Re: Process problems from Re: Evolution: A few questions

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry M. Gray" <grayt@lamar.colostate.edu>
To: <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 11:58 AM
Subject: Re: Process problems from Re: Evolution: A few questions

> Steve,
>
> I would want to strongly emphasize an ontological Creator/creator
> distinction. As intimate as is God's relationship to the world might
> be, he is NOT the world. We're not pantheists--the creation is not
> God--there's hardly anything clearer in scripture than this. He made
> it--he's the potter, it (and we) are the pots. While I do appreciate
> process theology's attempt to distinguish their view (panentheism)
> from pantheism, I'm not convinced that it really succeeds.
>
> I'm sure that Howard is amused that some accuse him of deism and now
> I'm accusing him of pantheism. He must be close to getting it right.
>
> TG

I agree that it is a mistake to equate God with the world. I never
advocated that. However, as Bob pointed out one has to address the issue of
participation which is so heavy in Paul, Luther, Tillich and others. What
does it mean that both God participates in finite reality and humans
participate in God through Christ. Surely this is points to some sort of
ontological union. If this is true then the problem is how to describe a
distinction between God and the world. Elements of Plato, Hartshorne,
Hegel, and others talk about different "aspects" of God. Is there not an
infinite aspect of God and and a kenotic finite aspect of God? What does it
mean to be "In Christ"? Especially in Lutheran theology we *truely* eat the
body and blood of Christ, not a transmutation of wine into blood. Does this
not suggest an ontological unity of the reality and God?

Steve Petermann
Received on Tue Jun 29 16:47:35 2004