whitehead’s adventurous religion as his theological legacy1（怀特黑德冒险的宗教神学legacy1）.pdfVIP

1 Whitehead’s Adventurous Religion as his Theological Legacy Donald Wayne Viney The topic of Alfred North Whitehead’s importance for contemporary theology is subtly ambiguous. It might refer to the influence of Whitehead’s work on contemporary theology, calling for a survey of recent work in theology and how it has or has not been affected by Whitehead’s philosophy. On the other hand, it suggests an inquiry concerning what theologians might still learn from Whitehead. Perhaps theologians, or some theologians at any rate, have not taken Whitehead seriously enough. (It’s hard to imagine that this could occur at Claremont School of Theology while the two greatest living representatives of process thought are still among us.) Or perhaps there are as yet untapped resources for theological reflection in Whitehead’s philosophy. Even a superficial look at recent theology demonstrates Whitehead’s continuing relevance to the field; moreover, Whiteheadian scholars continue to expand Whitehead’s thinking into areas that Whitehead did not explore such as feminism, ecology, and economic theory. My approach is to combine a bit of both of these alternatives. I will begin, however, with some observations about the little we know about Whitehead ’s own religious development, for I see in this story a lesson for theology. In other words, part of Whitehead’s importance for contemporary theology is Whitehead’s own struggle with religious questions. Next, I will make some comments on the fact that Whitehead’s influence has been disproportionately theological. Finally, I turn to what I consider 1 This paper, originally titled “Whitehead’s Importance to Contemporary Theology,” was presented at Claremont School of Theology, March 11, 2005. This is the first in a series of two papers. The second paper, “God as the