Louisville Process Theology Network

God's Relationship with the World

Aug 02, 2007

One of the many programs offered by the Center for Process Studies is an annual Open and Relational Theologies Consultation, which draws theologians from a variety of traditions and backgrounds into face-to-face discussions about God's relationship with the world. (See our Hotlink.)

The discussion leaders of these consultations say their colleagues generally agree on the following beliefs.


a. Theology involves speculation about who God truly is and what God really does.

b. God's primary characteristic is love.

c. Humans are genuinely free to make choices pertaining to their salvation.

d. God experiences others in some way analogous to how humans experience others.

e. Both humans and God are relational beings, which means that both God and humans are affected by others in give-and-take relationships.

f. God experiences changes, yet God's nature or essence remains the same.

g. God created all non-divine things.

h. God takes calculated risks because God is not all-controlling.

i. Humans are called to act in ways that please God and make the world a better place.

j. The future is open. It is not predetermined by God.

k. God's expectations about the future are often partly dependent upon our actions.

l. While God's essence is timeless, God experiences time in a way analogous to how we experience time.