Re: [asa] Theology of Nature

Hi Ted,
 
Could you please clarify: is creation (Creation) 'natural' or 'characteristic' (i.e. reflecting personality) or both? Nature may have a contingent rationality, but this rationality would seem to be reflective of (a) personality, i.e. the persons of the Godhead. Is nature (or Nature) then not rational on its own? That is, if 'theology of nature' is more or less equivalent with 'theology of creation,' and if we acknowledge a personality 'creating' (in the active sense), then does it not really mean that 'nature' takes on a kind of 'personality'? If you would wish to tease these two approaches apart or else weave them well together, I'd really appreciate how you articulate it.
 
Maybe then I am now challenged to explain what I think a process verb 'naturing' (in contrast to 'creating') might mean(!). But hopefully you already get the point of my question.
 
Thanks Ted! - G. 

--- On Fri, 10/24/08, Ted Davis <TDavis@messiah.edu> wrote:

From: Ted Davis <TDavis@messiah.edu>
Subject: Re: [asa] Theology of Nature
To: "ASA" <asa@calvin.edu>, gregoryarago@yahoo.ca
Received: Friday, October 24, 2008, 12:13 AM

>>> Gregory Arago <gregoryarago@yahoo.ca> 10/23/2008 4:04 PM
>>> asks:

How can there be a ̔theology of nature̓?

Surely there can be a 'science of nature.' But is there a distinct
̔theology of nature̓ and what does it (or might it) mean in today̓s academy?

***

Ted replies:

Excellent questions, Gregory. I use this term (and other do also) to mean
"theology of creation," more or less, but esp as distinguished from
"natural theology." By "theology of nature," I mean the
larger theological perspective within which one understands nature and the study
of nature (science). An example would be panentheism (a view I do not hold);
another would be Torrance's view that nature has a contingent rationality,
reflecting the freedom and rationality of the Godhead.

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Received on Thu Oct 23 16:50:56 2008