good afternoon I'm dr. Vinson Baker i teach theology here wheaton i direct our Center for Applied Christian ethics it's great to be part of this conference so I'm going to introduce both of our speakers who will speak in sequence and then we will have Q&A and our session ends at 3:00 after which we'll have a 30-minute break our first speaker dr. Hamish young also spoke in Chapel this morning he's the Dean of the school of divinity and the J Robin Williams professor of theology at Regent University in Virginia it's definitely a leading voice in Pentecostal theology incredibly prolific worked lot in terms of the dialogue between faiths and other religions and relationship between Christianity and the scientists among the recent publications include his topic today the spirit of creation modern science and divine action in Pentecostal charismatic imagination and the Bible disability and the church our second speaker is dr. Matthew levering who's the Perry family foundation professor of theology at Mundelein seminary the University or say Mary of the lake just north of here north of Chicago he's the co-editor of the journals nova a nova Terra and the International Journal of systematic theology he's also a prolific author of books including Jesus and the demise of death in Christ and the Catholic priesthood so please join me in welcoming dr. young good afternoon everybody's had lunch I'm sure so um if you need any help staying awake just ask the Holy Spirit all right the title of my talk is I this was assigned to me I'm not sure who was in charge of this assignment but if don't blame me blame whoever organized this type have entitled it cry out to a Spiritist and the Spirit of Christ toward eternity Rhian theology of creation the title of this conference the Spirit of God Christian renewal in the community of faith is suggestive of a perspective long held across the modern Pentecostal movement that charismatic renewal will invigorate Christian faith and life as a whole across denominational and traditional lines the Pentecostal revival at Azusa Street in Los Angeles in the first decade of the 20th century for instance was intended not to form a new denomination but to energize Christian commitment for those who felt their churches lacked such vitality the charismatic renewal in the mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic churches in the 1960s and 70s presumed similarly although in practice more charismatic srem aend to rejuvenate their churches than the earlier Pentecostals who were as often dismissed from their congregations as much as they may have chosen to freely move on or come out as some put it the point for our purposes is that as spiritual revitalization potentially renews the whole community of faith so also nimita logical theology which is reflection are all things related to the doctrine of the holy spirit so also there's new meta logical theology potentially contribute something of import to the broader scholarly and academic conversation hence the title of this paper is indicated of its aspirations that new meta logical reflections on the theology of creation can open up to a more robust Trinitarian vision of the world as divinely created methodological II speaking the route to Trinitarian theology was initiated with the turn to Christology in the early church in the fourth and fifth centuries while in some respects the turn to pneumatology was also navigated especially through although not limited to the discussions culminating with the Council of Constantinople in 381 see that conversation has not come full circle pneumatology has remained generally neglected if not marginalized in the theological quest the 20th century Pentecostal charismatic renewal movement has precipitated at least in part the rediscovery of pneumatology or at least its retrieval and reappropriation in contemporary theological discourse Pentecostal theologies of creation thus also have begun to emerge in the present theological landscape these have expanded the scope of pneumatology even as they have been riched enriched Christian thinking about the doctrine of creation my own work in this vein has heretofore attempted also to develop a new mythology of creation not just merely a theology of creation but a new mythology of creation informed by Pentecostal charismatic spirituality and sensibilities while in this essay we explore the possibility of a new meta logically focused approach to the Christian doctrine of creation its Trinitarian horizons suggest that starting with the Spirit requires requires christological and petrological Bassets more specifically a new meta logical and thereby Trinitarian theology of creation is not merely a cognitive construct but also an effective orientation and a practical task this is because the work of the Spirit involves not just the renewing of human minds but also the transformation of human hearts and the empowerment and energizing of human lives for witness so the two parts that follow thereby lay out the especially biblical basis of a new meta logical approach to theology of creation as part one and then part two unpacks its methodological epistemic existential and performative implications so part one creation and triune God a new meta logical reframing a more narrowly expressed new meta logical and theology of creation will begin with the references to the spirit and relationship to the world and proceed from there to elaborate on its systematic and perhaps dogmatic features yet a Trinitarian formulation is irreducibly both nimit illogical and Christological the key is to connect with major strands in history of Christian thought that have developed theology of relation of creation Crysta logically the following sketches a Trinitarian perspective on the doctrine of creation by following out the salvation historical drama of Scripture how might the creation be conceived when considered with respect to God as primordial creator and its historic Redeemer and as eschatological consummate err to be sure such as no plain biblical account if by that is meant that the following merely precedes straightforwardly off the surface of the scriptural narrative surely a Trinitarian hermeneutics is selective about how to order interpret and remarry the biblical data for present purposes in this case understanding creation just as surely a new methodological priority is sure deployed if a more effusive ly Trinitarian vision of creation emerges on the other side then this project and its efforts will have been justified all right part 1 section 1 God is creator through word and spirit that mistake ibly the biblical revelation proceeds from in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth the New Testament is equally clear that all things come into being through him and without him not one thing came into being the author of the Epistle to the Colossians puts it this way about God Christ and the creation Christ is the image of the invisible God the firstborn the firstborn of all creation for in him all things in heaven and earth were created things visible and invisible whether Thrones or dominions or rulers or powers all things have been created through him and for him do I get an amen out of that one thank you very much if the ancient Hebrews and contemporary Jews were unabashedly Theo centric in their understanding of the origins of the world and its dependence on Yahweh Christians through the centuries have been known as Christocentric in their doctrine of creation the scriptural witness however is also replete with references that are all the Spirit of God in creation the Genesis account actually continues to say that in the beginning when not created heavens and the earth the earth was formless and void and darkness covered the surface of the deep while the wind Noah from God swept over the surface of the waters while it is certainly true that within the ancient Hebrew perspective the law of God was not understood as a distinct divine and personal hypostasis as the Holy Spirit is in post and I see in Trinitarian theology the latter frame of reference actually allows for a more credible connection between the wind or breath of God in the first Testament and the Spirit of God in the Christian scriptures pursuant to the springboard there are other canonical indicators that link the divine breath with both the creative and providential activities of God the psalmist for instance insists by the word of the Lord the heavens were made and all their hosts by the breath of his mouth a seemingly a seeming elaboration on the Genesis statement further the author of the creation narrative references the divine breath of life this the Samus also explicates when considering living creatures quote when you hide your face they are dismayed when you take away their breath they return they die in return to their dust when you send forth your spirit they are created and you renew the face of the ground built has been witness is clear that the breath of Yahweh is involved in the divine creation and certainly in the originating and sustaining creaturely life what is the payoff for a Trinitarian theology of creation and its origins briefly for now the point is to insist that God creates the world through his two hands our word and spirit when applied to the theology and science conversation such claims beg to be cashed out in terms of the world's properties whether that be correlating word and spirit if maybe Foreman energy or with energy and information or some other set of associations or analogies depending on predispositions toward how theology functions symbolically metaphorically or analogically such claims and arguments will be more or less plausible these need not be adjudicated for our purposes this afternoon which is only to point out that the Christian doctrine of creation is both Christological and hematological and hence in that case Trinity no Trinity really oriented so part two of section one goddess redeemer by word and spirit even its theological II not only acceptable but also imperative that God has acknowledged to be created through word and spirit can the same be said about God as Redeemer certainly Christian theology is founded upon God revealed in and by Christ which involves God's redemptive activities in Jesus's life death resurrection and ascension minimally delimited more accurately for our present purposes God saves by Christ's not just people but the world even the created order and what is in it the latter part of the calash in him quoted earlier proclaims through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things whether on heaven or in earth by making peace through the blood of his cross amen some people are falling asleep here undeniably God who created through the word also redeems the creation by the word and the same also be said of the spirit this God had created through the breath of Yahweh also redeemed the world by the spirit theological categorizations that understand the work of Christ soteriological II and the work of the Spirit in terms of the doctrine of sanctification might argue that strictly speaking the spirit purifies rather than saves however any new meta logical theology requires also a fully new meta logical soteriology God's saving work in Christ and Sue's new meta logically even as any Christian doctrine of salvation without a spirit remains by night area rather than truly Trinitarian so unfolded in this way Jesus Saves as the Christ The Anointed Messiah through the spirit's messianic anointing even as the day of pentecost outpouring of the spirit is deeply soteriological not just a pleasee illogical as might have been suggested in CERN streams of the theological tradition in fact Peters Pentecost sermon drawing on a Prophet Joel as recorded by Luke proclaims the intertwining of the works of the Spirit and the salvation of the world so here I'm reading from acts 2 in the last days it will be God declares I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophesy and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams even upon my slaves both men and women in those days I will pour out my spirit and they shall prophesy and I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below blood and fire and smoky mist the Sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day then everyone who calls a name of the Lord will be saved his spirits redemptive work is attained as a spirit of Christ himself it is after all Jesus supporters out of the spirit upon the world from the Father's right hand so the spirits redemptive work is attained as a spirit of Christ himself but it's soteriological character are not be overlooked and with regard to the specific assignment before us note that the saving work of the Spirit has cosmic scope involving the heavens and the earth together this is not to minimize its effectiveness and saving everyone who calls on the name of the Lord but neither should the spirits cosmic Redemption be underestimated what are the repercussions for theology of creation if the redemption of the cosmos is a triune achievement at this juncture two preliminary comments are in order first all created realities formed through word and spirit are fallen and in need of redemption but otherwise the created world is deformed it's mechanisms broken its processes misdirected the two hands of the father are thus at work to reform the world to heal its functions and mechanisms and to reorient its trajectories second it could also be said that the norms of such reformation healing and renewal are Christological according to the revelation of God in Christ even while their means are new methodological through the outpouring of the Spirit upon all flesh the new meta logical corollary to the latter claim is the many tongues of all flesh can somehow be redeemed even to the point of being able to declare God's deeds of power exactly what the primordial creation was designed to do we will return in part to the flesh and other elements of this new meta logical aspect of creation theology all right part 2 part 1 section 3 God is consummate ER and warden spirit if it is expected that but that God both creates and redeems by word and spirit then there should not be too much disagreement about extending the latter to considering God is bringing about the final consummation through word and spirit traditional theology has always affirmed this Krista logically not least as grounded in what the calash in him declares as already having been accomplished by the cross of Christ the classical articulation however tended to talk about the ongoing not yet or eschatological scope of salvation in terms of the Spirit sanctifying and glorifying work the present discussion presumes both that God's redemption in Christ is new meta logical and thereby Trinitarian even as the eschatological salvation is also both Christological and through the Holy Spirit the strongly executed there's abundant testimony in the scriptures to this eschatological aspect of the spirits work our present focus however invites consideration of the consummating work of the Spirit as it relates to the created order here st. Paul's magnificent declaration in the middle of this letter to the Romans emphasizes that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now and not only the creation but we ourselves who have the first fruits of the spirit groaned inwardly while we wait for adoption the redemption of our bodies more precisely toward this eschatological consummation st. Paul's ranks the spirit helps us in our weakness for we do not know how to pray as we ought but the very spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words and God as searches the heart knows what is the mind of the Spirit because the spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God this passage succinctly connects what are otherwise disparate threads across the New Testament witness that the redemptive work of the Spirit unleashed in incarnation and Pentecost culminates in the coming reign of God and that the salvation of saints the People of God the body of Christ the Fellowship of the Spirit is interconnected with the renovation and renewal of all creation what then is at stake for such a conjoined christological and new methodological approach to creations consummation on the one hand the redemption of the world of people is not accomplished apart from the reclamation of all creation and this final restoration is Trinitarian ly realized and finalized in Christ and the spirit on the other hand creation has a ball the image of Christ refracted in the spirit of the Messiah and it appears that what is divinely initiated and to be brought about nevertheless also involves human growing groaning sighing and interceding such intercession invites responsive human intervention and activity understood as participation in the redemptive and consummate of work of the triune God all right making good progress I see you are in part to somebody say praise the Lord the spirit of Christ and the renewal of creation a Trinitarian reconfiguring emerging thesis of this essay you've been following me is that a Trinitarian theology of creation is not only Christological but also nimita logical and that the latter especially involves both redemptive and eschatological horizons this second and last part of our essay clarifies how the latter also contributes to even extends were other theologies of creation even Krista logically defined ones often failed to go the additional argument to be developed is that a new meta logical eschatological approach to theology we say that fast enough not three or four times will be speaking in tongues by the way should we try that the additional argument to be developed is that a new meta logical / eschatological approach to theology has implications not only for what we know about the creation but also how we understand and then how we act within it if this is the case then a theology of creation includes a creational praxis that works even praise or size or groans as st. Paul himself understood that works for the renewal of creation so the following Trinitarian theology of creation thus has not only a cognitive dimension but also existential and performative aspects those are the three sections of this part the former intellectually articulated segment has methodological and theoretical applications as well so we start there with part two section 1 the many tongues of a spirit of Christ's methodological and disciplinary implications probably gestured above toward the important role for the day of Pentecost narrative in any new metallurgical approach to theology of creation suggestion was made there that the many tongues of the day of Pentecost event signal how the salvation of this recaptures the many human languages for the purpose of giving glory to God but if human languages are constituted by and perpetuate cultural realities and traditions as well then the redemptive work of God involves also the redemption renewal and sanctification of these domains this is not to say that all cultures and what each culture includes are thereby rendered pure as if concluding toward a Universalist soteriology it is to say that there can be no a priori demarcations of the spirits regenerative work and there is always the possibility that any language in its cultural milieu of being apprehended to bear the Gospel message and be reoriented toward the reign of God to come but if the work of the Spirit involves the redemption of human tongues and languages in theorists with in various respects what does this mean for theology of creation insofar as any understanding of the created order involves at least some focus attention on and study of its various elements in as much as such study has evolved over the centuries into different scientific disciplines now the fields of inquiry and to the degree that the gaining of expertise in such disciplines in Perea our areas of inquiry can be likened to learning new languages in gaining facility in a range of discursive practices might it also be possible to view the various methods of Investigation across the disciplines as redemptive epistemologies that by illuminating the created aural for human understanding make possible support and arouse the glorification of God I just realised that's a long sentence only read that again insofar as any understanding of the created order involves at least some focus attention on and study of its various elements in as much as such study has evolved over the centuries into different scientific disciplines in other fields of inquiry and to the degree that the gaining of expertise in such disciplines and areas of inquiry can be likened to learning new languages and gaining facility in a range of discursive practices might it be possible to view the various methods of investigation across disciplines as redemptive epistemologies that by illuminating the created world for human understanding make possible support and arounds the glorification of God all that to ask a question again this is not to baptize all scientific or other forms of inquiry as redemptive in whole or in part it is to recognize that the sciences and other fields of human knowing provide methodologies with which to understand the world and that theists in general not to mention Christians particularly can and should avail themselves of such approaches as well when interwoven with theological commitments what emerges are dual but complementary lenses the two books of nature and of Scripture as the medieval theologians called it through which the world is understood talked about and engaged the day of Pentecost metaphor it is submitted invites consideration of how the many discursive practices that constitute contemporary scientific and other fields of research on the world and its various spheres can also be vehicles for declaring the glory of God to be sure just as not all tongues nor all languages or all cultures be currently or truthfully about God's deeds of power so also the many disciplines may deploy faulty methods be based on false priests opposition's and miscommunicate ideas any Trinitarian theology of creation thus holds that while it is the work of the Spirit to inspire the many tongues and by extension here the many disciplines to glorify God it is the form of Christ that provides the norm and standard for assessing all truth claims even those related to the created world the caveat of course is that oftentimes it is difficult to apply a christological assessment to particular claims like in mathematics physics or geology and so on especially the scientific disciplines as self-correcting paths of inquiry when working properly will be expected to adjudicate matters in the long run theologians will need to exercise the virtue of patience in order to allow the various disputes to be sorted out on the other hand it may also be that theologians who have some training in and are alert to what can be learned from other disciplines or languages would be in a better position to offer theological perspectives with the potential to make unanticipated difference in such courses of research examination and study part 2 section 2 the many invitations of the spirit of Christ's existential integrative supplications so the proceeding leads us into the thorny area of faith integration Christian colleges and universities are especially concerned about these matters and rightly so part of the problem with integration discourse is that it presumes sometimes the two compartments that are faith and reason among other labels that logically or rhetorically already resist assimilation saying this is not to give up on the project of integration but it does invite alternative conceptualizations the undertaking is much more urgent given the modernist epistemology that bifurcates facts from values that exacerbates the chasm between objectivity and subjectivity and it separates the external realm of nature from the personal dimensions of the human there is no doubt that modern science has blossomed in part because of its capacity to ferret out hypotheses based on experimental replication across cultural linguistic divides however there is also no disputing that in its extreme formulations apart from faith such can also devolve into a methodological scientism that not only ignores the personal dimension of human knowing but also fools it salt into thinking that human NORs somehow stand a part of what is known as if from an omission to you from nowhere the result in some instances are arrogant pronouncements dismissing religion according to the so called blue light of science and this in turn has galvanized some faithful into rejecting modern science because of its perceived atheism a new bit illogical approach to theology recognizes that can be a head knowledge without a heart transformation while knowledge of is important and should not be dismissed existentially meaningful knowing connects the head to the whole person and realizes the latter response is required soteriological II this involves at least in part repentance and the turning to Christ with regard to theology of creation a new meta logical orientation extend such intellectual conversion to include and attentiveness to and turning toward whatever aspect of the world is desired to be understood this expands the previously delineated methodological and disciplinary commitments in a personalistic direction it also bridges the gulf between faith and reason both personally and interpersonally we didn't believe in communities of inquiry that pursue their scholarly vocations faithfully what is involved in such a new motto personalistic theology the methodology methodological approach to theology of creation minimally any theological knowing of creation must also confess and inhabitation amidst creation further faith and reason are not thereby dualities to be bridged because there is no simple demarcation between object and subject but two sides of the one coin of faithful knowing within this framework then even theological knowing of the world of creation and as many guises can learn not only from across the scientific disciplines but also from the interpersonal and biological engagements with perspectives of many other cultural and historical traditions theology of creation here does not leave behind scientific forms of inquiry but necessarily now expands to include intercultural components and moments the stakes are higher now because knowledge of creation is no longer just objectively gained by us about something out there no better but also about our being together interpersonally and inter subjectively in the world with those of other perspectives and even other commitments now this involves leaving behind scriptural foundations or amazing of both allegiances it does complicate understanding of where biblical and Theological analyses begin and leave off where scientific humanistic and cross-cultural perspectives come in and exit and how personally and social culturally shaped inclinations intuitions and sensibilities facilitate navigation these of these epistemic and existential matters an integrative theology of creation requires that just that sort of interdisciplinary and intercultural approach since what is being considered is the entirety of what is according to the Christian understanding a new mental logical imagination insists that such knowing cannot leave behind the subjectivity of the norm therefore involving aesthetic imagistic and affective modalities of perception even as it also has to take into account the thick subjectivity of other knowers both within and outside of the faith tradition the Christological criterion however enables discernment of that which is more versus less Fisher as Christians see through a glass dimly this new methodological Christological flank is necessary for any Trinitarian theology of inquiry integration to emerge all right making good time here part two section three the many witnesses of the spirit of crisis performative applications my claim throughout the second half of the essay is that a new meta logically forged theology of creation involves methodological and disciplinary pluralism the many tongues even as it requires the existential emergent of the theologian into the very subject or object of consideration creation itself creation itself in all of its complexity and diverse particularity 'he's certainly it is far from easy to determine or hear the christological accents amidst the many voices it is here to them that a Trinitarian theology of creation foregrounds the teleological or eschatological vista of the spirits work which is to reconcile all things to the father through the son what this means is that theology of creation comes full circle and moving from intellectual knowledge of creation to personal knowing amidst creation or through personal knowing omits creation to practical knowing regarding creation let me try that again what this means is that the ology of creation comes full-circle in moving from intellectual knowledge of creation through personal knowing omits creation to practical knowing regarding creation the goal of the spirits illumination and renewal of minds is both the transformation and renovation of hearts and the empowerment and Riaan bird reinvigoration of persons to bear witness to the coming reign of god christian scholarship about creation thus heralds the coming reign christian mission carried out with sensitivity sensitivity to creations ecological and environmental orders thus inaugurates the universal restoration of the age to come and christian vocation faithfully pursued in the world also anticipates the Shalom a order of the triune God a Trinitarian theology of creation therefore knits together knowing being doing in a hermeneutical spiral because it is communicated through by and in the spirit of the coming Christ and Christ is the goal toward which creation culminates any elaborated theology of creation that fails to motivate positive crystal form actions may not be submitted to the Spirit of God further any alleged theology of creation that urges a set of behaviors or a way of life that is contrary to the full measure of the stature of Christ is thus detected to be anti-christian and acted out inconsistently with inspiration of the divine breath these christological parameters however far from narrowing the range of possibilities for human thinking being acting actually empower innovative and liberated creational praxis I should say could empower we all write that in here what is checked by the Spirit of Christ for those capable of perceiving our sinful false and destructive notions and their effects what has empowered our wide range of freedoms for others for the world and for the creation originally declared good and now longing for liberation and final redemption if inspection of the fruits assists in determining in determination of the tree saw also theological truth claims will be discriminated via the consequences that they underwrite practically then one trajectory of assessing the value of theologies of creation will be how they informed Christian beliefs about posture stored and practices regarding the created environment any worship of creation is indefensible since my theological definition the world derives from and is dependent on God ask creator however theologies that either do not admonish against the exploitation of creation or fail to urge human stewardship of the environment and its resources are also defective both fall short of the Christological criterion of incarnation that reflects the divine commitment embrace and redeemed the materiality of the created order and hence both cannot be stimulated by the divine breath the actualized human form of Christ as the image of the Living and eternal God conclusion something like the spirit and an eschatological theology of creation so in some respects this essay is a prologue Imana to theology of creation in general much less to Trinitarian theology in particular it explores the methodological arcs outlined by a new meta logical approach to the topic clarifying along the way notions of interdisciplinarity epistemic holism and the link between beliefs and practices on the other hand the beginning noted that any Pentecostal inflected theology ultimately inspires not just the further Pentecostal Eden group thinking but to renew the church including its theological discussions the preceding thus suggests that such a new methodological and hence Trinitarian theology of creation generates not just a new set of ideas there really is nothing new Under the Sun at least from Co helots point of view but perhaps a reorganization of basic Christian beliefs sent in and practices that are nevertheless timely for Trinitarian thinking about science and the material world in the present global context God creates through word in the spirit redeems by word and spirit and consummates divine plans in word and spirit Christian theologies of creation after the turn to pneumatology will receive impotence to not just think truthfully about the world but to inhabit it more faithfully and to work within it more intentionally in anticipation of the coming reign of God we are a long ways from living rightly in the world much less acting justly with it so these are indispensable moments of the hermeneutical spiral and crucial to the Christian theological task we must also still be far from having thought truthfully about the creation as well perhaps the foregoing can contribute in some small way the Christian ideas commitments and practices back together toward a Trinitarian theology of creation come Holy Spirit renew us and the creation thank you