The Immutable God Who Can Change His Mind: The Impassible God Who Can Show Emotion

Scripture says plainly that God changes his mind (Exodus 32:14) and that he feels anger and pity (Exodus 32:9), yet the Church confesses God as immutable and impassible. Are those biblical descriptions literal accounts of God's character, or are they figures of speech? The question is no trifle: how you answer shapes how you pray and how you understand the God who hears you.

The Fathers were divided. Aquinas held the language metaphorical, though only to a certain extent. Modern theologians are divided still, and the Church has made no formal judgment. In this study Robert Sungenis moves through Scripture, tradition, the magisterium, and philosophy to weigh the evidence on both sides. The conclusion may surprise you, and it is meant to draw you into a closer relationship with the God you are trying to know.