May 15th, 2012
The doctrine of creatio originans refers to God’s original conservation of creation–a sustaining causal relationship. This doctrine typically entails an A theory of time.
A theory of time (dynamic): The ultimate reality of time is tensed (God is in time)
B theory of time (static): The ultimate reality of time is atemporal (God is outside of time)
The doctrine of creation implies an A theory of time (dynamic, tensed). If one adopts B theory of time, then things do not literally come into existence. The whole four-dimensional spacetime manifold exists coeternally with God.
Creatio continuans entails a B theory (a continual creation). According to B theory, all events are equally real. Yesterday is just as real as tomorrow and exist in the same moment. If creatio orignans fails, can B theory make more sense of conservation?
Can God act tenselessly on e to sustain it from t1 to t2 [a time interval]
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April 25th, 2012
The Word of the Week is: Creatio de Novo
Definition: Latin for creation [or created] afresh.
More about the term: Progressive creationism sees the creative work of God as a combination of a series of de novo creative acts and an immanent or processive operation. God at several points, rather widely separated in time, created de novo. On these occasions he did not make use of previously existing life, simply modifying it. While he might have brought into being something quite similar to an already existing creation, there were a number of changes and the product of his work was a completely new creature. Notice that this is completely compatible with common descent evolution and intelligent design. This isn’t Darwinism but it may be accurate to say that creatio de novo is a categorically acceptable position for theistic evolutionists. God takes preexisting forms and adds information to that form to have a creation de novo.
For more on this please see Millard Erickson’s Christian Theology ed 2; Hugh Ross’ A Matter of Days; and Fuz Rana’s Who Was Adam?