Abstract
"Classical theism" designates an understanding of God in which God has no need of the world and is not internally related to it. In classical theism, God's joy is not increased by the world's beauty or diminished by its pain. God's being is perfectly and fully actualized apart from the world. Any alternation would only decrease it. In this understanding, God's being is immutable in a static sense, essentially unrelated to the world and unaffected by what happens in and to it. Thomas Aquinas is usually cited as representative of this position. But this concept of God has been present in Christian theology from the patristic. era on, when absoluteness and impassibility came to be seen as basic attributes of God that determined how the revelation of God in Jesus Christ could be understood. Classical theism, this understanding of God as impassible and statically perfect, has been sharply criticized by process philosophers and theologians as logically incoherent, an obstacle to faith and de-valuing creation. Feminist theologians have repeated and extended this, arguing that classical theism is a male idolatry that undermines peoples' humanity, especially women's.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
