Process Theism: The Changing God
Course XIII of the Certified Godhunter Series
This course focuses on the dynamic, non-static definition of God that evolves alongside the universe. Unlike Classical Theism, which views God as an “Unmoved Mover,” Process Theism views God as the “Most Moved Mover”—a being deeply affected by the joys and tragedies of the world.
Students will examine the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead and Charles Hartshorne to understand a God who persuades rather than coerces, growing in experience as the universe grows. By presenting a God who is vulnerable, evolving, and persuasive rather than coercive, Process Theism provides a theological framework that aligns with quantum mechanics and evolutionary biology.
Each of our courses is divided into 10 classes corresponding to the 10 chapters of the textbook assigned to the course. Each class has four essay questions.
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The Godhunter Academy does not simply feed you information; we demand that you defend it. To aid you in this rigorous pursuit, you will be guided by Prof. Dr. Nemo LXON—a proprietary, highly advanced AI theological tutor.
Programmed with a library of classical apologetics, historical data, and philosophical frameworks, Professor Nemo is not a passive search engine. He is a tireless sparring partner embedded directly into this syllabus, ready to challenge your premises, refine your arguments, and forge you into a Certified Godhunter.
Process Theism: The Changing God: The 10-Class Syllabus
Chapter 1 The Core Definition
Understand why Process thought rejects the Greek philosophical influence that defined perfection as static “changelessness”. You will explore an evolving Deity who grows richer experientially as the universe creates new beauty, facing an open horizon of future possibilities.
Chapter 2 The Interdependent Relationship
Examine the reciprocal feedback loop where God affects the world by offering possibilities, and the world affects God by actualizing them. God is defined as the “Fellow Sufferer who understands,” implying a divine vulnerability where God feels every earthly tragedy.
Chapter 3 The Divine Lure
Analyze the central ethical tenet that God uses power as persuasion rather than coercive omnipotence. God acts as the “Eros” of the universe, luring entities toward beauty and harmony because God literally cannot override the inherent freedom of the creature.
Chapter 4 Alfred North Whitehead
Study the British mathematician philosopher and his magnum opus, Process and Reality. You will define his concepts of God’s “Primordial Nature” (the eternal repository of possibilities) and “Consequent Nature” (the physical prehension of what actually happened).
Chapter 5 Charles Hartshorne
Explore the logician who systematized this theology by clarifying the “Dipolar” concept of God: abstractly eternal and unchanging, yet concretely temporal and changing. You will learn his theory of “Surrelativism,” arguing the most perfect being is the most relational being.
Chapter 6 Process Theism as Panentheism
Understand why all Process Theism fits within the Panentheistic “World-in-God” model. We revisit the analogy of the world as God’s body, exploring a dynamic of struggle and cooperation where the world retains a distinct will.
Chapter 7 Critique of Classical Attributes
Deconstruct classical definitions of Omnipotence, Immutability, and Impassibility. Process Theists redefine perfection not as a static, finished state, but as a dynamic “unsurpassable capacity for growth”.
Chapter 8 God and Time
Investigate the temporal nature of God, who is not timeless but “everlasting,” enduring through all time. We explore the co-creation of reality and the concept of “objective immortality,” where our lives are remembered perfectly in the mind of God forever.
Chapter 9 Freedom and Creativity
Learn why “creativity” is the ultimate category in this universe. Because creativity is universal, the future is risky; humans bear immense responsibility as co-creators, meaning if we fail to actualize beauty, that beauty is lost to God forever.
Chapter 10 Process Theism and Scientific Cosmology
Synthesize this theology with modern science, seeing how it aligns with Darwinian evolution and the indeterminacy of Quantum Mechanics. We contrast deterministic models with an “Open Universe” of becoming and novelty.
Test Your Investigative Instincts
Before you commit to the hunt, test your current reasoning against the Academy’s theological curriculum.
1. The Metaphysical Question: How does Process Theism define the concept of the “Dipolar God” as articulated by Charles Hartshorne? (Answer Hint: God has two poles: an abstract nature that is eternal and unchanging in character, and a concrete nature that is temporal, contingent, and constantly changing in experience based on the actions of the universe.)
2. The Ethical Question: Why does Process Theism strictly reject the classical attribute of coercive “Omnipotence”? (Answer Hint: It views power as a relational concept; because all actual entities have inherent freedom and self-determination, God cannot force or coerce them, but can only persuade or “lure” them toward the best possibilities.)
3. The Theological Question: What is the difference between subjective immortality and “objective immortality” in the Process view of the afterlife? (Answer Hint: Instead of surviving as a conscious ghost, humans achieve objective immortality by having their lives, actions, and experiences preserved perfectly and eternally within the consequent nature and memory of God.)
Why was a fishing lure chosen as the image of process theism?
Process Theism views power as a relational concept; because all actual entities have inherent freedom and self-determination, God cannot force or coerce them, but can only persuade or “lure” them toward the best possibilities.)