From Divine Action to Divine Presence: The Next Step in an Integrated Cosmology of Science and Theology

Robert Brodrick Boston College 
 This paper advances the claim that the perceived rift between theology and scientific cosmology is not merely due to the advances of modern science but also to particular philosophical and theological developments in the realms of epistemology and the social imaginary. In light of this perspective, the author suggests that the recent work done regarding scientific perspectives on divine action represents a first step in progressing scientific and theological insights toward a contemporary integrated cosmology. Non-interventionist notions of God’s special action in the world have developed an understanding in which it is possible to uphold traditional theological doctrines without violating the scientific laws of nature. Some theorists working along these lines have assessed the important Christian reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a particular instance of God’s special action–the author suggests that it is necessary to build on this idea by moving from a theory of divine action to a theory of divine presence. The issue of divine presence is complicated within the Christian faith by the doctrine of the Ascension, which recognizes the genuine absence of the person of Jesus Christ. The Eucharist (and therefore the Church) is suggested as a necessary topic in further discussion. The solution outlined is that the Eucharist is the continuation of the special divine act of new creation ex vetere (out of the 'old' creation) that was inaugurated in the Resurrection. In this way, the notion of divine presence may be understood in a manner that is both scientifically and humanly meaningful.