I’m happy to announce the launch of a center that promotes open and relational theology!

The Center for Open and Relational Theology exists to promote… open and relational thinking, networking among like-minded people, projects that build upon or advance open and relational ideas, announce news, and provide open and relational theology resources.

Take a spin on the center’s website. Check out profiles in the people page of those who identify as center voices or serve as advisers. Sign up for the newsletter. Consider becoming a patron. Or check out the resources page (and suggest links if you notice something missing).

As director of the Center, join me in celebrating this new venture. And consider how you might participate in this exciting work.

Tom
 

 
What Is Open and Relational Theology?

“Open and Relational Theology” is an umbrella label under which a variety of theologies and believers reside. This variety shares at least two ideas in common:

God experiences time moment by moment (open)
God, us, and creation relate, so that everyone gives and receives (relational)
Most open and relational thinkers also affirm additional ideas, such as the idea love is our ultimate ethic, creatures are free at least to some extent, all creation matters, life has purpose, genuine transformation is possible, science points to important truths theology needs to incorporate, and more.

Visit website here.

Open and Relational Leadership leads with love, like a loving God leads.

Contributors to this book explore questions like, What would it mean to lead like a God who is open, relational, and loving? What does leadership look like in an open and relational world with open and relational people? What “style” of leadership fits this view? What common views of leadership present problems that the open and relational leadership model overcomes? And so on. These essays upend long-held views of hierarchy, tit-for-tat exchange, disconnected leaders, or controlling leadership.

Dr. Oord’s new book is currently # 1 on Amazon in the following categories…
* Religious Studies Education
* Religious Leadership
* Christian Clergy
* Christian Process Theology
* Christian Institutions and Organizations
* Christian Church Administration
 
Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than twenty-five books. Oord directs a doctoral program at Northwind Theological Seminary and The Center for Open and Relational Theology. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award twelve times as a full-time professor and now speaks at institutions across the globe. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, science and religion, and freedom and relationships for transformation.