Using Traditional Language
in a Process Way
Honoring Tradition While Embracing the Future
"I am a Catholic. I love the heart of Process Theology—the vision of a relational, loving God and a universe alive with beauty; a recognition of the dignity of each person and respect for all life; a desire to live simply and lovingly in a violent world; a belief in prayer and service. It resonates deeply with Pope Francis’ vision in Laudato Si’ and offers real hope for our world.
But I don’t want to throw away the language that has carried faith for centuries. Words like omnipotence, creation out of nothing, and supernatural grace speak to me. For me, they have always pointed to a God of love—not a God of retributive punishment. I use them in worship and in daily life. I am at home with them.
I’m searching for a theology that honors the beauty of tradition even as it opens to the creativity of the future—a theology that is relational not only in its vision of God but also in its conversation with the past.
Is there a place for me in the process world?"
Process Theology provides a powerful alternative to images of a punitive God—preoccupied with being flattered, and primarily concerned with reward and punishment. In contrast, it envisions God as a power of love at work throughout the universe and in each human heart: a compassionate presence, an empathic companion to the joys and sufferings of all living beings. It presents an image of God shaped by the spirit of Jesus, not the authority of Caesar.
To make this case, many Process theologians firmly reject four traditional ideas: creation out of nothing, omnipotence, supernaturalism, and the notion that God is in “control” of events. This fourfold rejection resonates deeply with those wounded by rigid doctrines of divine coercion or the image of a distant, uncaring deity. It offers a vision of divine love that is persuasive rather than controlling, relational rather than dominating, tender rather than punitive.
Yet for others, this rejection can be unsettling—even alienating. For many Christians, these traditional ideas symbolize God’s greatness, intimacy, and trustworthiness. They are often associated not with domination but with love, creativity, and faithful presence. Words like omnipotence and creation out of nothing are heard as expressions of God's infinite care and mysterious creativity—not as endorsements of control or violence. When these terms are dismissed outright, it can feel as though something sacred is being lost: a sense of awe, mystery, and radical dependence on a source both beyond the world and deeply within it.
It is possible—and perhaps necessary—for Process theologians to meet these ideas not with rejection, but with generous reinterpretation. Rather than discarding terms like omnipotence or supernaturalism, we might offer new meanings:
Such a theology resists the trap of semantic absolutism—the assumption that sacred terms must mean the same thing for all people, at all times. Instead, it encourages a more imaginative and relational approach to language. Theological words are not fixed containers; they are living vessels whose meanings can evolve and deepen over time. Rather than clinging to or discarding inherited language, we might treat it as part of the creative advance into novelty. Words themselves become sites of spiritual exploration—fields of possibility rather than final answers.
In this way, a more expansive Process Theology can offer not only a renewed vision of God but also a renewed vision of theology itself: open-ended, relational, dynamic. It honors both the wisdom of the past and the call of the future, holding space for continuity and transformation alike.
Across Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, Oceania, and Europe, many people hunger for a faith that is both ancient and alive. If Process Theology is to move beyond its current niche—often appealing mostly to ex-evangelical Protestants—it must widen its embrace. A more generous version will resist the reflex to reject traditional language. Instead, it will meet inherited ideas with nuance, creativity, and grace, recognizing their power to carry deep meaning when interpreted with love.
Some may say this waters down Process Theology. But I believe it waters it up—allowing it to grow into something more generous, more open, more capable of nourishing a world in need. Not a rigid system, but a living mood, a relational attitude toward God, the world, and one another. A theology that helps cultivate the soil for a more compassionate, imaginative, and faithful future.
- Jay McDaniel
But I don’t want to throw away the language that has carried faith for centuries. Words like omnipotence, creation out of nothing, and supernatural grace speak to me. For me, they have always pointed to a God of love—not a God of retributive punishment. I use them in worship and in daily life. I am at home with them.
I’m searching for a theology that honors the beauty of tradition even as it opens to the creativity of the future—a theology that is relational not only in its vision of God but also in its conversation with the past.
Is there a place for me in the process world?"
Process Theology provides a powerful alternative to images of a punitive God—preoccupied with being flattered, and primarily concerned with reward and punishment. In contrast, it envisions God as a power of love at work throughout the universe and in each human heart: a compassionate presence, an empathic companion to the joys and sufferings of all living beings. It presents an image of God shaped by the spirit of Jesus, not the authority of Caesar.
To make this case, many Process theologians firmly reject four traditional ideas: creation out of nothing, omnipotence, supernaturalism, and the notion that God is in “control” of events. This fourfold rejection resonates deeply with those wounded by rigid doctrines of divine coercion or the image of a distant, uncaring deity. It offers a vision of divine love that is persuasive rather than controlling, relational rather than dominating, tender rather than punitive.
Yet for others, this rejection can be unsettling—even alienating. For many Christians, these traditional ideas symbolize God’s greatness, intimacy, and trustworthiness. They are often associated not with domination but with love, creativity, and faithful presence. Words like omnipotence and creation out of nothing are heard as expressions of God's infinite care and mysterious creativity—not as endorsements of control or violence. When these terms are dismissed outright, it can feel as though something sacred is being lost: a sense of awe, mystery, and radical dependence on a source both beyond the world and deeply within it.
It is possible—and perhaps necessary—for Process theologians to meet these ideas not with rejection, but with generous reinterpretation. Rather than discarding terms like omnipotence or supernaturalism, we might offer new meanings:
- Omnipotence as the boundless power of divine love rather than coercive force;
- Creation out of nothing as the mystery of continual becoming from a divine wellspring;
- Supernaturalism as the recognition that surprise and novelty are intrinsic to reality, not violations of it;
- Divine control as God’s deep lure toward beauty, truth, and goodness—not mechanical manipulation.
Such a theology resists the trap of semantic absolutism—the assumption that sacred terms must mean the same thing for all people, at all times. Instead, it encourages a more imaginative and relational approach to language. Theological words are not fixed containers; they are living vessels whose meanings can evolve and deepen over time. Rather than clinging to or discarding inherited language, we might treat it as part of the creative advance into novelty. Words themselves become sites of spiritual exploration—fields of possibility rather than final answers.
In this way, a more expansive Process Theology can offer not only a renewed vision of God but also a renewed vision of theology itself: open-ended, relational, dynamic. It honors both the wisdom of the past and the call of the future, holding space for continuity and transformation alike.
Across Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, Oceania, and Europe, many people hunger for a faith that is both ancient and alive. If Process Theology is to move beyond its current niche—often appealing mostly to ex-evangelical Protestants—it must widen its embrace. A more generous version will resist the reflex to reject traditional language. Instead, it will meet inherited ideas with nuance, creativity, and grace, recognizing their power to carry deep meaning when interpreted with love.
Some may say this waters down Process Theology. But I believe it waters it up—allowing it to grow into something more generous, more open, more capable of nourishing a world in need. Not a rigid system, but a living mood, a relational attitude toward God, the world, and one another. A theology that helps cultivate the soil for a more compassionate, imaginative, and faithful future.
- Jay McDaniel
For Further Reference
Creation out of Nothing: A Process Appreciation
Creation as a divine act of imaginative generosity before all worlds.
Omnipotence: A Process Appreciation
Power understood not as domination, but as infinite compassion and care.
Reimagining Supernaturalism (1)
Five ways of understanding supernaturalism that make good sense
Reimagining Supernaturalism (2)
Super-Natural: Beyond the Binary of Natural and Supernatural
Reimagining Divine Control
Control as Non-Dominating but Powerful Influence
Creation as a divine act of imaginative generosity before all worlds.
Omnipotence: A Process Appreciation
Power understood not as domination, but as infinite compassion and care.
Reimagining Supernaturalism (1)
Five ways of understanding supernaturalism that make good sense
Reimagining Supernaturalism (2)
Super-Natural: Beyond the Binary of Natural and Supernatural
Reimagining Divine Control
Control as Non-Dominating but Powerful Influence