Gary R., List: Mindful of your request to refrain from discussing our divergent *religious *views, I will only comment on a *metaphysical *aspect of your post below.
Theism and panentheism *are *mutually exclusive conceptions of God's nature and relationship to the universe--theism *denies *that the universe is in *any *sense within or a part of God, while panentheism *affirms *that the universe is in *some *sense within or a part of God. Which of these straightforwardly contradictory positions does your "Cosmic Christ" theology endorse? Are you really advocating panentheism, or just a peculiar (perhaps non-classical) version of theism? For example, it is not clear to me whether your statements that Christ "permeates all of creation and unites the cosmos to God," and is the *Logos *who is "involved in the creation and sustaining of the universe," are describing divine omnipresence (theism) or organic connection/containment (panentheism). Regards, Jon Alan Schmidt - Olathe, Kansas, USA Structural Engineer, Synechist Philosopher, Lutheran Christian www.LinkedIn.com/in/JonAlanSchmidt / twitter.com/JonAlanSchmidt On Sun, Sep 15, 2024 at 5:07 PM Gary Richmond <[email protected]> wrote: > Helmut, Jon, List, > > While recent reflection is bringing about changes in my religious views, I > thought that at this point in the discussion that it might be helpful to > outline how I've understood Cosmic Christian theology. It is certainly not > classic theology, and was not Peirce's explicit view as Jon has shown. Yet > I would maintain that there is enough in his metaphysical, cosmological, > semeiotic, and trichotomic work to support it, or something like it. > > In my understanding, and as I have employed this theology in the past, > the Cosmic Christ refers to the universal, pre-existent Christ who > permeates all of creation and unites the cosmos to God within the Trinity > which represents the relational, threefold nature of God -- Father, Son, > and Holy Spirit. The Cosmic Christ concept means to expand the > understanding of the Son (the second Person of the Trinity) to relate His > divine work to *all of creation and the cosmos itself*. > > Cosmic Christic theology emphasizes the pre-existent Christ, the eternal > Word (*Logos*), who was with God from the beginning, as described in the > Gospel of John (John 1:1-3) and Colossians 1:15-17. In Trinitarian terms, > the Son is eternally begotten of the Father and *is* before creation. > The Cosmic Christ is therefore identified with this Logos and involved in > the creation and sustaining of the universe. This establishes the Son’s > role not only in salvation but also in the very structure of the cosmos > itself. There is New Testament support for this: "Through him all things > were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:3, and, > "For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth [. . .]. > He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians > 1:16-17 > > So, in a word, the Son as the Logos is the divine principle through which > God the Father creates and sustains the universe, reflecting the central > role of the Logos in the cosmic working of the Trinity. > > Thus, in Cosmic Christic theology Christ’s work of redemption is not > limited to humanity alone but extends to the entire cosmos. This cosmic > redemption is rooted in the so-called *economy** of salvation* where the > Father sends the Son to reconcile creation to Himself. In Trinitarian > theology, the Incarnation is not only about human salvation, but also > concerns the restoration of the whole created order. Again, there is > Biblical support for this: > > Romans 8:21-22 speaks of all creation groaning and waiting for redemption. > See: "For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and > through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or > things in heaven. . ." Colossians 1:19-20 > > Thus, through the Cosmic Christ the entire cosmos is reconciled to God, > making Christ the Redeemer who brings all creation into unity with the > divine life of the Trinity. As Jon has noted, in classical Christian > theology it's clear that the Father is understood to be transcendent, But > in Cosmic Christic theology, the Son and the Holy Spirit are seen as God’s > presence within the world: Christ pervades the entire universe and sustains > it, and the Holy Spirit is active within creation. Thus, both the Son and > the Spirit are expressions of God's presence, while the Father is the > source and principle of divine life. Once again, there is textual support > for this: > > "He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the > heavens, in order to fill the whole universe." Ephesians 4:10 > > In short, Cosmic Christ theology points to the unity of all creation in > Christ, and this aligns with the Trinitarian idea that all things are > brought into the divine life through the Son and by the Holy Spirit. > See: Ephesians 1:10: "To bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth > under Christ." > > The Father creates through the Son, and the Spirit brings creation to > fulfillment. In this Trinitarian framework, the Cosmic Christ is not a > separate or additional aspect of Christ’s identity but, rather, an > expansion of His Trinitarian role as the mediator of both creation and *the > new creation*: the redemption of the whole world. > > Additionally, while Cosmic Christic theology emphasizes Christ’s universal > presence and role in creation, there is also a strong connection to the > work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is understood as the one who brings > Christ’s presence into the world and into the hearts of humans, as well as > His being active in all of the creation and sustaining of the universe. In > other words, the Spirit's role complements the Cosmic Christ’s role as the > Spirit actualizes and perfects the union of creation with Christ. > In sum: Cosmic Christic theology is integrally related to the Trinity, > particularly through the role of the Son in world creation and cosmic > redemption; it highlights Christ’s pre-existence and His cosmic scope, > showing how the Son’s work encompasses the entire cosmos. This cosmic > dimension shows the Son's essential role in Trinitarian economy, where > creation is brought into unity with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, > making the Trinity’s life not only personal. > Jon wrote: Theism (classical or otherwise) and panentheism are two > different and mutually exclusive philosophical/metaphysical conceptions of > God. > > I disagree that they are "mutually exclusive." Orthodox, dogmatic, credal > Christianity will find them so, but I will leave it up to you and forum > members, perhaps especially to those who may have -- or may have had -- a > connection to Christianity -- to decide for themselves. > Best,Gary R >
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