Showing results by author "Thomas Oord" in All Categories

This is the first book ever written with the title A Systematic Theology of Love. That this book is the first should puzzle those who consider love central, if not primary, to God. And yet systematic theologians typically orient their theologies around other concerns, such as divine sovereignty, freedom, scripture, trinity, or mystery,Thomas Jay Oord not only puts love first, but he also offers an experience-informed and rationally-coherent theology. He argues that the universal Spirit always loves creation in uncontrolling and others-empowering ways.

Most theologies suck. They’re too technical or present a God nobody understands. Sometimes, the God they portray sounds like a controlling boyfriend or an absentee parent. Rather than woo or persuade, many theology books clobber people into submission. This book is different.

Bad views of God and harmful experiences lead many of us to deconstruct. But were right to run from the nonsense we've been taught and from those who hurt us. God After Deconstruction is not a book for people who want the status quo or who think conventional theology works. It isn't for people who just want to tweak a bit what they've been taught. Thomas Jay Oord and Tripp Fuller offer an open and relational vision of God.

Hurting people ask heart-felt questions about God and suffering. The usual answers fail. They don't support the truth God loves everyone all the time. God Can't gives a believable answer to why a good and powerful doesn't prevent evil.

Omnipotence is dead. At least it should be. It has no biblical support. And it dies a death of a thousand qualifications in philosophy.

A strong case can be made that love is the core of Christian faith. And yet, Christians often fail to give love center stage in biblical studies and theology. And, most fail to explain what they mean by love. Why is this? Thomas Jay Oord explores this question and offers groundbreaking answers. Oord addresses leading Christian thinkers today and of yesteryear. He explains biblical forms of love, such as agape, philia, hesed, and ahavah. We should understand love’s meaning as uniform, he says, but its expressions are pluriform.

This book fundamentally changes the game for the Church of the Nazarene. A growing number of people are calling for fresh conversations about sexuality and gender. And many want fundamental change. This book gives voice to those people. There are strong reasons the Church of the Nazarene should become fully LGBTQ+ affirming. The writers of these essays – whether queer or straight – lay out those reasons, share their experiences, and explain why change is needed. Love rests at the heart of the denomination’s view of God. And yet its statement about human sexuality does not support the ...

Rarely does a new theological position emerge to account well for life in the world, including not only goodness and beauty but also tragedy and randomness. The Uncontrolling Love of God provides a clear and powerful answer to the problem of evil, the problem of chance, and how God acts providentially in the world.

In his best-selling book God Can't: How to Believe in God and Love After Tragedy, Abuse, and Other Evils, Thomas Jay Oord solves the problem of suffering. Oord offers five aspects of a real solution to why a loving God doesn't prevent pointless pain. The most controversial: God can't stop evil single-handedly. In this follow-up, Oord answers questions readers of God Can't asked in response to that ground-breaking proposal. The answers in this audiobook solve age-old conundrums.

That love does not control seems obvious to many people. And yet the temptation to control—often with good motives — is strong. The long-term results of yielding to this temptation damage everyone. Contributors to Love Does Not Control explore uncontrolling love and a vision of God as uncontrolling. They do so from their perspectives as therapists, psychologists, and counselors. Writers ponder what uncontrolling love might mean for human healing. Open and relational theology operates as the underlying framework for most contributors. That theology fits nicely with the belief that love ...

Las personas heridas hacen preguntas sinceras acerca de Dios y el sufrimiento. Algunas “respuestas” que reciben apelan al misterio: “los caminos de Dios no son nuestros caminos”. Algunas respuestas dicen que Dios permite el mal por algún propósito mayor. Algunas dicen que el mal es castigo de Dios. Las respuestas usuales fracasan. No apoyan la verdad de que Dios ama a todos todo el tiempo. Dios No Puede da una respuesta creíble a por qué un Dios bueno y poderoso no impide el mal. El autor Thomas Jay Oord dice que el amor de Dios es inherentemente no controlador. Dios ama a todas...

The idea that we can partner with God strikes some people as audacious. Others consider it pretentious. Some may think it’s downright blasphemous! Can creatures actually can partner with God? This book answers that question... in the affirmative. The responses vary and the proposals provoke new insights. Along the way, the ideas break new ground. It turns out “partnering with God” has various meanings and dimensions. The seventy-seven contributors explore this rich diversity in accessible language, deep insight, and multiple stories. Their explorations inspire, elucidate, and motivate...

With its emphasis on relation over substance and possibility over predetermined endings, open and relational theology provides a way forward for both Muslims and Christians. This way, as “Open and Relational Theology and its Social and Political Implications: Muslim and Christian Perspectives” posits, aligns beautifully with important and ancient thinking from both traditions. Our world desperately needs “people of the book” to pursue cooperation over competition. Open and relational theology affords us that possibility. These essays were presented in their original forms at a ...

Rethinking the Bible explains Scripture in ways that make sense and deepen Christian faith. Its essays ask and answer central questions about Scripture, such as... What is the primary function of the Bible? Can the Bible be trusted if it has errors? What does “divine inspiration” mean if humans wrote the Bible? How should preachers use the Bible today? Does the Bible mean now what it meant when written? How has archaeology changed the way we interpret the Bible? Should the Dead Sea Scrolls affect our view of the Bible? What authority does the Bible have matters of science? Is the Bible ...

This book is a call for change. Even more, it calls for open conversation about change. For too long, many in the Church of the Nazarene have considered the doctrine of holiness off limits, a sacred cow, impervious to all forces of cultural modification and theological renewal. It's time for a real change, because the church needs renovation! These 100+ essays from Millennial and Xer leaders explore how holiness might be understood and lived today.

The insights in these 90+ essays are nothing short of inspiring! The tips they provide on best practices for social media, time management, social media as a resource for scholarship or creativity, technology and pedagogy, etc. will help readers tremendously.Contributors are diverse. They include.... - Public theologians like Ben Corey, Brian McLaren, and Richard Rohr - Younger scholars like Tripp Fuller, Jory Micah, and Alexis Waggoner - Biblical scholars like Michael Gorman, Joel Green, and Daniel Kirk - Philosophers like Helen De Cruz, Aaron Simmons, and Kevin Timpe - Establish scholars ...

Open and Relational theology just makes sense... at least that's what most people say when they discover it. This podcast offers 3-minute short episodes -- "shorts" -- on this perspective on God. Episodes offer insights, inspiration, and information, and a few are posted each week. Dr. Thomas Jay Oord hosts this podcast. He's a best-selling author, world-renown speaker, and leading voice in this burgeoning field. Dr. Oord directs a Center and Doctoral Program in Open and Relational Theology too. Subscribe if you're tired of conventional theology and want a perspective that both makes sense and...

Women Experiencing Faith is filled with intimate reflections and personal stories. Many aren’t happy, but real life isn’t always happy. Families, friends, spouses, and the church often fail—especially for women. The fifty contributors to this book ask hard questions and elicit critical thinking. These women who write aren’t floating about on the surface; they go deep. And the insights they unearth are profound. Above all, the essays, poems, and narratives in this volume inspire. Despite raw pain and genuine obstacles described, readers come away with a sense that, on the whole, ways...