Divine Agency and Divine Action, Volume IV A Theological and Philosophical Agenda

In the final of four volumes, William J. Abraham seeks an account of God as an agent. Systematic theology raises deep metaphysical questions about the central concepts we use in our thinking about God. If God is an agent, the question of how to articulate this conviction arises. Abraham illumines the concept of God as agent by attending to various traditional problems in Christian doctrine like the relation of freedom and grace, divine action in liberation theology, the presence of God in the Eucharist, divine providence, the relationship of Christianity and Islam, the relation of the natural sciences to theology and apparent design, and the realm of the demonic. Divine action is the point of departure for reflection on these topics. It not only clarifies the concept of God as an agent but also solutions to these traditional problems.

1 - On God as an Agent
2 - Divine Freedom and Divine Suffering
3 - Divine Action, Grace, and Human Agency
4 - Particular Providence and the Details of Divine Action
5 - Salvation, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and Experience
6 - Divine Action in the Eucharist
7 - Divine Action and Skepticism in the Book of Exodus
8 - Divine Action and the Preferential Option for the Poor
9 - Divine Action and the Charge of Sexist Discourse
10 - Divine Action in History
11 - Divine Action, Design, and Natural Theology
12 - Divine Action and the Demonic
13 - Divine Action and Divine Identity in Christianity and Islam

William J. Abraham is Albert Cook Outler Professor of Wesley Studies at Southern Methodist University. He is an Irish theologian, analytic philosopher, and United Methodist pastor known for his work in philosophy of religion, religious epistemology, evangelism, and church renewal. Prior to his tenure at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, he has worked as Professor at Seattle Pacific University and Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School.