Table of Contents
Foreword William R. Stoeger, S.J. ix
Preface xi
Chapter 1 Characteristics of the Universe Revealed by the Sciences 1
A Universe That Evolves at All Levels 2
A Universe Constituted by Patterns of Relationship 5
A Universe Where Natural Processes Have Their Own Integrity 7
A Directional Universe 8
The Costs of Evolution 11
Chapter 2 Divine Action in the Christ-Event 15
Jesus' Vision of Divine Action: The Reign of God 15
Parables of Divine Action 16
Healing 18
The Open Table 20
The Community of Disciples 21
Divine Action for Jesus 24
Divine Action in the Light of the Whole Christ-Event 25
God Who Lovingly Waits upon Creation 26
The Vulnerability of Divine Love 30
Chapter 3 Creation as Divine Self-Bestowal 35
The Specific and Historical Character of Divine Acts 36
Creation as the Self-Bestowal of God 39
Enabling and Empowering Evolutionary Emergence 43
Noninterventionist Divine Action 45
Enabling Creaturely Autonomy to Flourish 47
Divine Action That Accepts the Limits of Creaturely Processes 50
Creating through Chance and Lawfulness 52
Chapter 4 Special Divine Acts 57
Special Acts in the Providential Guidance of Creation 58
Approaches to Special Divine Acts 59
Divine Action through Secondary Causes 62
God's Special Acts in Evolutionary Emergence 64
The Dynamism and the Creaturely Limits of Special Divine Acts 65
Special Divine Acts in the Life of Grace 66
Experiences of the Holy Spirit 67
Personal Providence 68
Disruptive Grace 71
Special Divine Acts in the History of Salvation 72
Mediation by Created Realities 72
Sacramental Structure of Special Divine Acts 74
Conclusion 75
Chapter 5 Miracles and the Laws of Nature 77
The Miracles of Jesus 78
Aquinas on the Dignity of Secondary Causes 80
The Laws of Nature 84
A Theological Approach 87
Chapter 6 The Divine Act of Resurrection 91
Resurrection: A Free Act of God from within Creation
That Gives Creation Its Deepest Meaning 92
Central Expression of God's Act of Self-Bestowal 92
Evolutionary Christology 94
Sacrament of Salvation 95
Resurrection as Ontological Transformation 96
Resurrection Expressed in Creation through Secondary Causes 99
Experience of the Risen Christ in the Christian Community Today 101
The Easter Appearances 102
The Eschatological Transformation of Creation 104
Chapter 7 God's Redeeming Act: Deifying Transformation 107
Redemption and Deification through Incarnation: Athanasius 109
The God-Creation Relationship 109
The Central Place of Christ's Death and Resurrection 113
Deification in Christ 114
Exploring a Theology of Redemption as Deifying Transformation 118
The Deifying Transformation of Human Beings 119
The Deifying Transformation of the Material Universe 121
The Deifying Transformation of the Biological World 124
A Participatory Theology of Redemption 126
Chapter 8 God's Redeeming Act: Evolution, Original Sin, and the Lamb of God 129
The Scapegoat Mechanism 129
Evolutionary Science on Human Emergence 131
Original Grace and Original Sin in Evolutionary History 134
The End of Scapegoating and the Beginning of New Creation 138
Chapter 9 Final Fulfillment: The Deifying Transformation of Creation 143
We Hope for What We Do Not See: God as Absolute Future 144
Hope for the Whole Creation in the New Testament: Romans 8:18-25 146
Hope for the Universe in Patristic Tradition: Maximus the Confessor 150
The Deification of the Universe: Karl Rahner 152
The Deification of Matter 153
Radical Transformation 155
Real Continuity 157
Hope for the Animals 159
Chapter 10 Prayers of Intercession 167
God Wants Our Participation 168
Sharing What Matters with the Beloved 170
Entrusting Ourselves to God 173
Prayer as Desire for God 175
Conclusion 178
Notes 181
Index 203
