Louisville Process Theology Network

In 1949, Pierre Telhard de Chardin wrote, ''The driving energy with the process of evolution is love, and God is the center of love, the presence of love, and indeed can be called love itself.'' Please don't hesitate to contact us for more information about process theology.

Web site Coordinator: Tom Louderback
Email: tclouderback@aol.com
1623 Deerwood Avenue
Louisville KY 40205

LOUSVILLE PROCESS THEOLOGY NETWORK

A Brief Definition

Put simply, process theology is the interdisciplinary study of religion and theology which seeks holistic explanations. It is based on the process philosophy first elaborated by Alfred North Whitehead in the early 20th Century. Recognizing the inseparability of time and space in physics, Whitehead outlined a view of reality that consists of events and processes instead of objects and substances. Process theology applies this relational framework to religion.

            Famous process theologians and philosophers of the last seventy-five years include Alfred North Whitehead, Charles Hartshorne, Henry Nelson Wieman, and John B. Cobb, Jr. Another famous theologian whose work paralleled the process theology movement was Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit priest and biologist. This theology is not affiliated with any particular religious denomination. Theologians and other people of faith have arrived at process theology from a number of different denominational backgrounds, perspectives, and beliefs.

SEE our links and our newsletter page for more topics on Process Theology

Science and Religion

            Everyone wants religious ideas they can use in their day-to-day lives. It seems we hear that said whenever the subject of religion comes up. Put another way, we want religious beliefs that are consistent with what we see and experience in the world around us. Since the 18th or 19th century, that seems to also mean we want religious beliefs that are consistent with science. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, a Jesuit Priest, science teacher, and biologist, saw religion and science as one in the same. In 1944 he wrote, "I believe the universe is evolution. I believe that evolution proceeds from the spirit. I believe the spirit is fully realized in a form of personality. I believe that the supremely personal is the Universal Christ." A few years later he added, "The driving energy with the process of evolution is love, and God is the center of that love, the presence of that love, and indeed can be called love itself. The special role of Christianity is to bring the message of love to the world."
            Probably religion and science cannot actually be one in the same as Teilhard de Chardin wrote. But, some understanding of the most profound scientific theories of our time seems to be essential to making sense of religion nowadays. The following is a brief description of three such profound theories that have changed the world in modern times.
            Evolution: In Charles Darwin's time, the word "evolution" referred to the progressive unfolding of embryonic structures like flower buds. The word implied that there was a progression of biological actions taking place in nature over time. Darwin was especially interested in how changes occurred by inheritance and adaptions to the environment. So, evolution is a gradual step-by-step process of change. Organisms change not so much by rejecting old characteristics but by improving them; by adding new on top of old. Put simply, change is necessary over time.
            By the 20th Century, a philosophy of organism had begun to develop in the life sciences that that drew observations about the randomness of the universe in evolution theory. Nature is seen as alive and all organizations within containing organizing principles. The new view of evolution is not deterministic as was Darwin's original concept of evolution.
            Relativity: In the Physics of the 18th and 19th centuries, mass, space, and time were seen as absolute quantities. That assumption fit well with our observations of the universe in those times. It just felt right and still does to most of us. But, Albert Einstein abandoned the comfortable feeling of absoluteness. He showed us mathematically that these three quantities are relative to the speed of light as in E=mc2, where c is the velocity of light. In broader terms, relativity shows us that physical characteristics change with location and relationships. Still, everything is cooperating in way or another to sustain our universe

            Uncertainty (from Quantum Physics): The principle of uncertainty in quantum physics is another radical departure from the classical Physics of the 18th and 19th centuries. It abandons the strict determinism implied by Isaac Newton's calculations on planetary motion in our solar system and other deterministic principles in the earlier Physics. The universe appears to be not so precise about how it does things after all. Examining the smallest units of matter, the mathematical calculations in quantum physics can make predictions of particle locations and movement only in terms of probabilities; not absolutes. There is some degree of randomness in these movements. Quantum particles are not matter as we know it elsewhere in our experiences. They appear to be partly matter and partly waves of energy. This finding in quantum physics seems to suggest that choices are made individually in our universe and these choices have important consequences. So, the free will we sense in our experience just might be something real after all.

Why Process Theology Matters

It's been said many times that process theology has saved religion for rationally thinking people. It appeals mostly to folks who want religious beliefs that are consistent with what they know about science, or least do not outright reject scientific knowledge. That would probably amount to a few hundred million people nowadays.
            Process theology is not for everyone, though. If an inerrant Bible is your preference, you probably would not like this idea very much. The process theology field of study first emerged in the early 20th Century to meet the challenge of finding a unified view of reality that includes what we've learned over the centuries from both theology and science. Natural change, ecology, compassion, and God are viewed as essential parts of the same big picture. All these things naturally fit together even though they are completely different.
            There is a big problem with trying to understand this branch of theology, however. Most of the books and articles on the subject seem to be written for professional theologians and philosophers. This is ironic because the basic idea of it is not really so complicated.
            Basically, process theology sees nature as a network of relatives, friends, neighbors, and predators; not a command and control monolith. Thus, God does not control the universe so much as she or he encourages cooperation within it.
            Just imagine the universe as a flock of geese flying together in unison. Somehow these flocks know their seasonal migration paths from hemisphere to hemisphere, even when none of the geese in the flock have ever flown it before. They share a vital knowledge that comes to them from somewhere we cannot see and they live as though they are living one big life together. And, there are plenty of surprises in this life. Our flock of geese might fly unwittingly into a thunderstorm in spite of its best cooperative efforts. Uncertainty is built in. Process theology is a strong argument for free will. Life is about making choices in uncertain circumstances. Sometimes we call this character.
            The grandfather of the process theology movement was Alfred North Whitehead. He sought to develop a new philosophy of thought that embraced modern scientific theories such as Darwin's evolution, Einstein's relativity and Quantum Physics. His landmark 1929 book, Process and Reality, gave the movement its name.
            For some, process theology is about a Holy Spirit that is shared by all of us as the inspiration to do good. But, most process theologians speak of a 'universal consciousness'' or ''creative process'', instead. They reason the world is “in God”, though not exactly coincident with God since He or She exceeds the world.

Why Human Actions Matter

Charles Hartshorne frequently characterized process theology as “neoclassical” because God, as conceived by process theology, participates in the world as did God in The Bible. Remember that the Biblical God is constantly "creating” new possibilities and employing the world’s events for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. This God seems to learn and change as He or She relates to every human action. In return, our purpose is to contribute something worthwhile to God’s purpose and the world. Our decisions take on meaning in the process.

            When Western religion adopted from Greek philosophy their notions of God’s unchanging, transcendental being, and non-involvement with world about two millennia ago, we were set up for a theological difficulty. If God is unchanging, there would apparently be no interactions between us. So, it would seem we are not needed for much of anything. What process theology does is re-connect us.

Come Find Me

            Process theologians are controversial for their willingness to speculate about God's nature and relate that nature to what we know about science. C. Robert Mesle explains it like this. ''As a young man, I took God's existence for granted seeing the divine hand in the grandeur of the stars and the beauty of the flowers. And most importantly, I felt God's love pour into my heart. But, loving friendship involves openness, honesty, and trust; so part of what came from these experiences was a deep conviction that God approved of my strongest challenges. I could never imagine feeling condemned for being honest in my search, wherever it led me. My friend's love said, 'Come find me as I really am.'''
            So, we might say that process theology is different from traditional theologies because it is not static. It rejects the notion that we should understand God precisely the same way throughout all of human history because understanding the truth is a process of progressive growth. Human knowledge is continually growing and changing and human nature is continually improving.
            It is also important to remember that tradition is not rejected by this process. Instead, it is absorbed. Growth happens by building new structures on top of old foundations. This is what biologists call evolutionary growth.

            Rick Marshall described evolutionary growth this way in Creative Transformation, a journal for people interested in process theology a few years ago. ''I've discovered that The Bible has been relational all along. Love makes sense now. The thought that God suffers shatters me. Persuasive power instead of coercive power as an important distinction allows me to see God differently. The teachings of Jesus speak directly to the grittiness of love and the singular requirement to treat God and others with respect.''


Some readable books:

What is Process Theology? by Robert Mellert (a Christian perspective)

Process Theology: A Basic Introduction by C. Robert Mesle (a Humanist perspective)

In God's Presence by Marjorie Suchocki.

Some pertinent quotes:

''The whole is more than the sum of its parts'' Aristotle

''There is more reason in nature for something to exist than not exist.'' Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Mathematician and Philosopher

''Everything material is also mental and everything mental is also material. But, there are many more infinitely subtle levels of matter than we are aware of.'' David Bohm, Physicist and Author

''Casey says one time he went in the wilderness to find his soul and he found that he didn't have no soul that was his own. Says he found he's got a little piece of a great big soul.'' Fictional character Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath