The Providence of God: A Polyphonic Approach (Current Issues in Theology, Series Number 11)

The concept of providence is embedded in the life and theology of the church. Its uses are frequent and varied in understandings of politics, nature, and individual life-stories. Parallels can be discerned in other faiths. In this volume, David Fergusson traces the development of providential ideas at successive periods in church history. These include the early appropriation of Stoic and Platonic ideas, the codification of providence in the Middle Ages, its foregrounding in Reformed theology, and its secular applications in the modern era. Responses to the Lisbon earthquake (1755) provide an instructive case study. Although confidence in divine providence was shaken after 1914, several models were advanced during the twentieth century. Drawing upon this diversity of approaches, Fergusson offers a chastened but constructive account for the contemporary church. Arguing for a polyphonic approach, he aims to distribute providence across all three articles of the faith. The Providence of God: A Polyphonic Approach 6 Contents 10 Acknowledgements 12 Introduction 14 1 Sources of Providentialism 26 1.1 Hinterland of Ancient Philosophy 26 1.2 Scripture 32 1.2.1 General Providence 34 1.2.2 Continuous Creation by the Two Hands of God 36 1.2.3 Divine Sovereignty and improvisation 40 1.2.4 Divine Relationality 45 1.2.5 The Cruciform Pattern of Providence 50 1.2.6 The Multiple Forms of Providence in Scripture 54 1.3 The Early Church 56 1.4 Conclusion 70 2 The Latin Default Setting 72 2.1 The Influence of Boethius 73 2.2 Providence in Aquinas 76 2.3 The Sixteenth-Century Reformed Tradition 90 2.3.1 Providence in Zurich 94 2.3.2 Providence in Calvin 97 2.4 Reformed Orthodoxy 105 2.5 Providentialism Among the Protestant Faithful 114 2.6 Conclusion 121 3 Dispersals of Providence in Modernity 123 3.1 Shifts of Focus 123 3.2 The Shape of Providential Deism 128 3.3 The Lisbon Earthquake 137 3.4 Imperial Expansion and Slavery 145 3.5 Free Trade 166 3.6 Conclusion 177 4 Providence in Nature 180 4.1 Conceptual Concerns 182 4.1.1 Determinism 182 4.1.2 Divine Temporality 185 4.1.3 Chance 192 4.2 The Problem of Teleology 194 4.3 Reconciling Darwin with Divine Providence 203 4.3.1 Does the Affirmation of Theistic Evolution Lead to Deism? 203 4.3.2 Are Chance and Providential Control Compatible? 208 4.3.3 Does the Principle of Natural Selection Compound the Problem of Evil? 214 4.3.4 Does Evolutionary Science Reduce Human Significance? 224 4.4 Conclusion 228 4.5 Excursus: Divine Action 230 4.5.1 The Problem 230 4.5.2 Double Agency: The Classical View 238 4.5.3 The Analogy with Human Agency 241 4.5.4 Double Agency: Austin Farrer 245 4.5.5 Multiple Forms of Divine Action 248 5 Twentieth-Century Reactions 254 5.1 The Legacy of the Nineteenth Century 254 5.2 The Tradition Defended 259 5.3 Revisionism Type One: God As Persuasive 265 5.3.1 Process Theology 266 5.3.2 Open Theism 273 5.4 Revisionism Type Two: Christological Determinism in Karl Barth 284 5.5 Revisionism Type Three: General Providence Only 302 5.6 Conclusion 308 6 Providence Reconstructed 310 6.1 Summation 310 6.2 A Dogmatics of Providence: Three Examples 318 6.2.1 Creatio continua 319 6.2.2 Theologia crucis 321 6.2.3 Veni Creator Spiritus 329 6.3 A Practical Theology of Providence: Prayer, Politics and Suffering 335 6.3.1 Prayer 335 6.3.2 Politics 343 6.3.3 Suffering 347 Bibliography 356 Names Index 384 Subject Index 387 This is a critical exploration of the theology of providence in the history of the church. Particular attention is devoted to the practical contexts of providentialism in politics, science and spirituality in the modern era. While critical of traditional formulations and uses, the volume aims to offer a chastened but constructive account. An Exploration Of The Theology Of Divine Providence That Is Both Critical And Constructive In Its Outcomes.