Doctrine Of Creation Research Articles

The human being and the world as God’s creation: Present-day ethical conflicts and consequences of the doctrine of creation in the perspective of the doctrine of justification

All the medical and bioethical questions, ranging from stem cell research to converging technologies and synthetic biology, touch on the question regarding the image of human beings and their position in the cosmos, by which we are able to orient ourselves. This article argues that the biblical belief in creation and the discourse about humans as created beings by and in the image of God can still be proclaimed as a viable form of human self-interpretation in the present. The distinction between practical knowledge and knowledge of orientation may be of help here. Guidance for how to live and act is not best found in abstract principles, but rather in meaningful stories, in metaphors and symbols. On this level, too, is also where faith in creation and the certainty of our own creatureliness is located.Contribution: This article interprets the doctrine of creation by a hermeneutical theology. It analyses the interdependence between hermeneutics and criticism in the process of reinterpreting the classical propositions about the human being and the world as God’s creation and the relation of anthropology and ethics. The aim is to show what might be the contribution of Christian faith in creation to the approach of an ethics of responsibility in the field of bioethics and ecology. The specific contribution of this article to current debates on an ethics of creation is the thesis that the key to a well-balanced theological approach to all this is the Pauline doctrine of justification as interpreted by the protestant reformers.

Debt Resistance and Satisfaction? Notes from Catherine of Siena toward a Theology of Redemption against Neoliberal Capitalism

AbstractAdding to recent concerns about resonances between debt in Christian soteriologies and in capitalism, Hollis Phelps has argued that Anselm’s satisfaction theory provides subjective reinforcement for neoliberalism’s biopolitical use of debt, and thus calls for an abandonment of the idea that humans must be redeemed from debt to God. Without advocating mere retrieval of satisfaction theory, I submit that such a concept of debt can have the opposite effect by analyzing how it plays out in Catherine of Siena’s mystical theology and the way she articulates satisfaction in her writings. Catherine’s doctrine of creation casts humanity’s unremittable debt as an obligation to love God, self, and neighbor that is divinely designed to benefit all. This concept of debt determines what satisfaction signifies for Catherine, fostering an “indebted subjectivity” incompatible with that of neoliberalism. Her theology thereby suggests a productive way to leverage the language of a prominent Western atonement theory against the neoliberal concepts of debt that discipline Western society—namely, by rooting debt in a doctrine of creation that emphasizes relationships of mutuality and interdependence that benefit all.

Divine Action, Determinism, and the Laws of Nature

Divine Action, Determinism, and the Laws of Nature

The God of the Covenant: Karl Barth on Creation Care

This article seeks to explore the identity of the Creator God in Karl Barth’s doctrine of creation. Attention is given to his understanding of the eternal covenant God has made with humanity and how we are cared for within a covenantal fellowship. The study also concerns itself with how Barth’s distaste for the notion of analogia entis is somewhat unsustained in his treatment of creation. I argue that, to some extent, the analogy of being vis-à-vis the cosmos is complementarily employed with analogia fides in Barth’s articulation of creation care. This is the case as he reconfigures the talk on creation rigidly in and through Jesus Christ as Creator and creature.

Scandinavian creation theology—A constellation open to a variety of interpretations

AbstractThis text is a general introduction to Scandinavian creation theology, both from a historical and systematic point of view. The concept is connected to a loose network of theologians that emerged during the second part of the 20th century in the aftermath of the breakdown of the grand liberal paradigm, and as a critique against dominant anti‐liberal approaches in Protestant theology. In this article, Scandinavian creation theology is conceived as a “constellation” of three major “founding figures”—K. E. Løgstrup (1905–1981), Regin Prenter (1907–1990), and Gustaf Wingren (1910–2000)—who elaborated on a reconfiguration of Reformation theology by a “mediation” of Luther's theology inspired by the important Danish theologian N.F.S. Grundtvig (1783–1882). Using the doctrine of creation as horizon of understanding for the Christian faith, an original affirmation of ordinary life shared by all human beings is taken as a theological starting point, instead of attempting to isolate something distinctively Christian. Inspired by Irenaeus’ concept “recapitulatio,” it is claimed that becoming a Christian means nothing less—and nothing more—than becoming human again. Finally, despite the fact that this theological approach was developed in a declining monolithic Lutheran majority‐culture, it is being argued that the ongoing transformation associated with an emerging post‐Constantinian era is something that makes Scandinavian creation theology increasingly relevant and important today.

Bruce RileyAshford and Craig G.Bartholomew, The Doctrine of Creation: A Constructive Kuyperian Approach. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2020, 430 pp. $50.00

Bruce RileyAshford and Craig G.Bartholomew, The Doctrine of Creation: A Constructive Kuyperian Approach. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2020, 430 pp. $50.00

Karl Barth’s doctrine of creation: Convergence and divergence with African Christology

This article explores the intersection between Karl Barth’s doctrine of creation and African Christology seeking to elicit similarities as well as differences. It argues that this intersection is contested and open to different understanding and interpretation. The common goal amongst the two doctrines is that they derive from biblical teachings about creation and the creator. However, there is also divergence between the doctrines. Barth’s point of departure in his doctrine of creation maintains the Covenant of God to humanity which is not extended to all creation. African Christology’s point of departure, on the other hand, maintains that the relations between God, humanity and all life-forms are sacred because of its intrinsic value and sacramental nature. From an African perspective, creation is mutually related and interconnected to the web of life. All life forms hold intrinsic value. It is argued that African Christology implicates Barth’s Christological focus as something that reveals Barth’s doctrine of creation as anthropocentric. Contribution: The article promotes a multi-disciplinary approach to eco-theology by exploring the intersection between Karl Barth’s doctrine of creation and an African Christological perspective on ecology. It implicates Christian anthropocentrism as a contributory factor to ecological degradation and suggests that African Christology is an important resource for developing a remedial eco-theology

In the Beginning was Pre-Evangelism: An Examination of Francis Schaeffer’s Doctrine of Creation as an Apologetic

Much of modern apologetic discussion regarding the Genesis account emphasizes the debate on the age of the Earth. Because of this shift in focus, a bifurcation is seen between the doctrine of Creation (a theological concern) and views of creationism (an apologetic con cern). While these areas certainly have distinct foci, one wonders whether the division has been unnecessarily amplified, specifically with two so closely related fields of research. Considering current divisions, one wonders how Creation and creationism can be best understood in relation to one anoth er, particularly as it relates to apologetics. To explore this query, Francis Schaeffer offers a unique perspective of the connection between Creation and creationism. Therefore, this paper will argue that for Francis Schaef fer, his doctrine of Creation (instead of creationism) offered a foundational framework for his apologetic and evangelistic method.

The Relationship between Philosophy and Religion in Creation in Boethius's Thought Relying on the Theological Treatises and the Consolation of Philosophy

The central issue in this article is to understand the relationship between philosophy and religion in creation in Boethius's thought. To this end, components such as the creation of beings from ex nihilo, God as a cause, the pattern of creation, God's non-obligation in creation, the sempiternity of time and the eternity of God in the Theological Treatises as the representative of Boethius's theology and in the Consolation of Philosophy as the representative of Boethius's philosophy they are studied separately and comparatively by analytical-descriptive method. In the Theological Treatises these components are dealt with according to the doctrine of creation in the Bible and the Christian teachings; but in the Consolation of Philosophy, these components are examined after defining the goodness, acknowledging the existence of God the Creator, and uniting the goodness and God. By comparing the components, presuppositions, method and purpose of Boethius from the topic of creation in the Theological Treatises and in the Consolation ofPhilosophy, we find that Boethius's presumption in explaining this category in both is based on the two principles of God being the creator and the necessity of existence for God. He relies on the Bible in this case. The components that he offers from the doctrine of creation in the Consolation of Philosophy do not violate the components of this doctrine in the Theological Treatises. In both of these he is faithful to the method of the Neoplatonic. The only difference in this discussion is that Boethius insists on proving the goodness in the Consolation of Philosophy, which of course emphasizes the unity of the goodness and God, and it is not the case that by proving the existence of the goodness in this treatise, Boethius reveals the origin of beings other than God.

Discerning Motivational Interviewing through a spiritual lens-discovering a Christian MI archetype and native MI language.

An overarching conceptual perspective on motivational interviewing (MI) captures how it evokes intrinsic motivation for change by relying on four key elements: establishing vision, exploring discrepancy, and building efficacy, which coalesce to resolve for change. We suggest that the Christian narrative and doctrines of creation, fall, and redemption, motivating repentance resolve, invoke these same motivating processes. In this paper we explore these parallels between MI and Christian doctrine and use empirical literature to suggest how secular and religious counselors can enhance their efforts to evoke intrinsic motivation for change with religious clients by employing their "native language" within this framework of MI process.

Biblical Theology

Biblical Theology Christopher T. Begg, Fred W. Guyette, and J. Edward Owens Christopher T. Begg Catholic University of America Fred W. Guyette Erskine College and Seminary J. Edward Owens OSST, University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio TX 2620. [Messiah in the OT] Andrew T. Abernethy and Gregory Goswell, God's Messiah in the Old Testament: Expectations of a Coming King (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020). Pp. xiii + 292. Paper $29.99. ISBN 978-0-8010-9975-5. At the start of the introduction to their joint volume, A. and G. offer the following statement about what the book is about (p. 1): "The subject of this book is fundamental to a proper understanding of the faith we profess, for the name of our faith (Christianity) and the name given to its followers (Christians) derive from a core belief that Jesus of Nazareth is the 'Christ' (Messiah). In terms of a definition of 'messiah' and 'messianism' in this book these terms are understood to refer to the hope of the coming of a royal agent who will serve God's kingdom purposes, an expectation that Christians believe finds fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Put simply, a messianic passage or book in the Old Testament is one in which this royal figure is prefigured, anticipated, predicted, or described." Against this background, A. and G. trace the canonical unfolding of the messiah concept in the Hebrew Bible from its opening in the Pentateuch through its conclusion in Chronicles in a sequence of 15 chapters as follows: (1) The Seed, the Star, and the Template in the Pentateuch; (2) The Need for a King in Judges; (3) The Book of Ruth and the House of David; (4) The Heart of Kingship in 1–2 Samuel; (5) Failure and the Royal Ideal in 1–2 Kings; (6) Royal Messianic Expectations in Isaiah; (7) The Death and Rebirth of Kingship in Jeremiah; (8) The Prince Forecast in Ezekiel; (9) Kingship for a United Nation in Hosea; (10) David's Booth in Amos; (11) Davidic Rule in Micah; (12) The Sprout, the Divine Shepherd, and Messenger of Zechariah and Malachi; (13) The Portrait of David in the Psalter; (14) Where Is David in the Book of Daniel?; and (15) Kingship and the Temple in 1 Chronicles. A 16th chapter ("Looking Forward to the New Testament") enlarges the perspective beyond the OT and is itself followed by a conclusion, a bibliography, and indexes of Scripture and ancient writings, names of modern authors, and subjects.—C.T.B. Google Scholar 2621. [The Doctrine of Creation; Abraham Kuyper] Bruce Riley Ashford and Craig G. Bartholomew, The Doctrine of Creation: A Constructive Kuyperian Approach (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2020). Pp. xi + 430. $50. ISBN 978-0-8308-5490-5. Apart from the doctrine of God, no doctrine is as comprehensive as that of creation. It is woven throughout the entire fabric of Christian theology. It goes to the deepest roots of reality and leaves no area of life untouched. Across the centuries, however, the doctrine of creation has often been eclipsed or threatened by various forms of Gnosticism. Yet, if Christians are to rise to current challenges related to public theology and ethics, we must regain a robust, biblical doctrine of creation. According to A. and B., one of the best sources for outfitting this recovery is Dutch Neo-Calvinism. Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, and their successors set forth a substantial doctrine of creation's goodness, but recent advances in this tradition have been limited. Now in their volume, A. and B. develop the Kuyperian tradition's rich resources on creation for systematic theology and the life of the church today. In addition to tracing historical treatments of the doctrine, the authors explore intertwined theological themes, such as divine omnipotence, human vocation, and providence. They draw on diverse streams of Christian thought while remaining rooted in the Kuyperian tradition, with a sustained focus on doing theology in deep engagement with Scripture. [End Page 978] Approaching the world as God's creation changes everything. Thus, this volume concludes with a consideration of its implications for current issues, including those related to philosophy...

In Pursuit of the World's Creator: Fakhr al-Din al-Razi on the Origins of the Universe in \emph{al-Matalib al-`Aliya}

Fakhr al-Dın al-Razı’s (d. 606/1210) final theological treatise, al-Matalib al-‘Aliya min al-‘Ilm al-Ilahiyya, is sufficient justification for the assertion of his towering significance as interpreter of Ibn Sına (d. 428/1037) and in the development of new theological paradigms. Yet such is its richness and subtlety that al-Razı’s views in the Matalib on key doctrinal issues such as the creation of the world require much further study. Previously, scholars have maintained that al-Razı refrains from affirming any one doctrine of creation. I argue to the contrary, that despite al-Razı’s epistemological caution on matters pertaining to the action of God, he ultimately deems creation ex nihilo most probable on the balance of evidence, and therefore the doctrine that is to be believed.

Fulkerson, Geoffrey H. & Joel Thomas Chopp, eds. Science and the Doctrine of Creation: The Approaches of Ten Modern Theologians

Fulkerson, Geoffrey H. & Joel Thomas Chopp, eds. Science and the Doctrine of Creation: The Approaches of Ten Modern Theologians

Theology and Science in the Thought of Ian Barbour: A Thomistic Evaluation for the Catholic Doctrine of Creation

Theology and Science in the Thought of Ian Barbour: A Thomistic Evaluation for the Catholic Doctrine of Creation

НАУКА І РЕЛІГІЯ В КАТОЛИЦЬКІЙ ДОКТРИНІ: КОАДАПТИВНІ ТЕНДЕНЦІЇ

Theoretical approaches to the co-adaptation of science and religion in Catholicism are revealed. The metaphysical substantiation of the existence of the supernatural is shown. The multifaceted arguments for the defense of the idea of creation are based on references to the limited and historical underdevelopment of human practice, evidence of the presence of uncontrolled, almost undeveloped, and therefore incomprehensible phenomena of nature, society and the human psyche. A characteristic feature of theological knowledge is not systematic, but spontaneity, at their basis is the rational substantiation of the irrational. The process of cognition for Catholic theologians presupposes the dominance of faith and the silence of reason. This understanding of the process of cognition and the role of science has changed over the course of historical time. Under the influence of the growing role of science, Catholic theologians began to highlight in certain issues not only the possible combination of religion with scientific knowledge, but also to prove the beneficial influence of religion on science. In the Catholic understanding, this points to the leading role of religion in the emergence of science. At the same time, scientific knowledge strives for objective significance and maximum accuracy. The Catholic doctrine of creation not only recognizes subjectivism, but also identifies theological faith and inner experience with the criterion of truth. A comparative analysis of scientific and theological knowledge shows that their purpose, methods and criteria of knowledge are essentially opposite.

SOME ASPECTS OF THE CONTROVERSIAL NEXUS BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION

The present paper takes into consideration a few aspects related to the relation between the two disputed domains of knowledge: science and religion. After having pointed out the main eight warfare and nonwarfare models of interaction between science and religion, the study focuses on the motives of Eastern and Western Christianity breach, which resides on the very different attitude to Science and Nature. The main part of depicting the nexus between the two fields of research is focusing on the doctrine of creation, the one Christian theology truly revolutionized. The Christian Weltanschauung was so new in comparison with Greek cosmology that it had to raise new questions and make radical modifications, especially regarding the understanding of space and time. The Fathers of the Orthodox Church were happy to use the science and philosophy of their time in their theological thinking. However, they did not pursue a natural theology in the sense the term is often now understood based on scholastic theology. According to the Orthodox understanding, the intellect provides not knowledge about the creation but rather a direct apprehension or spiritual perception of the divine Logos (Word) incarnate in Christ, and of the inner essences or principles (logoi) of the cosmos components created by that Logos. The arguments of Orthodox Christian theology proof that the quantum universe was created out of nothing and that it is kept in existence only by God's relationship with creation through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In relation to itself, the universe is reduced to nothing, because God is in Himself, while any other created thing is dependent upon Him, into an indissoluble connection with Him. According to creation theology, God gives the world its rational, intelligible structure as described by the laws of nature through the transcendent and eternal act of bringing the world into existence ex nihilo. As immanent creator, God also continues to create (creatio continua) and providentially direct processes and events towards their consummation in the eschaton. Overall, there is a poignant reason for keeping science and religion together once “science without religion is lame and religion without science is blind” (Einstein).

Confronting Old Testament Controversies: Pressing Questions about Evolution, Sexuality, History, and Violence

Confronting Old Testament Controversies: Pressing Questions about Evolution, Sexuality, History, and Violence

Created Co-creator, a Theory of Human Becoming in an Era of Science and Technology

Scientific discoveries and the emergence of cosmological theories such as the Big Bang Theory and evolution have challenged the Christian doctrine of creation and its reliability on many fronts, because the discoveries appear to contradict the Christian account as to how creation unfolded. Hefner sees the situation as an additional interpretative task to theologians. He, however, posits that scientific discoveries are an opportunity to communicate the Christian message through social and scientific experience to bring meaning to broader society. He expresses the notion that religion will remain relevant only if it measures up to science, because we are in a science and technology era. Hefner, therefore, introduced the concept of created co-creator as a metaphor and analytical tool to explain the meaning and purpose of humans within the biosphere. The concept is characterized by the ability to communicate religion through science and to relate with available models of origin. This work expounds on the concept of created co-creator’s ability to explain human technological trajectory in theology. There is also an effort to establish a relationship between Hefner’s concept and Haraway’s cyborg with an emphasis on the concept’s ability to communicate the Christian doctrine of creation through scientific knowledge and why such an enterprise is useful.

Land Pollution in Kenya

Article 69 (d) of Kenya’s Constitution (2010) encourages public participation in the management, protection, and conservation of the environment. In the context of eco-theology, this article seeks to explore the efficacy of the Christian doctrine of creation in to curbing the evidential land pollution in Kenya. Basically, air pollution, water pollution, and land pollution are the three major kinds of environmental pollution in the world. The term land pollution means the degradation (destruction) of the earth’s surface and soil via human activities. Land pollution is a major problem in Kenya that is caused by various factors such as deforestation and soil erosion, agriculture, industry, mining, landfills, illegal dumping of waste, and construction activities. Some of its devastating effects in Kenya include: water pollution, soil pollution, air pollution, human health problems, decline of tourism, and so forth. Thus, land pollution poses a serious threat to all Kenyans, a phenomenon that serves to justify the necessity of this article. As a doctrinal response, this article endeavours to unveil the Christian doctrine of creation and how it can be utilised to curb the ongoing land pollution in Kenya. In its methodology, this article reviews the appropriate and relevant literature on pollution and eco-theological approach, the exegetical method, the legal-constitutional basis of addressing the subject, and the use of archival resources.

“Since Those Days All Things Have Progressed for the Better”: Tradition, Progress, and Creation in Ambrose of Milan

AbstractIn Ambrose’s apologetic writing against the Roman prefect Symmachus, he makes a surprising argument for Christianity’s superiority over Roman religious practices, arguing that Christianity is in fact a newer and therefore superior form of religion. The whole world has “progressed” and so must religious practices. In the letters to Symmachus, Ambrose’s arguments are ad hoc and apologetic, not constructive. This article seeks to understand better the intellectual and historical contexts that make Ambrose’s surprising convictions possible by looking at Ambrose’s writings on creation in the context of the pro-Nicene debates. Considering Ambrose’s writing in the Hexameron, I argue that Ambrose’s account of cosmological progress finds an intellectual milieu in pro-Nicene reflection on the implications of Christ’s divine consubstantiality for a doctrine of creation. When Christ is no longer seen as a mediator between God and the world, a new space is opened up to speak of creation’s change and even “progress” without a worry that doing so will jeopardize creation as the divine handiwork. Ambrose’s apologetic strategy, though apparently not directly related to pro-Nicene debates, is illuminated when seen against this backdrop. The result is a better understanding both of Ambrose’s strategies in particular and of the situation of fourth-century apologetics more broadly.