Process theology provides a unified vision for the integration of science and religion. It is better for science and better for religion.

1. Intro to Process Theology

2. 1. How can I have a faith
that honors both science
and the Bible?
2. Why does God cause
bad things to happen?

3. "The teacher, if indeed wise,
does not bid you to enter the
house of their wisdom, but
leads you to the threshold of
your own mind."
-Kahlil Gibran

4. Some process theologians

5. Intro to Process
Theology
Science and Religion
(God and the World)
Evil and Suffering
Jesus and Creative Transformation
Ethics: Pluralism, Economism, and
Ecology

6. 2 ways to do theology
Confessional
Transdisciplinary
assumes the truth committed to the
of various assessment of the validity
of religious beliefs
doctrines is based
in a supernatural, rejects the idea that
infallible origin
truth-claims are immune
to criticism
considers itself
immune to rational interested in the truth
critique and coherence of
worldviews

7. "You cannot shelter theology from
science, or science from theology; nor
can you shelter either of them from
metaphysics, or metaphysics from either
of them. There is no short cut to truth."
-A.N. Whitehead
SCIENCE RELIGION

8. One, unified worldview
SCIENCE RELIGION
ub tle er
e s de ep
or a
a m ience l ig io n
sc re

9. Whitehead's passion
determined to take all the
evidence into account
create one rational scheme of
thought that is better for science
and religion, a "harmony of
truth"
overcome the real problems
facing civilization
religion and science can both be
dangerous when they don't take
the other into account 1861-1947

10. Supernaturalism
Pantheism Atheism
or Deism
God & World,
World no God
God
Panentheism
World God World

11. Whitehead's analysis
Science Religion
Main problem: Main problem:
naturalism SAM supernaturalism
sensationism,
atheism,
materialism
both are exaggerations, wrong,
must change

12. One, unified worldview
prehensive
Naturalism
{ panentheistic
panexperientialist
SCIENCE RELIGION
ub tle er
e s de ep
or a
a m ience l ig io n
sc re

13. Supernaturalism
Pantheism Atheism
or Deism
God & World,
Naturalism:
World no God
God *Panentheistic
Prehensive
Panexperientialist
World God World

15. Key themes
relational
interdependence
emergence with novelty
reality is a dynamic, always changing process
experiential
future is open
freedom is real, built into the nature of
things

16. Process theology sees the
universe as creative,
interrelational, dynamic, and
open to the future. In process
theology, God is relational,
present in every moment of our
lives and in all entities and
levels of being. The world is
interconnected, in effect a giant
ecosystem where what harms or
blesses one, harms or blesses all.

17. Next week:
Evil and Suffering