Book Review: The Death of Omnipotence and the Birth of Amipotence by Thomas Jay Oord

I came to read about Thomas Jay Oord a couple of years ago when I read the book The God Who Trusts, as he has been a lead theologian in open and relational theology. I was initially quite interested in both of these ideas and read the book of the same title earlier this year. It was when I read the book God Is NOT in Control that I began to question the idea of omnipotence and understanding what that meant in terms of power and how the world works. The Death of Omnipotence and the Birth of Amipotence is a recent release which I was hoping would address some of the issues that swirled in my head.

The argument

Oord opens by directly addressing the terms that are often translated as ‘omnipotent’ or ‘almighty’ in our Bibles. He discusses two Hebrew words and one Greek word as well as the mis-translation of the earlies Greek transcript of the Hebrew portion of our Bibles, the Septuagint. By delving into the meanings of these words and the earliest translations of the words, there is little left for ‘omnipotent’ to continue standing.

The author then moves to a discussion of the philosophical issues of an omnipotent God, finishing with a extensive list of examples of things which God cannot do. These were all rather logical in my opinion and were easy to follow, despite the term ‘philosophical’ being used. For example, ‘God cannot do what is illogical or ontologically contradictory. God can’t act in ways that oppose math and geometry…. God is incorporeal and cannot do activities creatures with bodies can,‘ (p. 72). The chapter discusses the numerous exceptions that theologians and lay people attach to the descriptor ‘omnipotent’ in relation to God, while they continue to hold to the descriptor.

The third argument that the book takes up against omniscience is in regards to evil and suffering. This chapter takes up the discussion of how a loving God could plan evil or permit evil, as many who claim omnipotence describe God. The text talks of the loving God and the priority of love since God is love, as well as how the blessing of despotic rulers through the claim of God’s omnipotence leads to contradictory understanding of God. Several times the ‘mystery’ of God is called upon to answer these conundrums, but Oord rejects them all. In the final half of the chapter, a six-part solution is presented which addresses the problem of omnipotence and evil.

The final chapter addresses the question of what God does, since he is not omnipotent. Oord coins the word ‘amipotence’ to describe the power of God and how he acts. The premise is that God intentionally acts for the well-being of everyone and everything at all times and that act is only part of what is necessary to effect good. He loves at all times however love is relational and if there is no loving response, then God’s love doesn’t bring about the good desired. God’s love is more powerful than we can imagine, however we do have the power to accept it or decline to act with it. I am perhaps simplifying here, but that is what I got from the chapter.

The style

The style of the book is startlingly direct, which I found refreshing. At times I had to re-read a line or two to ensure that I understood the meaning as it was tightly written with no mincing words. At 163 pages, it is short, particularly when the endnotes are removed. One of my main issues with Oord’s last work that I read was the lack of references, both biblical and scholarly; the same cannot be said of this book. References abound without making it a read where the author simply pulls together a bunch of statements from others. In fact the book is occasionally a rebuttal of what a number of other authors and theologians from Aquinas and Anselm to Wesley have added to the discussion. The style is approachable and easily accessible for lay people like myself.

5/5 for thorough and researched position on the omnipotence of God as false

The book offers a view on omnipotence that challenges many if not most Christians in the fundamental understanding that we have of God. Above all else, this is perhaps the one deterrent to people picking up the book. However, it is well worth the read to know God and question our ‘givens’ in our understanding of God and the Bible. Highly recommended read!