My adventure into Process Theology has been a discovery of congruence¾a paradigm that reflects my own experience in the world and that nurtures me as a co-creative participant in the inclusive loving process I refer to as the Body of God or World Soul. Finding other Unitarian Universalists interested in exploring Process Theology has been a gift.
I begin my first conversation in the blog with a bit of background. I grew up in the Space Age of the 50’s that offered a static world view that was atomistic and emphasized the independent individual. A second influence was being an identical twin. My intuition told me the world was profoundly relational.
A third influence was growing up with the subtle and animated Sonoran Desert that I viewed as enchanted. I sensed a world with diverse participants. The world appeared complex, mysterious, and amazingly intertwined. I relished the intimate moments of holding a horned toad in the palm of my hand and hearing the buzz of a June bug while simultaneously smelling the ripe watermelons that my father grew.
My search for a philosophy or religion that helped me make sense of my place in the world led me to study the Old and New Testaments as a sophomore at the University of Arizona. As a junior I took two semesters of World Religions and there I read about the Unitarians and Universalists. I knew I wanted to explore those two traditions.
My husband, Danny, and I attended the Unitarian Church in Houston when we married and moved to Houston. Right away we both sensed we were in a community where we could grow and explore ideas and issues.
It was fifteen years later that I heard about Process Theology. I was religious education director at my church in San Diego at the time. Gene Reeves, then dean of Meadville Lombard was speaking to a group of us who were in the Independent Study Program for Minister of Religious Education. The year was 1979.
You can imagine my excitement when Gene described Process Theology and the idea of a panentheistic vision of God in which we participate and make a difference. I began offering classes in Process Theology at my church. We learned together. At the same time I studied with John Cobb Mary Elizabeth Moore and David Griffin at Claremont School of Theology and the Center for Process Studies.
Eventually, I realized the implications for relationships and communication. I decided to begin a practice in Marriage, Family Therapy where I could actually use Process Theology as a foundation for my work. Simultaneously, I began the UU Process Theology Network by placing an ad in the UU World inviting other interested folks to join in the dialogue.
I have been forever grateful to the UUA and fellow UU explorers for their support and participation in the on-going dialogue. The network actually reflects the dynamic connectivity described in Process Theology. I decided the timing was right to let go of my role as originator-coordinator of the network in 2006. The signs of change were “blowing in the wind” (Bob Dylan?). The dialogue continues now on multiple and diverse levels. Thank you, Gary, for beginning this possibility for blogging… a new adventure for me.
In loving process, Barbara Booth Keiller, PhD
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