Re: ASA positions on science/faith issues

Terry,

The doctrine of continuous creation has roots in Patristic theology, in
Augustine of Hippo if not earlier. It conveys the notion that the creation
continues to exist because at every instant it is upheld in being by the
sustaining power of God as Word and Spirit. Continuous creation is the
on-going activity of creation out of nothing. As I wrote in my essay on
"Theology of Creation..."
(http://www.berea.edu/SpecialProject/scienceandfaith/essay02.asp):
:
"The two activities really cannot be separated, but they can be
distinguished logically in that creatio ex nihilo highlights the divine
transcendence, the "wholly otherness" of God from the creation, while
creatio continua expresses the divine immanence. God's continual presence in
creation, God's continual providence over creation, God's continual
governance of creation--all are conveyed by the notion of creatio continua.
"The relationship of these two notions about creation is developed in the
writings of St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430). Augustine asserted that
creation is an instantaneous act: all of its materials, processes,
capacities, and pathways appear at the very instant God speaks the universe
into being (in this sense of instantaneous creation one could perhaps say
that God "finished" his creation). However, the creation obediently responds
to the divine "Let there be." over time". [end of quotation] In my essay I
assert that this notion is also present in Aquinas and Calvin.

I do not know how OECs apply the term to their own thinking, but in
patristic and medieval theology it does not convey the notion that God
recreates the world at every instant of time, but that God sustains the
world in covenantal fidelity.

Some contemporary theologians like Arthur Peacocke have applied the notion
of "creatio continua" to God's activity in the evolutionary process, but I
believe this was done by a few theologians even in the late nineteenth
century (T. M. Lindsay? Aubrey Moore for sure).

Bob Schneider

----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry M. Gray" <grayt@lamar.colostate.edu>
To: <asa@calvin.edu>
Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2005 2:26 PM
Subject: Re: ASA positions on science/faith issues

> Ted,
>
> I read the piece and think it's a great perspective to share with families
> and students. One term brought a question to mind that I have thought
> about throwing out to the list from time to time (not to take us away from
> Randy's very important question, hopefully).
>
> It's the term "continuous creation" as one of the varietes of old-earth
> creation along side "progessive creation" and "theistic evolution". I
> think that Keith Miller also uses this term to describe his flavor of
> evolutionary creation.
>
> I'm wondering if anyone knows the history of this term and how it came to
> be used to mean what I think your document and Keith means it to mean. In
> my reading of various systematic theologies, "continuous creation" means
> that God re-creates the universe moment-by-moment giving only the
> appearance of continuity of existence. This is rejected as heresy (and
> different from a doctrine of sustenance). I'm not suggesting that
> Messiah's document or Keith is using the term in this sense.
>
> Just a semantic curiosity for the most part.
>
> TG
>
>
>
>>If/when the ASA considers making a formal statement on this, it might
>>perhaps have some of the elements of the statement we use at Messiah.
>>Here
>>is the link: http://www.messiah.edu/departments/bioscience/origins.shtml
>>
>>ted
>
>
> --
> _________________
> Terry M. Gray, Ph.D., Computer Support Scientist
> Chemistry Department, Colorado State University
> Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
> grayt@lamar.colostate.edu http://www.chm.colostate.edu/~grayt/
> phone: 970-491-7003 fax: 970-491-1801
>
Received on Thu Mar 31 18:40:51 2005