tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658097024755959565.post5606627042819612720..comments2023-09-29T00:49:09.824-07:00Comments on Awaiting Redemption: Pannenberg and Augustine on MiraclesMatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16224512898969884864noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658097024755959565.post-55841539509416946532009-04-10T09:36:00.000-07:002009-04-10T09:36:00.000-07:00Pannenberg says that it is appropriate to talk abo...Pannenberg says that it <I>is</I> appropriate to talk about "laws" of the universe. At first I thought that perhaps the idea of a "law" necessarily implied a non-contingent universe. Pannenberg (and Augustine?) says that this is not so.<BR/><BR/>The fact that God created Adam out of the dust of the earth and Eve out of one of Adam's ribs demonstrates that God can use means in creation in addition to creating <I>ex nihilo</I>. So God's creation and preservation of the world does not demand that he continuously create and sustain out of nothing. God can make and use laws. <BR/><BR/>But, Pannenberg points out, "A necessary condition is that we view even the emergence of regularities, of uniform processes that can be expressed as laws concerning what takes place in nature, as contingent." (69–70)<BR/><BR/>In other words, God has created "laws," but these laws are contingent on God's action. He can change the "laws" at any time.<BR/><BR/>So, when we speak of a law, we don't mean "this is the way the world <I>has</I> to work," we mean "this is the way the world operates in my experience." After all, all scientific laws are formed empirically.<BR/><BR/>So I think we can still speak of miracles as that which occur counter to the "laws."Matthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16224512898969884864noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3658097024755959565.post-74497810867200366042009-04-05T19:05:00.000-07:002009-04-05T19:05:00.000-07:00I think that Romans 1 lays a solid foundation for ...I think that Romans 1 lays a solid foundation for this idea. The existence of God is made clear to all through nature. However, the word "miracle" (as we translate it in English Bibles) typically refers to something out of the ordinary everyday experience of humans in this age. Nature displays the power of God, but miracles are designed to catch the attention of the hard of heart (those who have stopped noticing). Augustine was explaining how miracles occur within the God-created laws of nature, without violating these laws, more than he was explaining what defines a miracle. I should also note that Augustine didn't have much personal experience with miracles until the last years of his life, so I think this had some influence on his understanding. Just my thoughts. Let us know where Pannenberg goes with this line of thought.Rob Dilferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15172349030831338366noreply@blogger.com