Classical Theism Debate: The Concept Of God

Classical Theism Debate Student’s Name Instructor Course Title Date Classical Theism Debate Elizabeth Johnson argues that the concept of God being holy, mysterious and beyond the human imagination is one of the main factors that attracted her attention. The concept of God and the way people speak and think about him has been a hotly contested topic. The definition of God as a supernatural being has also gone through different interpretations, particularly as a result of the influence of different religious leaders, scholars, and other critics. In her book entitled “Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God,” Elizabeth Johnson analyzes the evolution of theology and its impact on understanding the ‘living God’, a process she refers to as modern theism. Another popular religious scientist is Frank Collins, who published a book entitled “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief.” Collins argues that scientific discoveries present people with an opportunity to worship. He refers to his beliefs as BioLogos, and they are based on theistic evolution, also known as evolutionary creation. Collins attempts to examine the scientific basis of God’s existence. It is evident that both Johnson and Collins believe in the existence of God, with most of the evidence presented by Collins having both scientific and religious attributes. This paper seeks to examine the concept of God as presented by the two scholars, and how human beings use this concept to establish God’s relevance in their lives.[Elizabeth A. Johnson, Quest for the Living God: Mapping Frontiers in the Theology of God. (New York: A&C Black. 2007) 14] [Lael Weinberger, Harmony and Discord. (Journal of Creation. 21(1). 33-37).] As a renowned professor of theology, Johnson based most of her works on a wide range of sources, including the writings of Augustine, Aquinas and Scotus, Calvin and Luther, Vatican II up to the idea of transcendence by Karl Rahner.Johnson argues that people may think that the quest for the living God can end simply by tracing the origins and divine revelations of religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. However, the traditions of such faith are founded on the ideology that self-disclosure of God took place during the historical events that are written in their holy books. However, the open-endedness of the search for the living God is based on three basic factors. The first one is “the very nature of what is being sought is incomprehensible, unfathomable, limitless, ineffable, and beyond description.”This implies that it is not possible to compare God to anything or any person in this world, and doing so implies that divine reality is being reduced to an idol. The second factor is that the search for God never ends since human beings have an insatiable heart. The human spirit has always been adventurous, always seeking to understand God and the deeper meaning of people’s lives in this world. Third, human cultures have gone through constant changes throughout history, with the God’s experience continually being meditated in people’s lives. This implies that whenever situations change, there is always a shift in the divine experience in terms of intellectual constructs, images,...