Thomas Jay Oord
Encyclopedia
Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is the author or editor of about twenty books and professor at Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love
, open and relational thought
(including relational theism
), science and religion, Wesleyan
/Holiness/Church of the Nazarene
thought, Evangelical theology, and postmodernism.
. He attended Northwest Nazarene College (now Northwest Nazarene University
) and graduated in 1988. After four years in pastoral ministry in Walla Walla, Washington, he attended Nazarene Theological Seminary
in Kansas City, Missouri. Upon graduating with a MDiv, he attended Claremont Graduate University
in Southern California. He earned a MA
in Religion and a PhD
in Philosophy of Religion and Theology at Claremont. While pursuing graduate studies, he was a part-time associate pastor at Bloomington Church of the Nazarene (now Bridge Church of the Nazarene) in Bloomington, Ca. Oord graduated from Claremont after finishing his dissertation Matching Theology and Piety: An Evangelical Process Theology (1999).
Oord is an ordained minister
in the Church of the Nazarene
.
He has taught at Africa Nazarene University
, Azusa Pacific University
, Eastern Nazarene College
, Harvard Divinity School
, and Wesley Theological Seminary
. He currently teaches in the School of Theology and Christian Ministries at Northwest Nazarene University
. He was a youth pastor at Bridge Church of the Nazarene at Bloomington, CA.
Oord's love studies begin with his own definition: "To love is to act intentionally, in sympathetic/empathetic response to God and others, to promote overall well-being." He proposes this definition with the desire that it might be useful for research in science, religion, and philosophy.(Oord, The Nature of Love, 17)
Oord has also posited definitions of the classic love archetypes commonly referred to by philosophers and theologians:
As a relational theologian, Oord argues that the fundamental nature of all things existing is relational. What it means to exist is decided by the decisions made in response to the influence of others, including God. Oord says that God is also relational, and God and creatures mutually influence one another. While creatures influence God, God's essence remains constant. But God's influence precedes each moment of creaturely existence. This preceding divine influence is the inspiring and empowering of prevenient grace
(See John Wesley
).
Oord has been identified (rightly or wrongly) with a number of contemporary theological movements, including Holiness theology, Wesleyan theology, Open theology, Arminian theology, Process theology, Liberation theology, Evangelical, Postmodern, Scientific, and Feminist theology. The driving force behind his theological interests, however, seems to be his intent to make sense of God as love and the great love commandments given by Jesus.
Oord's contributions to science and religion research are varied. Oord argues that love and altruism
are important spiritual and scientific categories for contemporary research. He adopts a form of theistic evolution
, which requires a necessary place for both divine and creaturely action. Oord argues that the traditional doctrine of creation out of absolutely nothing
argument does not make scientific, philosophic or biblical sense in light of the problem of evil
and divine love relations. Oord is known for saying the Bible tells us how to live abundant life, not the scientific details of how live became abundant.
Thomas Jay Oord is a theological consultant for the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, has been academic correspondent and contributing editor to Science & Theology News
, and is an officer in a variety of scholarly societies. Oord was the president of the Wesleyan Theological Society from 2008-2009 and was past president of the Wesleyan Philosophical Society
. He leads the AAR Open and Relational Theologies group and is a leader of the Society of Evangelical Scholars. Oord is an advisor for the Biologos Foundation and Wesleynexus. Oord is an active participant to the listserv WTD - the Wesleyans in Theological Dialogue.
As editor and contributor:
Love (religious views)
Religious views on love vary widely between different religions.-Bahá'í:Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith, taught that God created humans due to his love for them, and thus humans should in turn love God. `Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'u'lláh's son, wrote that love is the greatest power in the world of...
, open and relational thought
Relational theory
In physics and philosophy, a relational theory is a framework to understand reality or a physical system in such a way that the positions and other properties of objects are only meaningful relative to other objects...
(including relational theism
Theism
Theism, in the broadest sense, is the belief that at least one deity exists.In a more specific sense, theism refers to a doctrine concerning the nature of a monotheistic God and God's relationship to the universe....
), science and religion, Wesleyan
Wesleyanism
Wesleyanism or Wesleyan theology refers, respectively, to either the eponymous movement of Protestant Christians who have historically sought to follow the methods or theology of the eighteenth-century evangelical reformers, John Wesley and his brother Charles Wesley, or to the likewise eponymous...
/Holiness/Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
thought, Evangelical theology, and postmodernism.
Background/education
Oord grew up on a farm in the small community of Othello, WashingtonOthello, Washington
Othello is a city in Adams County, Washington, United States. The population was 5,847 at the 2000 census and grew 25.9% over the next decade to 7,364 at the 2010 census. Othello refers to the city as being in the "Heart" of the Columbia Basin Project...
. He attended Northwest Nazarene College (now Northwest Nazarene University
Northwest Nazarene University
Northwest Nazarene University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Nampa, Idaho.-History:Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School...
) and graduated in 1988. After four years in pastoral ministry in Walla Walla, Washington, he attended Nazarene Theological Seminary
Nazarene Theological Seminary
Nazarene Theological Seminary is a Christian seminary affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. It is located in Kansas City, Missouri, which was formerly also the location of the headquarters of the Church of the Nazarene...
in Kansas City, Missouri. Upon graduating with a MDiv, he attended Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University
Claremont Graduate University is a private, all-graduate research university located in Claremont, California, a city east of downtown Los Angeles...
in Southern California. He earned a MA
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Religion and a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in Philosophy of Religion and Theology at Claremont. While pursuing graduate studies, he was a part-time associate pastor at Bloomington Church of the Nazarene (now Bridge Church of the Nazarene) in Bloomington, Ca. Oord graduated from Claremont after finishing his dissertation Matching Theology and Piety: An Evangelical Process Theology (1999).
Career
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
in the Church of the Nazarene
Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
.
He has taught at Africa Nazarene University
Africa Nazarene University
Africa Nazarene University is a liberal arts university located in Ongata Rongai, Kenya affiliated with the Church of the Nazarene. It is the first Nazarene liberal arts university established outside of the United States...
, Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...
, Eastern Nazarene College
Eastern Nazarene College
The Eastern Nazarene College is a private, coeducational college of the liberal arts and sciences in Quincy, Massachusetts near Boston, in the New England region of the United States. Known for its strong religious affiliation, distinctive liberal arts core curriculum, and excellence in science...
, Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, and Wesley Theological Seminary
Wesley Theological Seminary
Wesley Theological Seminary is a United Methodist–affiliated seminary located in Washington, D.C., United States. The school was founded in 1882...
. He currently teaches in the School of Theology and Christian Ministries at Northwest Nazarene University
Northwest Nazarene University
Northwest Nazarene University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Nampa, Idaho.-History:Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School...
. He was a youth pastor at Bridge Church of the Nazarene at Bloomington, CA.
Oord's love studies begin with his own definition: "To love is to act intentionally, in sympathetic/empathetic response to God and others, to promote overall well-being." He proposes this definition with the desire that it might be useful for research in science, religion, and philosophy.(Oord, The Nature of Love, 17)
Oord has also posited definitions of the classic love archetypes commonly referred to by philosophers and theologians:
- agapeAgapeAgape is one of the Greek words translated into English as love, one which became particularly appropriated in Christian theology as the love of God or Christ for mankind. In the New Testament, it refers to the fatherly love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God; the term...
: love that promotes overall well-being when confronted by that which generates ill-feeling (i.e., returning good for ill) "in spite of" love - erosEros (love)Eros is one of the four words in Ancient Greek which can be rendered into English as “love”. The other three are storge, philia and agape...
: love that promotes overall well-being by affirming the valuable or beautiful "because of" love - philiaPhiliaPhilia is one of the four ancient Greek words for love.Philia in Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is usually translated as 'friendship', though in fact his use of the term is much broader.- Aristotle's view :...
: love that promotes overall well-being when cooperating with others, and that moreover gives humans authentic friendship "alongside of" love
As a relational theologian, Oord argues that the fundamental nature of all things existing is relational. What it means to exist is decided by the decisions made in response to the influence of others, including God. Oord says that God is also relational, and God and creatures mutually influence one another. While creatures influence God, God's essence remains constant. But God's influence precedes each moment of creaturely existence. This preceding divine influence is the inspiring and empowering of prevenient grace
Prevenient grace
Prevenient grace is a Christian theological concept rooted in Augustinian theology. It is embraced primarily by Arminian Christians who are influenced by the theology of Jacob Arminius or John Wesley. Wesley typically referred to it in 18th century language as prevenient grace...
(See John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
).
Oord has been identified (rightly or wrongly) with a number of contemporary theological movements, including Holiness theology, Wesleyan theology, Open theology, Arminian theology, Process theology, Liberation theology, Evangelical, Postmodern, Scientific, and Feminist theology. The driving force behind his theological interests, however, seems to be his intent to make sense of God as love and the great love commandments given by Jesus.
Oord's contributions to science and religion research are varied. Oord argues that love and altruism
Altruism
Altruism is a concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of 'others' toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism is the opposite of...
are important spiritual and scientific categories for contemporary research. He adopts a form of theistic evolution
Theistic evolution
Theistic evolution or evolutionary creation is a concept that asserts that classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution...
, which requires a necessary place for both divine and creaturely action. Oord argues that the traditional doctrine of creation out of absolutely nothing
Ex nihilo
Ex nihilo is a Latin phrase meaning "out of nothing". It often appears in conjunction with the concept of creation, as in creatio ex nihilo, meaning "creation out of nothing"—chiefly in philosophical or theological contexts, but also occurs in other fields.In theology, the common phrase creatio ex...
argument does not make scientific, philosophic or biblical sense in light of the problem of evil
Problem of evil
In the philosophy of religion, the problem of evil is the question of how to explain evil if there exists a deity that is omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient . Some philosophers have claimed that the existences of such a god and of evil are logically incompatible or unlikely...
and divine love relations. Oord is known for saying the Bible tells us how to live abundant life, not the scientific details of how live became abundant.
Thomas Jay Oord is a theological consultant for the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, has been academic correspondent and contributing editor to Science & Theology News
Science & Theology News
Science & Theology News was a monthly international newspaper of the Templeton Foundation that focused on science and religion and dialogue between them, specifically the point of view that both are worthwhile and compatible endeavors.Harold G...
, and is an officer in a variety of scholarly societies. Oord was the president of the Wesleyan Theological Society from 2008-2009 and was past president of the Wesleyan Philosophical Society
Wesleyan Philosophical Society
The Wesleyan Philosophical Society is an academic society largely represented by academic institutions affiliated with Christian denominations in the Wesleyan tradition. Despite its primarily Wesleyan orientation, there has been increasing participation from scholars in Catholic, Orthodox, and...
. He leads the AAR Open and Relational Theologies group and is a leader of the Society of Evangelical Scholars. Oord is an advisor for the Biologos Foundation and Wesleynexus. Oord is an active participant to the listserv WTD - the Wesleyans in Theological Dialogue.
Selected bibliography
- Defining Love: A Philosophical, Scientific, and Theological Engagement (2010) ISBN 1-58743-257-9
- The Nature of Love: A Theology (2010) ISBN 9780827208285
- The Best News You Will Ever Hear (with Robert Luhn) (2011) ISBN 978-0982930052
- The Many Facets of Love: Philosophical Perspectives (2007) ISBN 978-1847181237
- Relational Holiness: Responding to the Call of Love (with Michael LodahlMichael LodahlMichael Lodahl is a theologian in the Church of the Nazarene. He graduated from Northwest Nazarene College in 1977, graduated Summa Cum Laude from Nazarene Theological Seminary in 1981, and earned a Ph.D. from Emory University...
) (2005) ISBN 978-0834121829 - Science of Love: The Wisdom of Well-Being (2004) ISBN 978-1932031706
- Matching Theology and Piety (1999)
As editor and contributor:
- God in an Open Universe: Science, Metaphysics, and Open Theism (2011)
- The Bible Tells Me So (with Richard Thompson) (2011)
- The Polkinghorne Reader (2010)
- Creation Made Free: Open Theology Engaging Science (2009)
- Love Among Us (with Darrin Grinder) (2009)
- Divine Grace and Emerging Creation: Wesleyan Forays in Science and Theology of Creation (2009)
- Postmodern and Wesleyan? Exploring the Boundaries and Possibilities (with Jay Akkerman and Brent Peterson) (2009) ISBN 978-0834124585
- The Altruism Reader: Selections from Writings on Love, Religion, and Science (2007) ISBN 978-1599471273
- Philosophy of Religion: Essay Introductions (2003) ISBN 978-0834119956
- Thy Name and Thy Nature is Love (with Bryan P. Stone) (2001) ISBN 978-0687052202
- Generation Xers Talk about the Church of the Nazarene (1999) ISBN 978-0834118157
See also
- AgapeAgapeAgape is one of the Greek words translated into English as love, one which became particularly appropriated in Christian theology as the love of God or Christ for mankind. In the New Testament, it refers to the fatherly love of God for humans, as well as the human reciprocal love for God; the term...
- American philosophyAmerican philosophyAmerican philosophy is the philosophical activity or output of Americans, both within the United States and abroad. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that while American philosophy lacks a "core of defining features, American Philosophy can nevertheless be seen as both reflecting and...
- AltruismAltruismAltruism is a concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of 'others' toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism is the opposite of...
- Church of the NazareneChurch of the NazareneThe Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged from the 19th century Holiness movement in North America with its members colloquially referred to as Nazarenes. It is the largest Wesleyan-holiness denomination in the world. At the end of 2010, the Church of the...
- Ex NihiloEx nihiloEx nihilo is a Latin phrase meaning "out of nothing". It often appears in conjunction with the concept of creation, as in creatio ex nihilo, meaning "creation out of nothing"—chiefly in philosophical or theological contexts, but also occurs in other fields.In theology, the common phrase creatio ex...
- ImpassibilityImpassibilityImpassibility describes the theological doctrine that God does not experience pain or pleasure from the actions of another being. It has often been seen as a consequence of divine aseity, the idea that God is absolutely independent of any other being, i.e., in no way causally dependent...
- LoveLoveLove is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
- Open TheismOpen theismOpen theism is a recent theological movement that has developed within evangelical and post-evangelical Protestant Christianity as a response to certain ideas that are related to the synthesis of Greek philosophy and Christian theology...
- PanentheismPanentheismPanentheism is a belief system which posits that God exists, interpenetrates every part of nature and timelessly extends beyond it...
- Science and TheologyScience and TheologyScience and theology: an introduction is a book written by scientist and theologian John Polkinghorne....