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Understanding the Beginning in Light of the End: Eschatological Patrick Franklin Refl Ections on Making Theological Sense of Evolution Patrick Franklin

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Understanding the Beginning in Light of the End: Eschatological Patrick Franklin Refl Ections on Making Theological Sense of Evolution Patrick Franklin Article Understanding the Beginning in Light of the End: Eschatological Patrick Franklin Refl ections on Making Theological Sense of Evolution Patrick Franklin This article proposes that a trinitarian eschatological hermeneutic, applied to the doctrine of creation, helps us to make sense of evolution theologically. From this perspective, the Holy Spirit incessantly draws creation to the Father’s intended destination for it (new creation) through the cosmic, creative-redemptive work of the Son. This article fi rst develops the proposed hermeneutic in dialogue with scripture and trinitarian theology. It then commends the hermeneutic as a way forward in resolving theologically three important issues in the science-faith dialogue concerning evolution: (1) it avoids both a deistic naturalism/materialism and a crude supernaturalist interventionism with respect to God’s interaction with creation; (2) it provides a rich theology of nature while avoiding the pitfalls of pantheism; and (3) it helps us to account theologically for the existence of death as a naturally occurring phenomenon intrinsic to creation. urrently, the scholarly scientifi c initiated a dynamic, progressive process. consensus is that evolutionary In creating, God endowed creation with theory best explains the biological the intrinsic potentiality to develop, to C 1 origins of human beings. Indeed, in terms mature, and to evolve over time. God’s of comprehensive coherence and explana- creating is also an ongoing work of con- tory power, evolution as a scientifi c tinuous, active creation, in which the model really has no serious rival.2 This Holy Spirit incessantly draws creation to article explores the controversial topic of the Father’s intended destination for it human evolution from a theological per- (new creation) through the cosmic, cre- spective. My thesis is that a trinitarian, ative-redemptive work of the Son. eschatological hermeneutic, applied to the doctrine of creation, helps us to make Let me make two points of clarifi cation. theological sense of evolution. From the First, the purpose of this article is not to vantage point of this hermeneutic, when argue the scientifi c case for evolution but God initially created the universe, God to refl ect theologically on its meaning did not create a “fi nished” product (i.e., in and implications.3 Second, I do not claim the sense of its being static and complete). that scripture or the early Christian tradi- Rather, God always intended an eschato- tion teaches evolution. I reject concordist logical consummation for creation and so approaches to interpreting scripture that claim to observe the fi ndings of modern Patrick S. Franklin, PhD, is assistant professor of theology and ethics science within the Bible. Instead, my view at Providence University College and Seminary in Manitoba, Canada. He is that scripture teaches an unfolding, has an ongoing interest in theological anthropology (including how science informs it) and how it relates to other Christian doctrines, such as salvation developing creation, in which the Holy and the church. Patrick currently serves as the Coordin ating Book Review Spirit is drawing all that the Father has Editor for PSCF. created toward eschatological fulfi llment. 154 Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith Patrick Franklin My proposal, while developed differently, is com- In terms of appropriation, of the three divine per- patible with the “proleptic” theology of Ted Peters, sons, the Holy Spirit is most closely associated with in which God is “constantly engaged in drawing animating and preserving life and then drawing the world out of nonbeing and into existence with all of creation toward its eschatological goal.10 As the aim of consummating this creative work in the Thomas Oden puts it, future. God’s present work in and for the world Wherever the one God, Father, Son, and Spirit, 4 anticipates the fi nal work.” Similar to Peters, I argue works to realize, accomplish, and consummate that there is an eschatological dimension to all of what God has begun and continued, that action God’s creative activity. I wish to offer a complemen- is more properly ascribed in Scripture as the tary perspective that highlights the signifi cance of movement of the Holy Spirit.11 pneumatology within a trinitarian framework for thinking theologically about God’s interaction with Thus, the eschatological hermeneutic proposed in the physical world.5 Moreover, I offer my own escha- this article focuses particularly on the person and 12 tological reading with the aim of helping evangelical work of the Holy Spirit. readers navigate their way through some apparent diffi culties that evolution poses for traditional beliefs Early Christian creeds refer to the Holy Spirit as “the 13 about creation, human beings, sin and death, and Lord and Giver of Life.” This title for the Spirit is Adam and Eve. closely related to scripture’s portrayal of the Spirit as the breath of God who gives breath to all liv- ing things.14 The Spirit offers, supports, nurtures, strengthens, and guides all of life, whether plant, animal, or human, according to their own specifi c Creation in Eschatological natures.15 Paul alludes to the Spirit as the breath of Perspective life in 1 Corinthians 15:45 when, quoting Genesis 2:7, 16 Creation as the Continuous Work of the he refers to the fi rst man as a “living soul.” Gen- Triune God esis 6:17 (the beginning of the fl ood account) refers to God’s plan to destroy “all fl esh in which is the Creation is the continuous work of the Triune God.6 breath of life.” Job 32:8 refers to the “spirit in a mor- Two trinitarian doctrines are relevant for the pres- tal” as “the breath of the Almighty.”17 Further, if God ent discussion, namely the doctrine of the unity of “should take back his spirit to himself, and gather to operations and the doctrine of appropriation. The himself his breath, all fl esh would perish” (Job 34:14– former states that all three persons of the Trinity 15). The Psalmist draws out the parallel between the are involved in everything God does outwardly, breath of life and the Spirit of God: “When you take while the latter specifi es that each divine person is away their breath, they die and return to their dust. involved in every divine activity in a particular, When you send forth your Spirit, they are created” characteristic way. Moreover, the patterns of divine (Ps. 104:29, 30). Ecclesiastes 12:7 states that upon activity that we observe in the economy of God’s death “the breath returns to God who gave it.” dealings with creation in salvation history (economic Trinity) mirror but do not exhaustively disclose the In the New Testament, the Spirit is likewise closely patterns of relation inherent within God’s own inner associated with breath and life, as applied to both life (immanent Trinity). With respect to creation, we regeneration and consummation (the latter through can express God’s activity of creating with the fol- resurrection and glorifi cation). John 3:5–8 connects lowing trinitarian formulation: the Father creates the Spirit to the spiritual rebirth of the person who 7 through the Son and in the Spirit. God’s creative enters the kingdom of God. In John 4, Jesus refers to activity originates with the Father, is given concrete the Spirit as a spring of living water gushing up to expression through the Son, and is accomplished in eternal life (vv. 10, 13–14). In John 6:63, Jesus says, 8 the dynamic, creative power of the Spirit. In Gen- “It is the Spirit that gives life; the fl esh is useless.” esis chapters one and two, we observe this formula In Romans 8:11, Paul says that the same Spirit that implicitly at work in the narratives as the Father raised Christ from the dead “will give life to your speaks creation into being with his Word and his mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in Breath (cf. John 1:1–3; Col. 1:15–17; John 3:5–8; 4:10; you.” And in Revelation 22:17, the Spirit and the 6:63; Rom. 8:2, 11; Rev. 22:17).9 Volume 66, Number 3, September 2014 155 Article Understanding the Beginning in Light of the End: Eschatological Refl ections on Making Theological Sense of Evolution Bride say “come,” and all are invited to drink the Joel Green clarifi es, “This transformation is not the water of life. release from the human body of a nonperishable soul, but the resurrection of the human person as The Spirit’s work in drawing human beings to their ‘a body for the realm of the Spirit.’”23 The writings eschatological consummation includes transforming of the early church fathers support this position.24 what is perishable into what is imperishable. For, as For example, Athanasius writes that human beings Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15: “What is sown is per- were created “by nature corruptible, but destined, ishable, what is raised is imperishable … It is sown by grace following from partaking in the Word, to a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body” and have escaped their natural state, had they remained “fl esh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, good.”25 It is also supported by many modern bibli- nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable” cal scholars and theologians, who argue in various (vv. 43, 44, 50).18 For much of Protestant and evan- ways that the notion of the intrinsic immortality of gelical theology, the problem Paul is here addressing the soul derives not from the Bible but from Greek is the sinfulness of human beings, which he connects philosophy (i.e., Platonism).26 with their being perishable and incapable in them- selves of possessing eternal life in God’s kingdom.
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