Magic God No Longer

Here is a quote from an article published in the current issue of Creative Transformation, a quarterly magazine devoted to process theology:

Process theology has been multi-faceted in its gifts to me. My natural tendency to question is honored. My respect for science is now a part of my theological beliefs. My need for a faith that is pluralistic and ecumenical is encouraged. The technical aspects keep me interested in pursuing truth. The gift of process theology has transformed every aspect of my thinking and experience. The greatest gift, however, is my belief about the nature of God. It is the character of God that has been most transforming for me. No longer do I have an "Abracadabra" God. Magical thinking about God's power has been replaced with a relational God luring the creation towards transformation.

Some days it would be easier to go back to the traditional theism I learned growing up. The sermons would be clear. The words I choose would not have to be analyzed. I could preach on any text and God's great nature would shine out. When someone asked "why," I could smile condescendingly and tell them they just need to have more faith. But alas, I cannot return to my former way of thinking. Magical thinking has wreaked havoc on the church I love. As I consider the mainline church, what is woefully underrepresented is the intellectual Christian who has more questions than answers and who suffers, as I did, from the incongruence of traditional theism and the human encounter with the divine.

-- From the article "Process from My Perspective: The Magic God No Longer", by Betty Bradford.