Piety and Theocentric Naturalism

The virtue of piety is central to religious life, with ultimate piety owed to the conditions for the very possibility of existence. Anything less than this ultimate reality cannot be a worthy referent for the name “God.” This leads to the conclusion that the fundamental theological error contained w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Speaks, Jeffrey B. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: School [2020]
In: Toronto journal of theology
Year: 2020, Volume: 36, Issue: 1, Pages: 14-23
IxTheo Classification:CF Christianity and Science
NBC Doctrine of God
NBD Doctrine of Creation
Further subjects:B Process Philosophy
B James Gustafson
B Piety
B God
B religious naturalism
Online Access: Volltext (Verlag)
Volltext (doi)
Description
Summary:The virtue of piety is central to religious life, with ultimate piety owed to the conditions for the very possibility of existence. Anything less than this ultimate reality cannot be a worthy referent for the name “God.” This leads to the conclusion that the fundamental theological error contained within process theology is the separation of God and creativity. Drawing on the thought of James Gustafson, Bernard Loomer, Robert Neville, and H. Richard Niebuhr, this article will articulate an alternative theological perspective called theocentric naturalism, which rejects the existence of supernatural beings yet preserves the radically monotheistic separation of Creator and creation—between the ontological creativity that creates all determinate reality and the determinate world in its creative advance. It examines the fruits of this form of religious piety, including the proper relativizing of our commitments, its orientation to the natural world, and the cultivation of religious courage.
ISSN:1918-6371
Contains:Enthalten in: Toronto journal of theology
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3138/tjt-2020-0038