Amipotence over Omnipotence
Love Over Control
A fellow graduate of the Moody Bible Institute, Dr. Bart Ehrman, when he explains why he is no longer a Christian, points to the problem of theodicy. After years of academic study of the Christian Bible, for Ehrman, it was the problem of evil that pushed him right over the line. Like me, you know the conundrum - how can a God of love and absolute power co-exist with pervasive, inescapable evil? There were plenty of reasons for Ehrman to turn away from his evangelical Christian faith - but theodicy did him in.
Theologian Thomas Oord* claims to have that one figured out. He’s got a solution. It’s a little too easy, but he’s a very smart guy with lots of academic creds in theology, Bible, philosophy, literature and all. He challenges the whole notion of omnipotence (absolute power). It’s the essence of his “open theology.” If humans are truly free then God cannot possibly be in complete and total control of everything. It has to be one or the other. It cannot be both. For example, God simply can’t know everything because we’re not there yet. Outcomes are unknown to us all, including God. It’s a shocking argument for the sovereignty crowd and grounds for a certain heresy trial. But Oord makes a strong case - rooted in biblical scholarship, philosophy and, well, just plain logic. (I’m not so sure it would convince Dr. Ehrman to change his mind. Bart has already debated some of the best evangelical apologists on the planet on the subject and remains unmoved.)
Oord’s point is that when we imagine God (in whatever way we might employ the label), we should not prioritize omnipotence but amipotence (“ami” means love - it’s a word he admits, he made up - “amipotence”). Rather than focusing on the power to control, it’s the power to love that matters. God is not all-powerful. God is all-loving. So here’s an Oordian tip: when we see love in the world - the prime mover is God.
As I’ve attempted to wrap my head around that, I am drawn to the mental shift: from control - to love. I really am.
(I must say, parenthetically, that I’m with Bart [my fellow Bible school grad] on the theodicy thing. I fall a little short on calling Oord’s thesis a satisfying “complete solution” to the age-old problem that has had philosophers tied up in knots from the beginning of time.)
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We have a new member of the family: Brandy, a year-old female Golden Retriever. Years ago, when (a former) Pastor Bill talked about the Apostle Paul’s cherished friend Barnabas, he posited that the dog breed that most typified Barnabas’ personality (his name means “son of encouragement”) would be the Golden Retriever. I decided then and there that we would find a Goldie, bring him home, and name him Barnabas - or Barny. He became my sidekick. My constant companion.
Five years later, Barny got cancer and left us all too soon. When he died, he left a hole in my heart.
Now we have Brandy. She’s an unexpected gift. It’s hard to put in words - but she’s filling up that hole in my heart. From day one, we have been inseparable, Brandy and me.
When our small group met just about a week ago on a Saturday morning, Brandy joined us - sitting beside me like always. One of our members, Kim, got to sharing some very personal things (as we often do) and her voice cracked, choked with sweet emotion, her heart wide open. We all connected with her story, grateful for this sacred place where we can be who we are. As Kim shared, Brandy got up from beside me, approached Kim, and rested her head on Kim’s lap, looking right at her.
“Ahhh…,” Kim said, “Brandy knows that I need her love right now.”
We were all non-plussed. I thought it was sweet, but I’ll confess I was a bit skeptical that just maybe we were reading in a human response to plain old dog behavior. I think they call it anthropomorphism.
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A few days later, we got the hard news that our beloved sister-in-law had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It’s been a dark cloud hanging over our world since. My brother, a professional writer, put together his reflections in a report that appeared on the site CaringBridge. Carolyn, busy getting dinner ready, asked if I would read it out loud. She wanted to hear the news.
I didn’t see it coming. Halfway through something got hold of me and I felt my throat swell, my eyes watered and I could read no longer. It was a combination of the heartbreak over the diagnosis - also my brother’s considerable writing skill.
And without a prompt from across the room, Brandy got up from her favorite stuffed floorpad and came over to me, and put her head on my lap. She gave me uninterrupted eye contact with those soothing almond eyes as though she understood - and cared.
Anthropomorphism? I think not.
* * * * * *
In a world filled with doomsayers, hostages held, body-counts of innocents (women and children), cities left in ruins, hospitals reduced to rubble, humanitarian aid blocked, universities in turmoil, politicians scowling in the courtroom, cherished institutions losing all credibility… hmmm… let it sink in.
For too many of us, it’s all about control. Beat them into submission. Make the insatiable demand for sovereignty. By every means possible, protect my privilege. Build the wall and keep them out. Eliminate the opposition - whatever it takes.
Omnipotence over amipotence. Control over love.
Maybe what the world needs is a pack of Golden Retrievers.
Something happened to me when I looked into those almond eyes, with the wagging tail behind them.
Was it you, God? Speaking through my dog?
Ok. I’ll sit still.
I’m listening.
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*Thank you Scott McClelland for your excellent review of Thomas Oord’s The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence