Die God-wêreld verhouding in die kontemporêre geloof-wetenskap dialoog: die bydrae van J. C. Polkinghorne
Abstract
English: i. Since the Enlightenment scientific development has led to a world view that can be described in a mechanical way. In a modernistic world, processes in creation were described in a deterministic way, while causality moved God’s involvement in creation to deism. The uncovering of the quantum world and the insight that creation also displays a contingent character in different areas, brought about a new cosmology and made the question about divine action more relevant. The problem was that science could not understand and declare happenings in creation, solely from a physical point of view. In the post-modern world, reformed theology professes God as acting in both a transcendental and immanent way. A new cosmology required a reformulation of the traditional doctrine of Providence and testimony concerning divine agency. Polkinghorne, as a prominent scientist/theologian suggests that a Trinitarian God is acting in the cosmos and that both science and religion co-operate in a complementary way to display God’s divine action. This proposal could be promising for reformed theology. ii. The core question in this study is: can Polkinghorne’s understanding of how God acts in the world, contribute to the broadening of a traditional doctrine of Providence? To answer this question, there must be a clear understanding concerning the relationship between science and religion. iii. The question of how God acts and Polkinghorne’s eventual contribution is derived from these different models. The present debate necessitates a new relationship between science and religion, as traditional approaches failed to appreciate the unity in creation. iv. Polkinghorne’s proposal on how God acts, links with other more recent models, which focus on an inter-disciplinary approach. This approach benefits from the insight obtained from both the physical and human sciences. v. This broad review leads to Polkinghorne’s cosmological proposal. His epistemology is based on critical realism that utilizes the concept of dual- aspect monism in order to defend an anti-reductionistic perspective on reality. This metaphysical outlook enables him to revaluate the physical reality from a Trinitarian confession of eschatological hope. vi. Polkinghorne suggests a complementary relationship between science and religion, where both disciplines can function harmoniously. Theology as equal partner of science answers the meta questions that transcend scientific observation. vii. Polkinghorne professes a Trinitarian God that is personally involved in his creation, in such a way, that His temporal and kenotic nature comes to the fore. This transcendental/immanent act of God’s self-revelation, culminates in the incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Resurrected. viii. Acts of God are recognizable in a Natural Theology that respects the relationship with science. God acts holistically within an open cosmos that has been intelligently designed and is anthropically balanced. The conveyance of divine knowledge takes place within complex systems, like the chaos theory, which is an interaction between chance and necessity. This is recognizable to man that developed self-consciousness through a process of evolution and implies a process of continuous unfolding, from and towards complexity. Man is working in cooperation with God, who sometimes works under exceptional circumstances in extraordinary ways, of which the resurrection of Christ is a testimony. ix. A reformed understanding of Providence is traditionally divided into three different areas of divine action, namely upholding, governance and co-operation. The Trinitarian God maintains and governs the whole cosmos which culminates in the incarnation and resurrection of Christ. That is the strength of this approach. The primary focus is soteriological. The shortcoming on the other hand, is a limited cosmological focus and an under- estimation of scientific insights. These are two elements that necessitate this study. x. The methodological interaction of scientific hypotheses in Polkinghorne’s proposal is definitely strange to a traditional, reformed perspective. The central focus and starting point of his approach, namely a Trinitarian relationship that expresses itself in the resurrection of Jesus, agrees however with a traditional view. He offers a definite contribution towards the reformed doctrine. His contribution can be summarized as follows: xi. Firstly, a complementary relationship between science and religion affirms that divine action is acknowledged holistically as continuous cosmological events. xii. Secondly, through a new Natural theology, science, as conversation partner of theology, reveals God’s excellence in His continuing self-announcement in creation. xiii. Thirdly, dipolarity, as potential reformed theological construction, shows promise to base divine action on God’s faithfulness. xiv. Fourthly, God acts in a Trinitarian way through the interaction of chance and necessity in creation. A reformed understanding is challenged to harmonize a contingent reality with the confession of a faithful God taking care of his creation every moment. xv. Fifthly, panentheism does have a limited value within the reformed theology. It challenges a reformed approach to further reflect upon God’s immanent presence in the world. xvi. In conclusion: in the light of the quantum era the standpoint on Providence in the Articles of Faith needs to be reformulated. Afrikaans: i.
Die wetenskaplike ontwikkeling vanaf die
Verligting het tot ‘n wêreldbeeld gelei
wat in geheel op ‘n meganiese wyse beskry
f kon word. In ‘n m
odernistiese wêreld
is prosesse in die skepping op ‘n determin
istiese wyse verklaar
, terwyl kousaliteit
God se betrokkenheid in die skepping vers
kuif het tot deïsme. Die ontdekking van
die kwantum wêreld en die insig dat di
e skepping in verskillende areas ook ‘n
kontingente karakter vertoon, het ‘n vera
nderde kosmologie daargestel, en die
vraag na goddelike handeling uiters aktu
eel gemaak. Die probleem was dat die
wetenskap nie meer gebeure in die skeppi
ng uitsluitlik fisies kon verklaar en
begryp nie. In hierdie post-moderne wêre
ld getuig die gerefo
rmeerde teologie van
‘n God wat op ‘n transendente, sowel as immanente wyse, handelend in die
skepping aanwesig is. ‘n Nuwe kosmo
logie het ‘n her-formulering van die
tradisionele voorsienigheid
sleer en getuienis oor goddelike handeling vereis.
Polkinghorne, as prominente wetenskaplike/
teoloog stel voor da
t ‘n trinitariese
God aktief in die kosmos handel en dat be
ide wetenskap en geloof komplementêr
meewerk om hierdie handeling in die skeppi
ng aan te toon. Hierdie voorstel hou
belofte vir ‘n gereformeerde teologie in.
ii.
Die kernvraag van hierdie studie is: Kan
Polkinghorne se vers
taan van God se
handeling in die wêreld ‘n bydrae lewer
tot die verruiming van ‘n tradisionele
voorsienigheidsleer? Die antwoord op hier
die vraag vereis duidelikheid oor die
verhouding tussen wetenskap en geloof.
iii.
Die vraag na goddelike hande
ling en uiteindelik Polki
nghorne se bydrae, vloei
voort vanuit dié verskillende modelle.
Die huidige debat noodsaak ‘n nuwe
verbintenis tussen wetenskap en geloof, aa
ngesien die tradisione
le benaderings die
eenheid in die skepping misken het.
iv.
Polkinghorne se voorstel vir goddelike handeling vind aansluiting by ander resente
modelle met die fokus op ‘n inter-dissipl
inêre benadering waar die insigte vanuit
die fisiese, sowel as die g
eesteswetenskappe benut word.
331
v.
Hierdie breë oorsig lei tot Polkinghor
ne se kosmologiese voorstel. Sy
epistemologie berus op kritiese realisme
wat die konsep van ‘dual-aspect monism’
benut ten einde ‘n anti-reduksionistiese pers
pektief op die werklikheid te verdedig.
Hierdie metafisiese uitkyk stel hom instaat om vanuit ’n trinitariese belydenis van
eskatotologiese
hoop die fisiese werklikheid te herwaardeer.
vi.
Polkinghorne stel ’n komplementêre ver
houding tussen wetenskap en geloof voor
waar beide dissiplines konsonant kan funks
ioneer. Teologie as gelyke vennoot
van die wetenskap beantwoord die meta
-vrae wat wetenskaplike waarneming
transendeer.
vii.
Polkinghorne bely ‘n trinita
riese God wat persoonlik ha
ndel in Sy skepping, maar
wel op so ‘n wyse dat Sy temporele en kenotiese aard na vore tree. Hierdie
transendent
/
immanente handeling van God se
selfopenbaring vind ’n hoogtepunt
in die inkarnasie van Jesus
Christus as opgestane Here.
viii.
God se handeling is kenbaar deur ‘n
Natuurlike Teologie wat die verhouding met
die wetenskap respekteer. Hy handel op
‘n holistiese wyse
binne ‘n oop kosmos
wat intelligent ontwerp en antropies ge
balanseerd is. Die oordrag van goddelike
kennis vind plaas binne komplekse sist
eme soos die chaos teorie deur die
wisselwerking van kontingens
ie en wetmatigheid.
Dit is kenbaar vir die mens wat
evolusionêr tot ‘n selfbewussyn ontwikke
l het en impliseer ‘n proses van
voortgaande ontluiking tot, en vanuit komplek
siteit. Die mens is ‘n medewerker
van God. God handel in
buitengewone omstandighede op buitengewone maniere
en die opstanding van Christus getuig daarvan.
ix.
‘n Gereformeerde voorsienigheidsbegrip word
tradisioneel verd
eel in drie areas
van goddelike handeling, nl. onderhouding,
regering en medewerking. God
onderhou en regeer trinitari
es oor die ganse kosmos,
en die hoogtepunt is die
inkarnasie en opstanding van Christus.
Dit is die sterkpunt van dié benadering.
Die primêre fokus is soteriol
ogies van aard. Die tekortkom
ing is egter ‘n beperkte
kosmologiese fokus en ‘n onderwaardering va
n wetenskaplike insigte. Dit is twee
elemente wat hierdie studie noodsaak.
332
x.
Die metodologiese interaksie van wetens
kaplike hipoteses in Polkinghorne se
voorstel is beslis vreemd
aan ‘n tradisioneel, gerefo
rmeerde perspektief. Die
sentrale fokus en vertrekpunt van sy bena
dering nl.’n trinitariese verhouding wat
uiting vind in die opstanding
van Jesus uit die dood stem egter ooreen met ‘n
tradisionele siening.
Hy lewer ‘n definitiewe bydrae tot die gereformeerde leer.
Sy bydrae kan as volg saamgevat word:
xi.
Ten eerste, ‘n komplementêre verhouding tu
ssen wetenskap en ge
loof bevestig dat
goddelike handeling holisties as ‘n deurl
opende kosmologiese gebeure erken word.
xii.
In die tweede plek, vanuit ‘n nuwe Na
tuurlike teologie wys die wetenskap, as
gespreksvennoot van die teologie, op
die voortreflikheid van God in Sy
voortgaande selfbekendmaking in die skepping.
xiii.
In die derde
plek, dipolariteit vertoon as poten
sïele gereformeerde teologiese
konstruksie die belofte om goddelike ha
ndeling op God se trou te fundeer.
xiv.
In die vierde plek, God hande
l op ‘n trinitariese wyse
deur die wisselwerking van
kontingensie en wetmatigheid
in die skepping. ‘n
Gereformeerde teologie word
uitgedaag om die realiteit van ‘n konti
ngente werklikheid te harmonieër met die
belydenis van ‘n getroue God wat elke
oomblik sorg dra vir Sy skepping
.
xv.
In die vyfde plek, panenteïsme het wel ‘n
beperkte waarde binne ‘n gereformeerde
teologie. Dit daag ‘n gereformeerde be
nadering uit tot verdere besinning oor die
aard van God se immanente teen
woordigheid in die wêreld.
xvi.
Ten slotte, die belydenissk
rifte se standpunt oor voorsi
enigheid vereis ‘n her-
formulering in die lig
van die kwantum era
.