Introducing PanenDeism
Larry Copling
www.PanenDeism.com
�2004, Larry Copling
Click HERE for Part 1
Click HERE for Part 2
Click HERE for Part 3
Continuing with Part 4...
4. PanenTheism (emphasis mine)
According to S.T. Franklin, of the Elwell Evangelical Dictionary, Panentheism �...is a doctrine of God which attempts to combine the strengths of classical theism with those of classical pantheism.�
Panentheism modifies the idea of Pantheism by declaring that all that IS, exists within God. The Deity is no longer thought of as a human-shaped Being that sits on a Great White Throne, but more as an everywhere-present, creative Lifeforce that animates all life in the universe and is the literal essence of all matter and reality.
Panentheism has really begun to �catch on� in spiritual circles; crossing denominational borders everywhere, largely because of the apparent alignment it has with recent findings of quantum physics.
The term Panentheism was first used by Karl Friedrich Christian Krause, the nineteenth century German philosopher, in 1828. In Krause�s philosophical theory, all existence is one great unity, which he called Weson (Essence). This Essence IS God, and includes within Itself the finite unities of man, reason and nature. As stated above, the theory of Panentheism is a conciliation of Classical Theism and Pantheism.
Although the basic term Panentheism is a relatively simple concept to grasp, it has been greatly expanded upon by many in order to develop an entire theology based on this simple idea. The most developed panentheistic theology offered to date is known as Process Theology, which is based largely on the writings of Alfred North Whitehead and his �Process Thought� or �Philosophy of Organism�. There have been many others who have contributed to Process Theology, but overall it remains a predominantly Whiteheadean philosophy and description of nature.
Process Theology can be summed up by an explanation offered by the Elwell Evangelical Dictionary:
Process Theology is a contemporary movement of theologians who teach that God is dipolar, or has two natures, and that he is integrally involved in the endless process of the world. God has a "primordial" or transcendent nature, his timeless perfection of character, and he has a "consequent" or immanent nature by which he is part of the cosmic process itself... The method of process theology is more philosophically than biblically or confessionally based, though many of its proponents use process thought as a contemporary way of expressing traditional Christian teachings or seek to relate biblical themes to process concepts.[iii]
As you can see, trying to gain an understanding of Process Theology is not for the faint of heart. The difficulty in digesting the writings of A.N. Whitehead is legendary, and Process Theology, which is largely based on Whitehead, is not significantly more accessible for the layman. There is much that Panentheism or Process Theology has to offer any spiritual seeker, but even if one takes the time to delve into the intricacies of Process Thought, there is still at least one major problem that remains- Process Theology has been designed to express traditional Christianity in terms of Process Thought!
To the Deist, the scientist, or to any rationally-based, spiritual seeker who embraces a more deistic understanding of the Divine, there has been literally nowhere else to go... until now.
Continue to Part 5...