What are theologians saying about panentheism?
Comments: While there are strands of panentheistic thought which extend throughout history, Peacocke’s introductory essay sets out many of the reasons a contemporary theist might move toward panentheism from a starting point of classical theism. He says a variety of factors form the basis of this impetus, however they center on the need to stress the immanence aspect of God, given ething we’ve learned and are learning about the natural world. Importantly, it is the influence of the scientific account of the world as a seamless web of natural phenomena which makes it hard to views God’s actions in the world as intervening and abrogating the web of nature. Further, Peacocke points out that the scientific explication of how natural systems evolve and emerge through self-organization leads toward a reading of God’s role as working through the creative and natural processes of the world. Still, as against pantheism, the authors stress that a panentheistic model also preserves the transcende
