Overview

Much of what you were told you should believe when you were younger forces you to choose between your spirit and your intellect, between science and religion, between morality and dogma: unchanging laws of nature vs. miracles that sound magical; a good God vs. the tragedies that strike all living creatures; a God who knows the future absolutely vs. an open future that you help to shape through your choices. This fascinating introduction to Process Theology from a Jewish perspective shows that these are false choices. Inspiring speaker, spiritual leader and philosopher Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson presents an overview of what Process Theology is and what it can mean for your spiritual life. He explains how Process Theology can break you free from the strictures of ancient Greek and mediaeval European philosophy, allowing you to see all creation not as this or that, us or them, but as related patterns of energy through which we connect to everything. Armed with Process insights and tools, you can break free from outdated religious dichotomies and affirm that your religiosity, your spirit, your mind and your ethics all strengthen and refine each other.

Full Product Details

Author:   Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson (Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson) ,  Bradley Shavit Artson
Publisher:   Jewish Lights Publishing
Imprint:   Jewish Lights Publishing
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.00cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.001kg
ISBN:  

9781580237130

ISBN 10:   1580237134
Pages:   200
Publication Date:   17 October 2013
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In stock  
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Table of Contents

"Introduction xiii Part I On the Way An Introduction to Process Theology 1 1. The Living, Luring God Recovering a Biblically and Rabbinically Rooted Divine 3 2. Reality and Relationship Being a Creature in a Constantly Co-created Cosmos 9 3. Change, Choice, and Gift The Dynamic Nature of Covenant 17 4. Continuous Creation Process Theology and the Metaphors of Our Origins 21 5. Life and the Experience of Evil Process Theology's Eye-Opening Approach to Tension, Trauma, and Possibility 30 6. The Process of Revelation Spiritual and Cognitive, Primal and Verbal 35 7. Death and Afterlife Two Paradigms of Hope and Enduring Significance 57 Part II Process Theology and Jewish Life 61 8. The Power of Resilient Love The Persuasive Persistence of Loving-Kindness 64 9. ""The Body Is the Glory of the Soul"" Finding Holiness in the Integration of Spirited Bodies 74 10. The Thresholds of Our Lives Judaism's Rituals and Observances of Becoming 82 11. Imperatives of a Loving Heart Responding to Life's Lure through Sacred Commandments 90 12. Revelation and a Living Relationship of Love An Open-Ended Torah and Building Holy Community 101 13. Everywhere I Go Process Theology's Embrace of Israel and Diaspora 107 14. The Process of Offering Ourselves What We Do When We Pray 122 15. God Is Becoming Tragedy, Judaism, and Process 130 16. Ever Dying, Never Dead Finding Gifts in Our Mortality 134 17. Untrammeled Future Freedom and Becoming 140 Conclusion: Judaism—A Personal Affirmation 147 Epilogue: A Father’s Letter to His Son 155 Acknowledgments 162 Notes 166 For Further Exploration: Process Resources 172"

Reviews

Through honesty, openness and erudition, Rabbi Artson teaches of a God who whispers 'grow' to each of us. A beautiful and soulful exploration. Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles, California; author, Why Faith Matters Offers us a new way to see ourselves, our world and our God. We no longer have to choose between our faith and our intellect. What a joy and what a relief it is to be able to integrate these seeming disparities. This important work invites us into a relationship with a God who is dynamic and loving. This is a book that can heal our souls. Rabbi Naomi Levy, spiritual leader, Nashuva; author, Hope Will Find You, Talking to God, and To Begin Again Shows how Process Theology can give us the language and understanding to forge a moral and compelling Judaism for ourselves.... If you have wrestled with the presence of evil in the world and suffering in your private life if you have struggled to find a belief in God that is scientifically tenable and an approach to Torah that is intellectually credible then this book is for you. It will inspire and nurture your soul. Rabbi Irving Yitz Greenberg, founding president, the Jewish Life Network; author, The Jewish Way I wept for joy reading this book. So many of us are wounded by conventional vocabulary when we think and talk about God our language is stuck, and we are stuck. Artson, one of the most inspiring Jewish leaders and theologians of our time, redeems the ancient covenant of formulating anew our conversation about God. Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum, founding rabbi, Zion: An Eretz Israeli community in Jerusalem The truth of the matter is: After reading this book you will want to become Jewish, if you aren't already. Or, to be more exact, a Jew with a Process perspective. The insights from this book come so naturally and flow so freely from its pages, weaving together Jewish wisdom and Process philosophy, that you are drawn to a way of living that is deeply loving, deeply traditiona

Through honesty, openness and erudition, Rabbi Artson teaches of a God who whispers 'grow' to each of us. A beautiful and soulful exploration. Rabbi David Wolpe, Sinai Temple, Los Angeles, California; author, Why Faith Matters Offers us a new way to see ourselves, our world and our God. We no longer have to choose between our faith and our intellect. What a joy and what a relief it is to be able to integrate these seeming disparities. This important work invites us into a relationship with a God who is dynamic and loving. This is a book that can heal our souls. Rabbi Naomi Levy, spiritual leader, Nashuva; author, Hope Will Find You, Talking to God, and To Begin Again Shows how Process Theology can give us the language and understanding to forge a moral and compelling Judaism for ourselves.... If you have wrestled with the presence of evil in the world and suffering in your private life if you have struggled to find a belief in God that is scientifically tenable and an approach to Torah that is intellectually credible then this book is for you. It will inspire and nurture your soul. Rabbi Irving Yitz Greenberg, founding president, the Jewish Life Network; author, The Jewish Way I wept for joy reading this book. So many of us are wounded by conventional vocabulary when we think and talk about God our language is stuck, and we are stuck. Artson, one of the most inspiring Jewish leaders and theologians of our time, redeems the ancient covenant of formulating anew our conversation about God. Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum, founding rabbi, Zion: An Eretz Israeli Community in Jerusalem The truth of the matter is: After reading this book you will want to become Jewish, if you aren't already. Or, to be more exact, a Jew with a Process perspective. The insights from this book come so naturally and flow so freely from its pages, weaving together Jewish wisdom and Process philosophy, that you are drawn to a way of living that is deeply loving, deeply traditional, deeply creative and deeply faithful, without leaving your mind at the door or your heart on a shelf.... I plan to use this book again and again in the classroom, sharing it with people of many faiths and no faith.... An exciting achievement. Jay McDaniel, PhD, author, Of God and Pelicans: Theology of Reverence for Life and Living from the Center: Spirituality in an Age of Consumerism; editor, Jesus, Jazz, and Buddhism (www.jesusjazzbuddhism.org) A pioneering exploration of collaborative ecumenical thinking. Illustrates the complementary and contrasting features in Judaism and Process Theology. In broadening the horizons of the search for wholeness, Artson opens a fantastic adventure of ideas. Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis, author, Conscience: The Duty to Obey and the Duty to Disobey; founder, Jewish Foundation of the Righteous and the Jewish World Watch Extraordinary ... speaks to the real-world experience of many people who find a fixed set of religious beliefs and teachings incompatible with what they know.... Explicates a twenty-first-century Judaism that is dynamic, constructive, ethical and deeply meaningful; offers ways for us to think about prayer, ritual and Israel, and about what we must do to create greater justice. Ruth W. Messinger, president, American Jewish World Service With personal, persuasive prose ... skillfully presents a theology to live with and live by. It may change the way that you think about God, Judaism and your being in the world. Sue Levi Elwell, PhD, rabbinic director, East Geographic Congregational Network Union for Reform Judaism Undertakes the daunting challenge of spelling out a theology that will speak to the mind and soul of the modern reader, and succeeds. Rabbi Harold Kushner, author, When Bad Things Happen to Good People An amazing combination of personal narrative, introduction to Process Thought and integration of Jewish theology with the two. It should open up to a whole new community the fruitfulness of thinking about God, life and Judaism through Process perspectives. Thomas Jay Oord, author, The Nature of Love and Defining Love Both a lovely, poetic introduction to Process Theology, and a vivid sense of Rabbi Artson's private journey as a believer, a Jewish leader, a father, a teacher and a Jew.... His enthusiasm and compassion are on every page, inviting you to learn from him and with him. Laurie Zoloth, director, Center for Bioethics, Science and Society, Northwestern University Brings to pass a confluence of Process Theology and Judaism hitherto only hinted at. The vibrant Jewishness of his sources, practices and rhythms of interpretation yield an unsurpassed introduction to the God of becoming for all children of Sarah, Hagar, Abraham. Catherine Keller, professor, theology, Drew University; author, On the Mystery: Discerning Divinity in Process. The most comprehensive exposition of a Jewish Process Theology yet written. Jews and Gentiles alike are indebted to Rabbi Artson for the intellectual-theological-emotional achievement this book represents. Rabbi David Ellenson, president, Hebrew Union College Jewish Institute of Religion [A] work of honest struggle by a fellow-seeker for a believable Jewish theology in our day.... Don t miss it! Arthur Green, rector, Rabbinical School, Hebrew College With sensitivity, wit and profundity, Rabbi Artson makes it possible for those who long ago abandoned the jealous-coercive-angry-old-man God to forge a new path to spiritual depth and holiness.... Simply said, with this book, [he] gives us God back. Rabbi Sharon Brous, founding rabbi, IKAR Until now it has been chiefly Protestants who have profited from the brilliant work of Alfred North Whitehead in reformulating ideas about God, the world and our inner lives. Now, in using Whitehead to revitalize Jewish life and thought, Brad Artson outdoes and inspires us all. John B. Cobb Jr., professor emeritus, Claremont School of Theology If you own only one book on Jewish Process Theology, this should be [it]. Accessible, persuasive and richly rooted in Jewish texts, Artson s theology is warm and inviting where Mordecai Kaplan s is cold and distant. Rachel Adler, David Ellenson Professor of Modern Jewish Thought, Hebrew Union College

Author Information

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, DHL, (www.bradartson.com) an inspiring speaker and educator, holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is vice president of American Jewish University in Los Angeles. He is a member of the philosophy department, supervises the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program and mentors Camp Ramah in California. He is also dean of Zacharias Frankel College in Potsdam, Germany, ordaining rabbis for the European Union. A regular columnist for the Huffington Post, he is author of many articles and books, including Renewing the Process of Creation: A Jewish Integration of Science and Spirit; God of Becoming and Relationship: The Dynamic Nature of Process Theology and Passing Life’s Tests: Spiritual Reflections on the Trial of Abraham, the Binding of Isaac (all Jewish Lights).

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