here is the first major attempt to bring the discussion into the evangelical theological arena Rarely Does A New Theological Position Emerge To Account Well For Life In The World, Including Not Only Goodness And Beauty But Also Tragedy And Randomness. Drawing From Scripture, Science, Philosophy And Various Theological Traditions, Thomas Jay Oord Offers A Novel Theology Of Providence - Essential Kenosis - That Emphasizes God's Inherently Noncoercive Love In Relation To Creation. The Uncontrolling Love Of God Provides A Clear And Powerful Response To One Of The Perennial Challenges To Christian Faith. Read More: Http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=4084#ixzz3oschyrai --publisher Tragedy Needs Explanation -- The Randomness And Regularities Of Life -- Agency And Freedom In A World Of Good And Evil -- Models Of God's Providence -- The Open And Relational Alternative -- Does Love Come First? -- The Essential Kenosis Model Of Providence -- Miracles And God's Providence. Thomas Jay Oord. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. As Paul says in Romans, creation groans for redemption. But can we trust God to make all things new? The doctrines of creation and providence address the question of human anxiety in the face of suffering and evil. In a world that often seems to be spinning out of control, Christian faith confesses a "faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19) who promises a glorious future for all creation. In The Faithful Creator, seasoned professor and author Ron Highfield presents an overview of creation, providence and the problem of evil. He explores a wide range of issues, including the biblical accounts of creation, the dialogue between theology and science, models of providence, philosophical problems of evil and the proposals of open theism and process theism. Both accessible and scholarly, The Faithful Creator is an ideal text for classroom use. Rarely does a new theological position emerge to account well for life in the world, including not only goodness and beauty but also tragedy and randomness. Drawing from Scripture, science, philosophy and various theological traditions, Thomas Jay Oord offers a novel of theology of providence - essential kenosis - that emphasizes God's inherently noncoercive love in relation to creation. The Uncontrolling Love of God provides a clear and powerful response to one of the perennial challenges to Christian faith. Read more: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=4084#ixzz3oScHyRAI --Publisher Rarely does a new theological position emerge to account well for life in the world, including not only goodness and beauty but also tragedy and randomness. Drawing from Scripture, science, philosophy and various theological traditions, Thomas Jay Oord offers a novel theology of providenceessential kenosisthat emphasizes God's inherently noncoercive love in relation to creation. The Uncontrolling Love of God provides a clear and powerful answer to the problem of evil, the problem of chance, and how God acts providentially in the world. IVP Readers' Choice Award Rarely does a new theological position emerge to account well for life in the world, including not only goodness and beauty but also tragedy and randomness. Drawing from Scripture, science, philosophy and various theological traditions, Thomas Jay Oord offers a novel theology of providence—essential kenosis—that emphasizes God's inherently noncoercive love in relation to creation. The Uncontrolling Love of God provides a clear and powerful response to one of the perennial challenges to Christian faith. In this concise and accessible introduction, Paul Helm outlines for students and interested readers the doctrine of divine providence. Unlike many doctrinal treatments, his approach is not historically oriented. Instead Helm focuses on the underlying metaphysical and moral aspects of God's providence, paying particular attention to the ideas of divine control, providence and evil, and the role of prayer in relationship to providence. Theology has constantly wrestled with the nature of God's love and what it means for how God relates to the world. In this comprehensive canonical theology of divine love, John C. Peckham argues for an account that avoids the errors of both voluntarist and experientialist theologies and faithfully represents the full biblical witness.

In this book I offer a view of my own, though not one that is peculiar to me. The chief reason for this approach is to try to avoid the blandness and obliqueness that often come from setting one view beside another in a 'neutral' way. - from the Introduction by the author.