Altruism in Nature as Manifestation of Divine Energeia

Abstract. Christian theological attempts to integrate scientific claims about altruism in nature have not been completely successful largely because Western theologies—particularly some Protestant versions—lack a theologically grounded ontological basis for speech about altruism, agape, and other fo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zygon
Main Author: Burns, Charlene P. E. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Wiley-Blackwell 2006
In: Zygon
Further subjects:B Deification
B Participation
B Agape
B divine energies
B Altruism
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Summary:Abstract. Christian theological attempts to integrate scientific claims about altruism in nature have not been completely successful largely because Western theologies—particularly some Protestant versions—lack a theologically grounded ontological basis for speech about altruism, agape, and other forms of love. Patristic theologies of divine essence, energeia and logoi, most fully developed in Eastern Orthodox thought, provide just such an ontological basis upon which Christian thought can stand in order to demonstrate that altruism in nature does not challenge religious claims that moral behavior has transcendent meaning but rather suggests that it is itself a manifestation of the divine will.
ISSN:1467-9744
Contains:Enthalten in: Zygon
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9744.2006.00730.x