Conducting the Power of the Past
By John M. Sweeney
Christians have stubbornly held to omnipotence, but amipotence overcomes that stubbornness.
Thomas Jay Oord writes in The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence that “Omnipotence remains on life support due to high church liturgies and low church piety, which shapes the theologies of countless people.”[1] This essay explores the quote above. The first section briefly describes the power of the past, including the element of creaturely free will that occurs therein. Section two presents examples of how Christian liturgy, hymnody, and worship continue to enable the “life support” referred to in the quote. In the third section, I offer a few ways of trying to conduct the past, that is, to remove the “life support” and to implant amipotence are presented.
Section One
In a Whiteheadian/philosophy of organism, one of the streams of open and relational theology, the power of the past plays a significant role. Creaturely behaviors build up over time; by repetition a behavior can become more and more entrenched, and thereby become increasingly difficult to alter. Some behaviors are worthwhile and perhaps, one might say, even natural, like breathing (unless impediments develop), walking (once one learns), practicing a skill until one becomes so proficient that one does not need to “think” about it (Zen archery), and so on. Habits can develop both individually and communally (cf. group-think).
Also, in this Whiteheadian stream of open and relational theology, there is an element of creaturely freewill. The habits of the past strongly push a creature, or a set of creatures, towards a repetitive kind of behavior, but the creature(s) can modify/change the behavior, even if only in a minimal way. Someone addicted to smoking maybe can smoke a little less (one cigarette less per day?), and then a little less the next time, until they try to quit completely. Multiple attempts may be needed quit completely. Much of the repetitive behavior we do without thinking (see preceding paragraph), yet sometimes a little attention can alter one’s direction—one less cigarette, one less drink, etc. Then maybe two less drinks, or even a day without a cigarette. For a group or community, new behaviors can be introduced, albeit slowly.
Section Two
The implanting of omnipotence has been occurring for hundreds of years in the Christian traditions, and this implanting continues into the present. For example, in the Christian tradition, note that both the Apostle’s Creed (tracing back to at least the 5th Century, C.E.,) and the Nicene Creed (tracing back to 325 C.E.) begin by claiming one God, the Father Almighty. Both of these creeds, developed in the past and repeated by billions of believers throughout the centuries, continuing into the present, have exerted their power by their repetition in various religious services—a practice that has been ongoing for centuries. (Patriarchy/sexism is entwined with omnipotence, but that entwining is not the focus of this essay.) Many standard prayers invoke omnipotence in some way or another, cf. the Anglican Book of Common Prayer.
Pick a hymn, any hymn, and references to omnipotence may very well be found. Sometimes the references are not even subtle. For example, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” (#4, Chalice Hymnal, 1995). Even popular hymns with no obvious references to power manage to re-enforce omnipotence. Note “All Things Bright and Beautiful” (#35, Hymns for a Pilgrim People, 2007), all those things that are bright and beautiful, “The Lord God made them all.” Hymns that celebrate love often contain an omnipotent reference; for example, “Love Divine, All Love Excelling” (#517, Chalice Hymnal, 1995), verse 3, “Come, almighty, to deliver.” And yes, there are a few hymns that celebrate the Divine without invoking omnipotence, “Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness” (#239, Hymns for a Pilgrim People, 2007).
Section Three
As noted in Section One, overcoming or adjusting the power of the past is difficult. The patterns of behavior that have built up over the years become more and more entrenched and more likely to repeat themselves, thereby becoming more and more difficult to alter. Again, consider the difficulties that folks have in trying to change or break any long-held habit or addiction. Changing a centuries old habit that occurs both individually and communally would appear to be very challenging, especially in this age of extreme fear-driven partisanship.
Nevertheless, there are a few practices that individuals and/or communities can try: (1) serious Bible study that demonstrates, as Oord has done in Chapter one of The Death of Omnipotence, that omnipotence is “Not Born of Scripture” and that amipotence is indeed “born of scripture;” (2) personal editing traditional hymns so that words promoting Divine love are substituted for the power words; for example, mercy in lieu of glory, all-caring instead of almighty, compassion as often as possible; (3) using traditional hymns and new hymns that showcase amipotence; the work involved in finding such hymns probably would be a monumental task; (4) rewriting traditional prayers and creeds, or just replace the older ones with newer ones that reflect a Divine theology of love; (5) book studies, including the use of videos, that challenge omnipotence; in addition to Oord’s many writings, one can read Harold Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People (1981); David Polk’s The God of Empowering Love (2016), or one of any number of books from Marjorie Suchocki, John Cobb, Catherine Keller, .
Conducting the power of the past—removing the life support for omnipotence and replacing omnipotence with the more theologically appropriate amipotence in all phases of Christian worship–will be difficult. Nevertheless, it is a task that is worth the effort. In this process world, a world of Divine love in which we live, move, and have our being, everything counts, including the writing of the essays for this collection.
Bio: John M. Sweeney, PhD retired as Managing Director of the Center for Process Studies in 2013, and taught college and graduate school students for over 30 years. Prior to that, John worked in childcare in the Midwest. He authored, I’d Rather Be Dead Than Be a Girl (2009), and currently serves as a docent for the Big Bear Alpine Zoo.
Thomas Jay Oord’s drabble* response:
John Sweeney aptly describes the power of the past and the habits it can instill. Much of what we do happens without reflection, and repetition can shape us for good or ill. I agree that the Apostles’ Creed has negatively influenced the liturgy of many communities. Yet some liturgies rightly focus on love and transformation. Breaking long held habits will be difficult, but change remains possible. I appreciate John’s recommendations, especially his interest in new music and prayers to replace unhelpful liturgies. I may not write such lyrics, but they could be powerfully influential for good within contemporary worshiping communities.
*A drabble is a statement that is exactly 100 words in length.
[1] Thomas Jay Oord, The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence (Grasmere, Id.: SacraSage, 2023), 115.