The Missing Moral Dimension of Process Theology

Process Theology is the school of thought that emphasizes the notions of change, transition, temporality and, in general, the developmental process of all reality. This current of thought has been typically traced to the philosophy of Hegel (1770-1831), and it reached its mature formulation with Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) and Charles Hartshorne (1897-2000). Perhaps the most important and equally controversial tenet of Process Theology is the idea that God willingly becomes subject to the limits of time and change. In other words, God and the world may be said to undergo the same process of change. According to classical theism, God is a transcendent and perfect being who acts sovereignly over the world. According to Process Theology, or “neo-classical theism,” God is no less nor more transcendent than the universe, and he wills himself to act coercively, not omnipotently, over the world. In the following paper we will examine the claims of Process Theology with respect the notion of “divine suffering,” “morality,” “sin” and “redemption.” We will ask whether this notions, as formulated by Process Theology, can be defended on philosophical and theological grounds. We will interact critically and constructively with the work of Lewis Ford to show that one can affirm the notion that a being such as God can remain transcendent, omniscient and omnipotent while experiencing “suffering” and redeeming evil in a proper way.