God's Action of Furthering Nature in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Abstract

This article critically discusses what is meant by the laws of nature and seeks to underscore the import of chaos theory and quantum theory for a philosophical interpretation of nature as ontologically indeterminate. The latter notion serves as a presupposition for the development of a non-interventionist approach to special divine action, where God is thought of as acting through and within the laws of nature, without becoming a secondary cause amongst everyday causes. The resurrection of Christ, though, poses problems for a non-interventionist perspective. While the existing laws of nature should be seen as preconditions for God's eschatological act, at the same time, as a “singularity” event, the resurrection involves new laws of nature that govern the new complex ontological whole that is the risen life. The resurrection above all else reveals that created reality is ontologically open and that God is working to turn death, decay, and the “run-down” of the universe in the opposite direction of the plenitude of life.