Chaos, Complexity, and God
Divine Action and Scientism
by T.A. Smedes
In Christian theology, the belief that God is actively involved in earthly affairs is fundamental. Yet it is challenged by the contemporary scientific worldview. The author of this study argues that the current problems with divine action are a consequence of a culturally embedded and tacit scientism according to which science is authoritative in many areas of everyday life, including theology. This study focuses on theological models that use chaos theory (John Polkinghorne) and theories of self-organizing systems (Arthur Peacocke) to speak about divine action. These models are analyzed and critically assessed. The author concludes that they are problematic, since they do not take sufficiently into account that there is a difference between scientific and religious language. Speaking about divine action in scientific terms rests on a category mistake resulting from scientistic presuppositions. The author also points to alternative possibilities of talking about divine action that take serious the logic of religious language.
- By (author) TA Smedes
Other Titles in this Series
The Art of Theology
Hans Urs von Balthasar's Theological Aesthetics and the Foundations of Faith
Volume 25
Levinas and the Greek Heritage followed by One Hundred Years of Neoplatonism in France
A Brief Philosophical History
Volume 32
On the Meaning of ‘Miracle’ in Christianity
A Philosophical Evaluation of the Current Miracle Debate and a Proposal of a Balanced Hermeneutical Approach
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John Henry Newman’s Theology of History
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Volume 60
The Limits and Possibilities of Postmetaphysical God-Talk
A Conversation between Heidegger, Levinas and Derrida
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Christian Theology and the Transformation of Natural Religion: From Incarnation to Sacramentality
Essays in Honour of David Brown
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The Hammer of the Cartesians
Henry More's Philosophy of Spirit and the Origins of Modern Atheism
Volume 53
The Mind of God and the Works of Nature
Laws and Powers in Naturalism, Platonism, and Classical Theism
Volume 65
Divinising Experience
Essays in the History of Religious Experience from Origen to Ricoeur
Volume 23
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