Here are a couple paragraphs from my article several years ago in
Perspectives entitled "Theological implications of an evolving creation."
They seem relevant to the current thread.
"God's activity is typically progressive in time, and potentially
understandable in terms of cause-and-effect sequences of physical or
historical events. God's revelation of His character and His plan of
redemption was a gradual one -- first to Abram, then through Moses and the
prophets to the nation of Israel, then through His own incarnation and the
indwelling of His Holy Spirit to the world. Our own conforming to Christ's
image is a process, even a painful one, not an instantaneous state achieved
upon our conversion. He even commissioned us, His sin-warped creatures, to
be the agents of His redemptive work. Efficiency is clearly not a priority
in God's redemptive activity; why should we require it of His creative
activity?"
"Christians with a high view of scripture should not fear the involvement
of secondary causes in God's creative acts. In fact, a progressive
creative history involving secondary causes seems to me most consistent
with God's providence and immanence in creation, as well as His
transcendence over it. God is the source of all created reality but has
given the physical universe a role in its own creation. God thus affirms
His creation not only in its existence but in its dynamic activity. In a
similar fashion God calls us to "continue to work out your salvation with
fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act
according to his good purpose." (Philip. 2:12-13) The Creator gives his
creation the freedom to participate in the accomplishment of His will,
while He remains providentially in control and the sole source of power for
this activity."
Keith
Keith B. Miller
Department of Geology
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 66506
kbmill@ksu.edu
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~kbmill/
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