A number of theologians engaged in the theology and science dialogue-particularly Pentecostal theologian Amos Yongemploy emergence as a framework to discuss special divine action as well as causation initiated by other spiritual realities, such as angels and demons. Mikael and Joanna Leidenhag, however, have issued concerns about its application. They argue that Yong employs supernaturalistic themes with implications that render the concept of emergence obsolete. Further, they claim that Yong's use of emergence theory is inconsistent because he highlights the ontological independence of various spirits in the world concurrently with his advocation of supervenience theory. In view of these concerns, Leidenhag and Leidenhag urge Yong to depart from his application of emergence theory. In what follows, we plan to address each of these criticisms and demonstrate that they are tenuous, if not unwarranted, especially in light of a kenotic-relational pneumatology.
Postcolonial theology is an academic discipline within religious thought whereby structures of power, dominant systems, and embedded ideologies are examined, critiqued, and negotiated in order to make social transformations that recognize and validate the perspectives of marginalized peoples, cultures, and identities. Secular studies in postcolonial theory have played a significant role in giving rise to this genre of theological reflection. The traditional advent of postcolonial studies came in 1978 with the publication of Edward Said's book Orientalism , which unmasked Eurocentric assumptions ascribed to Oriental life, thus generating a misrepresentative reality in the Western imagination that was imposed upon Eastern people. The ability of colonial groups to speak for themselves had been stripped away, wherein they were customarily the object of discourse and rarely the subject (Lazarus 2004: 9). Additionally, decolonialization in the 20th century, specifically national rehabilitation, was problematic. Attempts to revitalize state and cultural identities failed because of the continued impact of colonialism and recognized shortcomings in indigenous heritages. “Interpreters simultaneously commended and condemned their cultural heritage” (Sugirtharajah 2003: 1), and as a result of this dialectic, new forms of literary, artistic, historical, and cultural productions began to embrace the multiculturality, migrancy, and hybridity of postcolonialialism; therefore postcolonial theory “effectively became a reconciliatory rather than a critical, anticolonialist category” (Lazarus 2004: 76). Within this context postcolonial theology emerged, placing the colonized “other” at the center of theological interpretations, wherein universalistic and individualistic Western categories are confronted through “positive engagement” (Keller et al. 2004: 9). Postcolonial theology recognizes differences and allows for a multiplicity of responses, hoping to achieve a reciprocal exchange of perspectives from all voices. Postcolonial theology has expanded, seeking emancipation and authenticity for all marginalized or oppressed identities, including issues of nationality, culture, race, gender, and sexuality. Pragmatically based theologizing occurs within one's context in order to inspire awareness, critical dialogue, and integration of ideas. The primary goal of postcolonial theology is to critique hegemonic ideological constructions that make absolutist or totalitarian claims and to provide legitimacy for alternative theological views.
Many contemporary theologies have given considerable attention to the inbreaking work of God whereby the Spirit imbues creation with life and vitality, but in the process the seriousness of the destructive forces that plague the world has been overlooked. This oversight not only has significant theological consequences, but it also generates a tension with scientific postulates about physical reality. Paradoxically, increasing complexity, including emergent life systems, arise in spite of the overarching conditions. I posit from a theological perspective that the Spirit acts within the world to generate pockets of organization out of disorder. The Spirit not only was present and active at initial creation but also continues to act within the cosmos, sustaining the natural order and giving rise to innovative acts of creation. The world, which groans for and anticipates transformation, experiences local decreases in entropy as proleptic events of God's inbreaking kingdom. This theological hypothesis provides the framework for considering an eschatological response to the world's decay.
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