I agree that Whitehead has much to commend him; he raised the important question
of temporal flux as it relates to God, a question that is receiving a great deal
of attention today. In fact, from the scientific point of view, I find Whitehead
more fascinating than his classical forbears, and certainly more scientifically
astute.
I apologize for overstating my case concerning the choice of a metaphysical
framework. I did not want to give the impression that all of our theological and
scientific understanding must be forced within a fixed metaphysical system, and
besides, the word " Aristotelian" conjures negative images for many a scientist.
I merely wanted to point out that the God of classical Christian theism is more
akin to Aristotle than Whitehead, with the truth, as always, falling somewhere
in the middle.
Perhaps rather than speaking of two opposing philosophical systems, we should
speak instead of a spectrum of positions stretching from Aristotle to Whitehead
at two extremes. I am referring specifically to their radically different
positions on God's relationship to time. Aristotle spoke of deity as the unmoved
mover, utterly apart from time. This notion was Christianized by Augustine and
Boethius, and hardened into the historic notion of the timelessness of God.
Whitehead brought temporality into the very essence of deity, so that God is
himself evolving with the universe. Charles Hartshorne, Shubert Ogden and other
"process theologians" have developed this concept into an elaborate theology
that is in some ways better equipped to handle such difficult questions as the
problem of evil. However, what is sacrificed in their attempt to temporalize God
are the doctrines of sovereignty and transcedence, so important to the Christian
tradition.
Today there is much speculation about God's relationship to time, with most
theologians opting for a modified classical view, which sees God as temporal,
but not at the mercy of time: "caught in time's stream," as Richard Swinburne
says. Relativity and Quantum Mechanics have played a role in these discussions,
as philosophers and theologians realize that they cannot discuss time without
consulting present scientific understanding.
Therefore, the debate has progressed beyond entrenched philosophical positions
as an openness to space-time physics has become a necessity for theologians in
the field. However, I still think that the truth about God and time is CLOSER to
Aristotle than Whitehead; but time will tell.
Jeff