Round the Sphere Again: Seeing Things

Hell
Scripture gives us the sense of hell by picturing it in many different ways (Gentle Reformation). 

The Past and the Future
I tried to write a description of Viewing the river from the bridge by Steve Hays at Triablogue but couldn’t. I’ll say this: You should read it.

The Universe
Marc Cortez explains Jonathan Edward’s view of the universe (Credo Magazine). Edwards taught that God “re-creates the universe every moment,” but God’s “actions are so faithful that we can talk about natural ‘laws.’” For instance,

If I let go of my coffee mug, it will fall. That’s the law of gravity. But what we mean by “law” here is simply that God acts faithfully so that every time a mug is dropped in one moment it falls in the next. Studying the laws of nature is nothing more than studying God’s own actions in the universe.

Edwards, then, saw “every created thing as an immediate expression of God’s glory,” and some call him a Christian panentheist because of it. Read the article and tell me if you think he is one.

Comments

[Staci Eastin]

You heard my opinion on Edwards via Twitter. I don't think he's a panentheist, I just believe he's thought about this more deeply and in greater detail than the rest of us. That is something I've noticed in other writings of Edwards I've read. :)

[rebecca]

Staci,

I think you're right. I think panentheism goes beyond just seeing God as active in every atom of the universe. Rather, for the pantheist, the universe is part of the being of God.