How Panentheism Differs from Other
Theistic Systems of God + Creation
December 8, 2018
Panentheism (not pantheism, look it up) states God and creation
are deeply and essentially related. I usually think of creation as the fourth
member of the trinity sans the God-part. This speaks to the sublime idea of
intrinsic fellowship where each finds identity in the other, defines the other,
gives purpose and meaning to the other.
Asked in another way, does God and His creation depend on each
other? Yes. Do each need each other? Yes. Can either exist without the other?
No. Now this is not how traditional theism would answer each question. In fact,
quite the reverse in its severe separation between God and creation where there
is a deep uncrossable divide between the Creator and the created thing.
However, from a panentheistic viewpoint the ontic relationship
is honored - not lessened - as any theistic system would do. What is different
is how panentheism wishes to heighten the idea of "relationship" between
the Creator to His creation. Not remove it into the cold abyss of divine
transcendency.
Divine Aloneness Might Be Correct, But It is Meaningless
As such, if we were to follow traditional theistic teachings to
their conclusion then the Creator God of the cosmos becomes wholly unknown to
creation, wholly removed from it, wholly Other to Himself alone. Divinely alone
except to Himself - without relationship, connectedness, or meaning except to
Himself alone. As a panentheist I am fine with such a statement. But I also
find it empties God of His meaning to us. If He wished to be God alone then
fine. But He didn't and created the cosmos and all that is in it. And when He
did everything changed. He "expanded" Himself, shared Himself,
revealed Himself. Why? Out of Love. This is the "relational theology"
piece of relational-panentheism.
As corollary, theism then teaches the Godhead to be a
meaningless, empty, absent, un-presence to His universe. Meaning, God becomes
sufficiently unrelatable. Which isn't what the Bible teaches when it states
the Divine Encounterer has Divinely Encountered His creation. That
is, God revealed Himself. And when He did, He did so from the basis of Love,
not secondary Decree. Why? Because God revealed His personage, His essence, His
being, which is love. He could not do otherwise.
Thus, the Godhead's relationship to a created cosmos is based
wholly on love. He did not will Himself to relate to us but came to us in the
fullness of His divine Being as relationship, one built from love. Not
displeasure, not control, not judgment, not selfishness. But of Love.
Which then explains the basic substance of the cosmos... that in
all its parts and entities it is highly, complexly related to itself as it is
relatable. This is the observation panentheism would make over the
self-excluding, self-hiding, nuanced statements of traditional theism built
upon Hellenistic thoughts of gods and godliness. It might be right, but it is
not biblical in the sense that God has come and revealed Himself. And for this
Christmas season... in Christ.
God as the Definition of All Things
But how can it be otherwise!? Because if creation isn't, then we
aren't. It is by, and through, and from, God's love that we are, that we might
become, that we find wholeness to one another and to our Creator. Essentially,
God's "is-ness" gives to us our "are-ness". As
significantly - and this is where panentheism comes back into play -
"even... as... we give to God His "is-ness" and
"are-ness". Not in ontic dependence as theism rightly describes, but
in relational dependence, which makes all the difference to us, God's creation.
Thus, both creation and Creator need each other, depend upon each other, find
meaning and identity in each other. It takes away the cold idea that God
doesn't need us and only deigns to be present with us when He arbitrarily chooses.
I'd rather have a God that is near because He is near, and present, and working
with creation in all its aspects.
To argue idealized Greek philosophies of divine transcendence,
of wholly Otherness, of divine purpose without object or subject to love, only
teaches a God whom we can never know as Father-God, Redeemer, Lord, or Savior.
These are specious church arguments which would separate us from our God - not
bring to us a God who needs His creation deeply or is part of His creation
essentially.
Now this should blow your mind up, if not dissettle your very
soul. Bam! Say again!? Bam! It's like seeing color for the first time in a
black-and-white world of theology! Restated another way, "Creation is not
an unimportant thing to God." It is not a mere insect or meaningless
grammatical insert or conditional side-effect of grace. Creation is of God as
God is integrally "related to" it.
Panentheism is therefore different from cold classic theism too
focused on separating creation from God in clever syllogisms of wit or
theological bombasity. God should never be thought so easily removed from us,
so easily separated from His creation, or made so unlike who He is. This is the
meaning of "I AM" when God declares "who He is". He is -
not simply all-sufficient within Himself (though not denied) - but in
"necessary cosmic RELATIONSHIP" to creation.
God is the God of Relationships
This latter idea then gives to God His definitive
"am-ness" to creation - otherwise He is without meaning to us. It's
easy to say we aren't in classical theism while God is
- but it is not correct. If we aren't then God isn't -
not in His ontic Being but in His essential role as Creator-God.
For us, there is no God unless we are. But why would we be wrong
to think otherwise? Because in traditional theology (if not logic itself) it
sounds more profound to make God so great as to unlink Him from a creation He
is forever tied to. The real profundity is that God is great because He is
forever interlocked with creation. Forever bound to creation. Forever become a
deep, deep part of creation. Not so with the Greek gods of mythology who
treated men with scorn and disdain. Who, for purposes of defeating other
competing gods, titans, or forces, ruthlessly used mankind.
The God of the Bible is never this. Never.
The God of the Bible is always present essentially, fully, and
substantially bound to all that is. This is what stands behind the idea of
"relational" panentheism. It is the fourth and last model drawn in
the diagram below and distinctly different from all previous versions of
panentheism which has preceded it. More so, relational panentheism is based
upon "open and relation process theology." Which is why I've taken
such pains over the years to describe what ORT is and means to us today.
The importance, or import, of this position is that it always
tells us God is there for us. That He is in every moment recreating a broken
creation in every possible way back to Himself as we allow Him. Thus Jesus, and
thus the import of God's "Christmas" Advent to creation, which He
entered into with Creation so purposefully, so personally. We call this moment
of cosmic entrance God's divine incarnation who, born as man, paradoxically,
was fully God even as He was fully man.
God's Advent into Creation
It was therefore at this first advent of the Spirit-God in a
fleshly, physical, earthy presence in which we beheld God as Love beyond the
words, statements, descriptions, visions, or actions of biblical narratives.
This is who Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah is. Not a mere babe, nor mere man,
but the God man - fully relatable, fully loving, fully suffering, fully
tormented - in a world He must come to in the entirety of His Being. The Wholly
Other is Here. And this makes all the difference in a world which would deny
God's "Here-ness" not only spiritually, but physically in holy
presence. I submit then that if it were not so then life isn't life, gives no
hope, and loses its veracity in the absence of God.
Lastly, I leave the section in John below to finish my thoughts.
Thank you.
R.E. Slater
December 7, 2018
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. 5The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
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