The concept of God in classical theism is predominantly one of perfection, immutability, and aseity. God is presented as the uncaused cause, the unmoved mover, a being of pure actuality with no potentiality for change. This framework, heavily influenced by Aristotelian metaphysics and articulated masterfully by theologians like Thomas Aquinas, posits a fundamentally asymmetric relationship between the Creator and the created.¹ God acts, and the world is acted upon.

This classical view, however, presents a paradox that borders on incoherence when juxtaposed with a contingent world where events could have been otherwise. It posits that God is all-knowing, yet nothing within Him can be different from what it is. If a person freely chooses to perform one action over another, God’s knowledge must correspond to that choice. If the choice had been different, God’s knowledge would have to be different. This implies that the content of God’s knowledge is contingent upon our choices, which contradicts the notion of a purely actual, non-contingent being.

The Process Philosophy Solution

This is where the work of Alfred North Whitehead and, most notably, his student Charles Hartshorne, offers a compelling alternative. Hartshorne critiqued what he called the “monopolar prejudice” of classical theism, which defines God by only one pole of metaphysical contrasts (e.g., actual but not potential, absolute but not relative, necessary but not contingent), thereby creating an incoherent concept.²

Instead, process theology proposes a “dipolar” God. This model, originating with Whitehead and systematically developed by Hartshorne, does not deny that God is in some respects eternal and immutable, but it insists that God is also, in other respects, temporal and mutable. As Whitehead wrote, “The proper test is not that of finality, but of progress.”³

In this model, God has two “natures” or “poles”:

1. The Primordial Nature (The Abstract Pole): This is God’s abstract, eternal, and unchanging aspect. It is the realm of pure potentiality, containing all possibilities for the universe. It is the “unmoved mover” in the sense that it is the ultimate source of novel forms and ideals, luring the world toward its creative becoming.

2. The Consequent Nature (The Concrete Pole): This is God’s concrete, temporal, and ever-changing aspect. It is the result of what Hartshorne termed “divine relativity”—God’s intimate, responsive relationship with the world.⁴ God “prehends” or takes in every event that occurs in creation. Our choices, our creativity, and our suffering are not just known by God, but are felt by God and contribute to the divine experience.

In this view, God is in a genuine, give-and-take relationship with the world. Whitehead famously described God as the “fellow sufferer who understands.”⁵ God is not a distant, impassive monarch, but an intimate participant in the cosmic process.

Free Will and a Relational God

The classical model of a purely actual, immutable God, while philosophically influential, ultimately falters when confronted with the reality of a contingent world. For concepts like free will, a genuine divine-human relationship, and faith to be meaningful, we require a model of God who is not a distant, unaffected observer, but an active, responsive participant in the unfolding of creation.

Process theism provides such a model, offering a vision of a God who is both eternal and temporal, independent and relational. This allows for a universe where our choices truly matter, not only to ourselves but to the God who experiences the world with us, and whose own being is enriched by the progress of His creation.