(8) Evolutionary Theology

The ideas about Evolutionary Theology are nestled in the
unfolding of Creation. Quoting the theologian John F. Haught,
as put by Diamuird O'Murchu, this particular theological approach
actually does "not search for definitive footprints of the divine in
nature" but rather "seeks to show how our new awareness of
cosmic and biological evolution can enhance and enrich
traditional teachings about God and about God's way of acting
in the world. "
[Diamuird O'Murchu, EVOLUTIONARY FAITH, pp. 33-34.]

Evolutionary Theology focuses on the creative process that we
observe in the universe, especially as we discover its ability for
self-organization (autopoesis). This theology also forces us to
look at the "big picture," in that we are dealing over time with
billions upon billions of years. As we now have come to under-
stand, our universe is some 13.7 billion years old. All through
this theology proposes that God has been at work. It's about what
some refer to as "Divine Action in the World."

So basically it's about God working in the universe. Perhaps here
we are broaching a panentheistic point-of-view. Interestingly, too,
Evolutionary Theology doesn't wage war with Darwin--rather it considers
that Evolution helps those in the field of Theology perhaps eventually
to see more clearly God in an "emergent universe" that remains unfinished.

[Also see John F. Haught's book, CHRISTIANITY AND SCIENCE.]

(7) Natural Theology

An inquiry about God without referring to divine revelation, Natural
Theology actually has ancient roots--going back to the ancient Greek
philosophers. Even more specific, Natural Theology can be traced
back to the pre-Socratics, who quested after the "first principle of
things." Like today, these early philosophers were trying (or hoping)
to understand Ultimate Reality. the Source of all things.

Unlike us moderns, these ancient philosophers did not have the
advantage of contemporary Science or its adjunct Technology.
Mainly their effort relied on being "purely rational." And in their
way, working with their minds, these early questers actually can
be proved scientifically correct in some of their calculations
about their circumstance, even about their observations about
the Cosmos.

In our own time Natural Theology perhaps takes another course,
not necessarily trying to explain a First Principle, if you will. Today
this theological approach is not necessarily one that tries to prove
that God exists--though, for some, Natural Theology does pursue
a transcendent reality in which we humans exist. It's about the
universe in which we live and have our being. Basically its approach
is philosophically familiar, in that it is both cosmologically
and ontologically oriented.

Still, for those who do believe in God this approach by Natural
Theology can point to a Creator. It's also about a synthesis of
human knowledge that can cover a myriad of disciplines, not only
from Science, but also from Religion and Spirituality, the Arts, and
Philosophy. Natural Theology involves an integrative approach
and, most importantly, employs our modern knowledge-base!

(6) Panentheism

There's a book I recently read about "Panentheism" and just
the Content section, itself, provides the long history of this
concept. It's a concept that goes back to the roots of Western
Civilization, beginning with the early Greek philosophers. It flows
on into Christian Neoplatonism, eventually into the Renaissance
Period and Romanticism. And waiting their turn to address
modern Panentheism, there's the great German philosophers
Schelling and Hegel.

Closer to our own time there's Teilhard de Chardin's Christocentric
Panentheism, followed by Alfred North Whitehead and other
leaders of Process Theology. The theologian Paul Tillich also took
up the banner of Panentheism. And, more specifically, in our own
day this concept is playing into what is deemed Ecological Theology
and Theological Cosmology. This persistent historical flow of the
concept can leave one nearly breathless. So the question begs to
be answered--*what* is Panentheism?

Dictionaries provide detail in the early Greek language, in that
Panentheism is described as "pan" , which means "all," as "en"
which means "in", to "theos," which means "God." Basically
Panentheism means "all in God."

It is a belief system that posits that God interpenetrates every part
of Nature, but yet extends beyond such. To differentiate between
Pantheism and Panentheism--Pantheism declares that "God is the
Whole," whereas Panentheism declares that "the whole is in God."
For some even more religiously disposed, the panentheistic
concept allows the idea of a Creator Spirit that dwells within the
"heart of the natural world," holding all creatures, drawing them
forward towards an unimaginable future, even through the throes of
their finitude and death. Further, there's the thought of a Creator
Spirit empowering the cosmic process from within, allowing the
universe a wonderful freedom continuously to self-organize itself,
eventually to transcend itself.

However, Panentheism is most related to Process Theology--initially
a 20th century movement generated by the great scientist and
philosopher, Alfred North Whitehead, who stressed that God has
two natures: primordial and consequent. God contains All within
every given moment, somehow allowing freedom to will, freedom to
be within this continuous flux. Beyond even this the thinking is that
God is not a stagnant being. Rather within this continuous flux God
also continues to evolve. So it would seem with this, there's not only
God with us, but there's a definite inner-relationship between God,
Creation, and creatures. In other words, we humans not only exist
in a living, moving, universe, we somehow are also connected with
and serve as co-evolvers with the Creator Spirit.