Hi Uko,
Just to stick a word in here. It looks like you are harping back to an old
Vollenhoven distinction of God - law - creation. There are some
difficulties with this philosophically and I remember, not as clearly at
the moment, several discussions about it. If memory serves me well, there
was a fear that "law" would become a "third thing" and somehow introduce a
concept foreign to the Bible and perhaps even function statically and
manipulatively. Do you recall this discussion?
Best wishes,
Graham
On Thu, 7 Jun 2001, Uko Zylstra wrote:
> In discussion concerning divine action, Howard Van Till asks "What word, other
> than "persuasion", describes an action that is effective but not coercive?"
> Although I am not keen on the distinctions introduced by the terms "persuasive"
> or "coercive", it strikes me that the word Howard is looking for is "law". By
> law, I do not mean the human law statements, but rather law as the relation
> between God and the creation ( and all things in the creation.). It is through
> God's laws that God governs the creation. What we experience, we experience as
> created things subject to the law. That applies to the unfolding of the creation
> in the appearance of created things in time as well. Such unfolding is law
> governed, not just an actualizing of potentialities that are present in some
> "lower level" entities.
> In that regard, Howard's comment with regard to the violin metaphor I think
> also extends to molecules, even complex molecular structures. Molecules are also
> "dead". They do have the ability to act but only in a chemical/physical way,
> just as the violin does. But to grant life functions to "dead" things is
> something that doesn't just come about by actualizing of potentialities. Such
> actualizing of life functions is an indication of things responding to biotic
> laws for life activity.
> Without the recognition that God governs creation through laws, one would be
> lead to a view of the autonomy of everything in the world which I would find
> antithetical to a Biblical view of God and the created world.
>
>
>
>
> Uko Zylstra, Ph.D.
> Biology Department
> Calvin College
> tel: (616)957-6499
> email: zylu@calvin.edu
>
******************************************************************************
Graham E. Morbey, Chaplain || Wilfrid Laurier University
tel. 519-884-1970 ext.2739 || Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3C5
fax 519-885-4865 || gmorbey@wlu.ca
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