Let me give you "confessional" answers to your questions. These are from
the Westminster Confession of Faith, but I think are consistent with other
Calvinistic/Reformed confessional traditions. Pardon the cavalier attitude
that may be suggested by the style of answer. Obviously, there is much
that could be written in response to each question. Also, you may have
grounds for accusing me of holding to contradictory ideas. I'll say that
they are only apparently contradictory (to the feeble creaturely mind), but
not ultimately contradictory to God.
>In several contributions on the topic string "Test your knowledge...."
>there have been numerous references to divine sovereignty, divine control,
>omniipotence, governance, contingency, design, intention, purpose, etc.
>
>Ths leads me to raise a nest of questions that have long interested me:
>
>1. Does the "sovereignty" of God necessarily entail the idea that God
>"controls all things" (events, processes, etc.)? How does one move from
>"sovereignty" to the concept of "control"?
Yes.
WCF III. 1. God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel
of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass...
WCF V. 1. God the great Creator of all things doth uphold, direct, dispose,
and govern all creatures, actions, and things, from the greatest even to
the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his
infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own
will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness,
and mercy.
Comment: Such control is not part of human sovereignty, nor can it be. But
human sovereignty is an analogy of divine sovereignty, not vice versa.
God's authority, direction, governance, sustenance, etc. extends to the
smallest detail of creation.
>
>2. Would this concept of divine "control" (or governance?) mean that God
>directly causes each "event" to happen?
It depends on what you mean by directly.
WCF III. 1. God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel
of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass:
yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence
offered to the will of the creatures; nor is the liberty or contingency of
second causes taken away, but rather established.
Comment: If secondary causation is indirect causation, then the answer to
your question would be no. But the outcome is no less certain in
secondarily caused events. That would seem to suggest a yes answer.
>
>3. In the extreme, then, would God's sovereignty lead inevitably to a
>concept of divine "micromanagement" of all of the affairs of the Creation?
Yes. Not so hard for a being who is infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in
his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
WCF V. I. ... from the greatest even to the least...
>
>4. If God micromanages all events and processes in the Creation, then are
>there no authentic contingencies?
It depends on what you mean by contingencies and authentic. There are no
contingencies to God. All contingencies are creaturely. And those
creaturely contingencies are authentic to the creature.
WCF III. 1 ... nor is the liberty or contingency of second causes taken
away, but rather established.
WCF V. 2. Although, in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the
first Cause, all things come to pass immutably, and infallibly; yet, by the
same providence, he ordereth them to fall out, according to the nature of
second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently.
>
>5. If God micromanages all events and processes in the Creation, then do
>creatures ever do anything themselves?
Yes.
WCF III.1. ... nor is violence offered to the will of the creatures; nor is
the liberty or contingency of second causes taken away, but rather
established.
>
>6. If God does all and creatures do nothing, what happens to the ideas of
>authentic creaturely being, or of creaturely responsibility? Would not God
>now be responsible for all that happens (since he is said to "control" all
>things)?
Question 6 is moot if the answer to Question 5 is yes.
However, the Confession does say:
WCF III. 1. God from all eternity, did, by the most wise and holy counsel
of his own will, freely, and unchangeably ordain whatsoever comes to pass:
yet so, as thereby neither is God the author of sin ....
>
>
>I do not raise these questions to "pick a bone" with anyone. I raise them
>because I believe that they are extremely important questions and deserve
>to be treated with great care and precision. If we choose to continue this
>discussion, we will have to pay great attention to our vocabulary, lest we
>misunderstand one another or overlook important theological concerns.
>
>Howard Van Till
I agree with Howard that these are important questions. As I've said
before, without this view of God's involvement, it's hard for me to accept
a scientific theory of evolution as being compatible with a Biblical view
of creation.
TG
_________________
Terry M. Gray, Ph.D., Computer Support Scientist
Chemistry Department, Colorado State University
Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
grayt@lamar.colostate.edu http://www.chm.colostate.edu/~grayt/
phone: 970-491-7003 fax: 970-491-1801