John Oman and his Doctrine of God

The Scottish theologian John Oman (1860-1939) conceived of God in terms of a personal reality who calls forth – rather than inhibits – freedom, creativity, and responsibility. Although he never wrote a book on God as such, all Oman’s thought is based on this conception of God’s radically personal nature and gracious – though often challenging – dealing with humanity. This book systematizes the thoughts on God which are scattered throughout Oman’s writings, and places Oman in his historical and cultural context of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the picture which emerges, evil and suffering are the result of cosmic independence and human freedom; God’s power is revealed not in his ability to override human freedom, but in the patience to deal with its consequences, which include the emergence of moral and physical evil. For Oman, God’s face has been revealed most clearly in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, whose gracious dealing with men and women shows God to be both eternal Father and abiding Spirit.