Tom Oord’s New Book is Coming: The Uncontrolling Love of God

Last updated on: November 3, 2015 at 5:37 pm by Kyle Roberts

Tom Oord’s New Book is Coming: The Uncontrolling Love of God 2015-11-03T17:37:05-05:00 Kyle Roberts

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I’ve been looking forward to Thomas Jay Oord’s book, The Uncontrolling Love of God: An Open and Relational Account of Providence, since I learned it was in the works several months ago. Amazon already lists it as the #1 new release in systematic theology (even though it won’t be released till December 6).

I plan to review the book at some point here on my blog. I’ve long been interested in the questions of “the problem of evil and suffering,” and in how we might understand the dynamics of the interplay of divine action and human agency (free will, choice, etc.) as it pertains to the “problem of evil.” And of course you can’t broach these questions responsibly without taking science into account (evolutionary biology, cosmology, quantum mechanics, and so on).

I look forward to learning how Tom–who has established himself as a trusted guide–engages these very important and interesting questions.

In any case, Tom has just come out with a video announcement of the release:

Here are some of the (many) strong endorsements:

“A work of a mature thinker, this book secures Oord’s legacy as the theologian of love. It is a comprehensive theological response to the age-old question of how genuine evil exists even assuming the omnipotent and omnibenevolent God of Christian faith, and is all the more compelling given its biblical, philosophical and scientifically informed tapestry―no mean feat! The faithful across all Christian traditions will be encouraged to live a life of love even as skeptics will be invited to think again and again.”

– Amos Yong, professor of theology and mission, Fuller Theological Seminary

“Can I believe in the providence of God without making God responsible for evil? Open and relational theology answers yes, combining biblical and philosophical resources. Here Thomas Oord, the leading open and relational theologian, makes a powerful case for miracles and the providential care of the self-emptying God. His remarkably clear book offers readers a compelling theodicy and a welcome gift to personal faith.”

– Philip Clayton, author, The Predicament of Belief

“A much-discussed option on the contemporary theological scene is so-called open theology. Working within the framework of open theology, and with some truly horrendous examples of evil constantly in mind, Thomas Oord develops a fresh and original doctrine of providence, the central thesis of which is that it belongs to God’s nature to offer to creatures non-controlling, other-empowering love. Anyone who subsequently writes about providence will have to engage Oord’s cogently argued and lucidly presented account.”

– Nicholas Wolterstorff, Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology, Yale University, senior research fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia

“Can we reconcile a biblical understanding of divine love and creativity with the universe of human experience and scientific understanding? Not a new question, of course, but one that requires fresh faith and intellectual subtlety. Tom Oord’s new book offers both. And it is written with a clarity and passion that should appeal to a wide range readers.”

– John F. Haught, distinguished research professor, Georgetown University, author of Resting on the Future

“This is a scholarly and readable book arguing that God is essentially a God of self-giving love, and that this provides a way of seeing how evil can exist in a world created by God. It is an important theological work, and continues Oord’s project of constructing a fully Christian ‘open and relational’ theology.”

– Keith Ward, FBA, Regius Professor Emeritus of Divinity, University of Oxford

“Written in his characteristically winsome style, Oord’s account of The Uncontrolling Love of God is a highly accessible yet richly sophisticated affirmation of God’s providential engagement with creation that takes seriously the insistence on randomness and novelty in recent science. Oord sprinkles throughout pastorally wise advice on how Christians might think about and engage the undeniable evil and ugliness in life by probing the implications of our fundamental commitment to the self-emptying love of God as manifest in Jesus Christ. Highly recommended!”

– Randy L. Maddox, Duke Divinity School

Uncategorized

evil

God

open and relational theism

providence

theodicy

Thomas Jay Oord

Uncontrolling Love of God

Previous Post

November 2, 2015

An Argument for the Bible as "Love Letter From God"

Next Post

November 4, 2015 The Future of Christianity and the "Nones": Still Rising, Still Spiritual, More Secular

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2020 November 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 December 2018 July 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz