Love’s Availing Power: Imaging God, Imagining the World
Overview
Paul R. Sponheim explains God’s willingness to accept risks in creating human freedom. Sponheim presents an understanding of God’s power at work in the lives of creatures, encouraging relationships and inspiring activity on behalf of creation. Sponheim’s formulation of freedom in relationship—born at the intersection of existential theology and process thought—provides a way between the extremes of individualism and a homogenizing that obscures the reality and responsibility of the individual. The power of love is not dominating coercion but a power that avails and helps to accomplish a truly human life.
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- Explains God’s willingness to accept risks in creating human freedom
- Presents an understanding of God’s power at work in the lives of creatures
- Offers a formulation of freedom in relationship
- Imaging God’s Love in Freedom: A Kierkegaardian Invitation
- Imagining the World in Relation: A Whiteheadian Inclusion
- To Believe, Facing Finitude: Trusting Together in Hope
- To Live, against Evil: The Power of Love for and with the Other(s)
- To Respect Our Limitations and Recognize Actual Evil, while Living Creatively
- Availing Power
Modern thought including much of modern theology has commonly separated the self and the world. In this brilliant theological synthesis of Kierkegaard and Whitehead, Sponheim brings the self and the cosmos together in God.
—Marcus J. Borg, canon theologian, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Portland, Oregon
Kierkegaard and Whitehead seem like strange bedfellows, but Sponheim lifts them up together as witnesses to ‘a powerfully loving God (who) avails potently . . . against evil’ and who ‘in the face of our challenging finitude . . . can be sufficient to sustain us.’ Lured by the promised presence of this Love’s ‘availing power’ we hear ourselves ‘being called into a loving faith toward God and a loving justice toward the world.’ Pastors and theological students will be challenged, enlightened, and affirmed for life and ministry.
—Lowell O Erdahl, bishop emeritus, Saint Paul Area Synod, ELCA
This book brims with brilliant insights into the nature of true power. Calling us to live creatively into the image of God, it calls us to imagine the world where God’s power is at work as the love that ‘avails’ amidst all that we face in the concrete circumstances of our lives.
—Lois Malcolm, associate professor of systematic theology, Luther Seminary
Sponheim pens a beautiful narrative on one of today’s most important theological themes—the power of love. His theological interpretation will benefit all who are seeking ways that love might enlighten their thought and guide their lives. This book holds implications for reorienting the whole enterprise of Christian theology.
—Curtis L. Thompson, professor of religion, Thiel College
- Title: Love’s Availing Power: Imaging God, Imagining the World
- Author: Paul R. Sponheim
- Publisher: Fortress Press
- Print Publication Date: 2011
- Logos Release Date: 2013
- Pages: 192
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Kierkegaard, Søren, 1813-1855; Whitehead, Alfred North, 1861-1947; God (Christianity)
- Resource ID: LLS:LVAVAILPWRSPONHEIM
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-02-12T04:28:32Z