What Does an Uncontrolling God Do?
Most readers of my book God Can’t can answer the question in this title. Well, they can partially answer it. They’d say God acts but cannot control. And that’s right. But there’s more to be said. And I often field further questions on God’s action. In my follow-up book, Questions and Answers for God Can’t, […]
The Unsatisfactory Mystery of Divine Action
I just finished a wonderfully accessible and clear book on God’s activity in the world. It was written from an advocate of Thomas Aquinas’s theology, and it addresses recent scientific theory and scholarship. I’ll be recommending that serious scholars of science and theology read this book… even though I strongly disagree with its proposals!
Plantinga, Divine Action, and Free Will
Alvin Plantinga is an excellent philosopher and someone I admire greatly. His new book, Where the Conflict Really Lies, offers great arguments and insights. But when it comes to the relationship between science, God’s action, and creaturely freedom, Plantinga’s proposals disappoint.
The Spirit as Personal and Diversely Active
The final piece in my brief argument for God’s causal role in the world builds upon my previous proposals. It emphasizes that God is personal and acts in various ways in the world.
Two Problems for Identifying God’s Causation
Identifying the Spirit’s causal activity is difficult for many reasons. I want to note two and then show that these problems may actually be opportunities for Christians.
Philosophy of Science and the Spirit Active in the World
Research in science and theology is chock full of philosophical presuppositions. We need to look at a few as we think about how best to talk about the Spirit’s activity in the world.