Divine Impassibility: Four Views of God's Emotions and Suffering (Spectrum Multiview Books)
Overview
Does God suffer? Does God experience emotions? Does God change?
How should we interpret passages of Scripture that seem to support one view or the other? And where does the incarnation and Christ’s suffering on the cross fit into this?
This Spectrum Multiview volume brings together four theologians with decidedly different answers to these questions. The contributors make a case for their own view—ranging from a traditional affirmation of divine impassibility (the idea that God does not suffer) to the position that God is necessarily and intimately affected by creation—and then each contributor responds to the others’ views.
The lively but irenic discussion that takes place in this conversation demonstrates not only the diversity of opinion among Christians on this theological conundrum but also its ongoing relevance for today.
Views and Contributors:
- Strong Impassibility (James E. Dolezal, assistant professor in the School of Divinity at Cairn University)
- Qualified Impassibility (Daniel Castelo, professor of dogmatic and constructive theology at Seattle Pacific University)
- Qualified Passibility (John C. Peckham, professor of theology and Christian philosophy at Andrews University)
- Strong Passibility (Thomas Jay Oord, professor of theology and philosophy at Northwest Nazarene University
- Explores attributes and implications of each viewpoint
- Provides interaction and dialogue between different points of view
- Examines an often-neglected aspect of God’s character
- Strong Impassibility: James E. Dolezal
- Responses to Strong Impassiblity
- Concluding Remarks in Defense of Strong Impassibility
- Qualified Impassibility: Daniel Castelo
- Responses to Qualified Impassiblity
- Concluding Remarks in Defense of Qualified Impassibility
- Qualified Passibility: John C. Peckham
- Responses to Qualified Passiblity
- Concluding Remarks in Defense of Qualified Passibility
- Strong Passibility: Thomas Jay Oord
- Responses to Strong Passiblity
- Concluding Remarks in Defense of Strong Passibility
Top Highlights
“A significant underlying concern of the classical impassibility doctrine is to safeguard God’s fullness and perfection of being. God cannot be the one whose greatness is beyond measure, and who is the absolute Creator on whom all creatures ultimately depend, if it turns out that he himself depends on his creatures, or on any other cause, for some aspect of his being. Every passible being depends for some feature of its being on whatever object rouses it to new states of affection.” (Page 14)
“‘qualified impassibility,’ in which God cannot be affected by an outside force against his own will (implying that God can be affected by that which he wills to be affected by).” (Page 2)
“I will be locating the significance of the doctrine within a consideration of divine being. Talk about God’s passibility or impassibility is, at bottom, talk about divine actuality. By reducing the question to one of divine actuality, adherents and opponents are compelled to maintain either that God is being pure and simple, or that he is becoming in some sense and thus beholden to a cause of his being. For the strong impassibilist, this is what the debate is ultimately about. This approach also constrains one to say that either God loves his creatures with an unbounded act of free and uncaused love, or he loves them with a finite, caused, and mutable love. The true superabundance and limitlessness of divine love can only be maintained by the strong impassibility doctrine.” (Page 15)
“The truth of divine impassibility is most convincingly arrived at through the contemplation of other doctrines. It is a necessary entailment of doctrines such as divine aseity and independence, pure actuality, and simplicity. Each of these teachings rules out the possibility of God receiving new actuality of being, and thus of being patient to the actions of a causal agent on him. Given that all instances of passion are instances of change visited on a patient through the causal action of some agent, God must be impassible.” (Pages 17–18)
In this volume, we are treated to a wonderful dialogue on an often-neglected topic in theology. Matz and Thornhill have assembled a capable group of scholars who not only provide a stimulating set of perspectives on this issue but who do so with winsomeness and grace. An excellent addition to the Spectrum series!
—Paul Rhodes Eddy, professor of biblical and theological studies, Bethel University
The doctrine of divine impassibility, according to which God is without passions and without emotional change, has a long and distinguished history. Yet it has been subject to sustained criticism in much of modern theology. Does God feel nothing when we suffer? Can such a God be worthy of worship? The editors of this book are to be congratulated for putting into the hands of readers a one-stop-shop overview of this debate. It includes contributions from across the theological spectrum with representative scholars writing in a dialogical format. This way readers quickly get a sense of the central issues in the debate from different perspectives in the discussion. The result is a clearly written symposium from which scholars and students alike will benefit. I heartily recommend it!
—Oliver D. Crisp, Fuller Theological Seminary and the University of St. Andrews
The doctrine of divine impassibility—in some form or other—is an inheritance of the Christian tradition. It is also the subject of much disagreement and debate within recent theology. In this book, this debate is carried forward in a vigorous and very spirited manner as arguments are made from biblical and philosophical theology even as pastoral and experiential concerns are weighed. Anyone interested in the current state of evangelical theological debates about the doctrine of God will find this work enlightening.
—Thomas H. McCall, professor of biblical and systematic theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, professorial fellow in exegetical and analytic theology, University of St. Andrews
- Title: Divine Impassibility: Four Views of God’s Emotions and Suffering
- Authors: Robert J. Matz, A. Chadwick Thornhill
- Series: Spectrum Multiview Books
- Publisher: IVP Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2019
- Logos Release Date: 2019
- Pages: 202
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Suffering of God
- ISBNs: 9780830866625, 9780830852536, 0830866620, 0830852530
- Resource ID: LLS:DVNMPSSBLTY
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T23:25:56Z
Robert J. Matz (PhD, Liberty University) is the assistant director of online studies and institutional effectiveness as well as assistant professor of Christian studies at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has contributed to Nelson’s Annual Preacher’s Sourcebook Vol. 2 and is an upcoming contributor to A Legacy of Preaching: Historical and Theological Introductions Vol. 2. Prior to teaching, he served in churches in Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.
A. Chadwick Thornhill (PhD, Liberty) is the chair of theological studies for Liberty University School of Divinity and an assistant professor of apologetics and biblical studies for the School of Divinity. He is the author of The Chosen People: Election, Paul, and Second Temple Judaism.