3.2.2 - The concept of God in process theology
Process theology replaces an all-controlling creator with a God who participates in an unfinished, relational world. Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne distinguish persuasive from coercive power, explaining why God is described as neither omnipotent nor creator in the classical sense. Their vision must then be tested: does it make divine love more credible amid suffering, or abandon too much of Christian theism?
Power and creation in process thought
Process theology belongs to the Christianity topic on God. The focus is not a full history of process philosophy or a generic problem-of-evil essay, but the way process theology changes two central claims often associated with classical Christian theism:
| Classical claim | Process theology's challenge |
|---|---|
| God is omnipotent, meaning all-powerful. | God does not possess coercive or unilateral power over every event. |
| God is creator and controller of all things. | God is not the sole creator from nothing or the total controller of reality. |
Process theology
Process theology is a modern theological approach, influenced especially by Alfred North Whitehead's process philosophy and developed by thinkers such as Charles Hartshorne, which understands reality as dynamic, relational and unfinished. God is involved in this process rather than standing outside it as an unchanging controller.
For AQA, the key phrase is "neither omnipotent nor creator." This should not be flattened into "process theology says God is weak" or "God does nothing." Process theologians usually still think God is supremely loving, wise and active. The disagreement is about the kind of divine power God has and the kind of relation God has to the world.
This is also an internal Christian diversity issue. Process theology is a strand within modern Christian thought, not the belief of all Christians. Many Christians, especially those committed to classical creeds and traditional doctrines of creation, would regard process theology as a major revision of Christian belief about God.
The process starting point
Process theology begins from the idea that reality is best understood as becoming rather than as a finished object. The world is a network of events, relationships, choices and developments. God is related to that network at every moment.
This starting point changes how God's nature is described.
| Process idea | Meaning for the concept of God |
|---|---|
| Reality is dynamic. | God is involved in an unfolding world, not simply watching a completed creation from outside. |
| Reality is relational. | God affects the world and is affected by the world's response. |
| Finite beings have real power. | God is not the only agent whose activity makes a difference. |
| God works through possibilities. | Divine action is usually described as persuasion, attraction or lure rather than force. |
Some process theologians use the language of panentheism: the world is in God, but God is more than the world. This is not the same as pantheism, where God and the world are simply identical. In process theology, God is distinct from the world, but God is never unrelated to it.
A useful scholar/source card is:
| Scholar/source | Claim | Why it matters | Possible challenge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitehead and Hartshorne, as roots of process theism | God belongs within a metaphysics of process, relation and becoming. | This makes it possible to speak of God as changing in experience and working persuasively. | Critics may say this is too far from classical Christian teaching about God's perfection, sovereignty and creation. |
The process starting point is therefore not a minor adjustment. It reimagines God as the supreme participant in reality's becoming, not as an all-controlling ruler outside the process.
Process theology changes the framework first: if reality is an ongoing process with real finite power, God cannot be understood as the one agent who unilaterally determines everything.
God as not omnipotent
In this AQA point, "not omnipotent" means that process theology rejects a classical model of God as able to control every event by irresistible power. The key distinction is between coercive power and persuasive power.
| Type of power | Meaning | Process theology's view of God |
|---|---|---|
| Coercive power | Power that forces an outcome or overrides resistance. | God does not have this kind of unilateral control over every creature and event. |
| Persuasive power | Power that attracts, guides, calls or offers possibilities. | God works by luring reality toward richer forms of value, love and goodness. |
This is stronger than saying God chooses not to force things. If God merely chose not to use coercive power, God would still be omnipotent in the classical sense. Process theology says the world contains genuine finite power, so God cannot simply override every decision, natural process or creaturely response.
That gives process theology a distinctive account of divine action. God is constantly active, but the activity is persuasive. God can call a person toward compassion, wisdom or justice, but God cannot simply replace that person's response with a guaranteed divine outcome. God can offer possibilities within natural processes, but God does not suspend the structure of reality by force.
This protects one Christian value while challenging another:
| Value protected | Value challenged |
|---|---|
| God's love is not controlling or violent. | God's sovereignty no longer means total power over all events. |
| Human and creaturely freedom are taken seriously. | Prayer, miracle and providence become harder to explain in classical terms. |
| Evil is not something God could simply cancel at will. | Some Christians may think a non-omnipotent God is not worthy of worship as God. |
God as not creator
The second half of the AQA wording is just as important: process theology presents God as "not creator." This needs careful wording. Process theologians may still call God creative, but they do not mean that God is the sole creator from nothing and controller of all things.
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