Our understanding of God and faith continually develops as we wrestle with new ideas and challenges. A recent conversation I had began with a simple question—Did Hegel believe in heaven?—but it quickly led to exploring how God is understood to act in the world, and why this matters today.
God’s Transcendence and Immanence: A Traditional View
Traditional Christian theology holds that God is both transcendent (wholly other, beyond creation) and immanent (present within it). God sustains the universe and guides history through providence—working through natural laws, human freedom, and extraordinary interventions like miracles.
While God acts within history and nature, God’s essence remains distinct and unchanging. God is the creator and sustainer, not the same as the processes of history or evolution.
Hegel and Process Theology: God in the Flow of History
Hegel offered a different perspective, viewing the divine—or “Absolute Spirit”—as unfolding within history and human development. God is realized through reason, freedom, and cultural progress.
Process theology builds on this, suggesting God is not fixed but dynamic, growing and changing alongside creation. In this view, God is deeply woven into the fabric of reality itself.
“Both/And” vs. “Either/Or”
Many traditionalists worry this view reduces God to a process, risking loss of divine sovereignty and perfection. Meanwhile, others argue God can be both transcendent and intimately involved in history’s unfolding.
The key is to move beyond rigid either/or thinking. Can God be wholly other while actively working through history and nature? Can divine providence guide creation without God’s essence being limited by it?
Embracing a “Both/And” Faith
The tension between these perspectives invites a “both/and” approach: God is beyond all yet present within all. God works through history and natural processes while remaining perfect and sovereign.
Such a view allows faith to embrace mystery and complexity, deepening our sense of awe for the divine’s role in a changing world.
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