Creation and Double Chaos: Science and Theology in Discussion.

Wilson, James R.

Creation and Double Chaos: Science and Theology in Discussion. By Sjoerd L. Bonting. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005. x and 275 pages. Paper. $22.00.

Bonting, a biochemist and Anglican priest, states a provocative, if ultimately unconvincing, case for replacing the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo with that of creation from primeval chaos.

He argues that creation out of nothing suffers from five insurmountable problems. It cannot be conceived, lacks biblical warrant, conflicts with big bang theory, resists theological formulation, and renders God responsible for natural and moral evil (p. 69ff.). Bonting's alternative theory has four tenets: the initial creation was from a primeval chaos; there is continuing creation with a remaining element of chaos; the remaining chaos will be abolished and creation perfected on the last day; and evil arises from remaining chaos (p. 94). After developing these points, Bonting illustrates the usefulness of his theory for advancing discussion between scientists, who "consider the how questions," and theologians, who attempt to "embed the answers to the how questions in the answers to the why questions" (p. 15). His distinguishing science and theology in terms of the type of questions appropriate to each discipline leads him to criticize Ian Barbour's call for "integration," and he also distances himself from the approaches of Arthur Peacocke and John Polkinghorne (p. 3ff.).

Bonting is perhaps at his best in arguing for the physical possibility of chaos events, as opposed to quantum events (Murphy) or self-organization (Kauffman, Gregersen), serving as the mechanism for divine action in the world. He overcomes Willem Drees's objections by demonstrating mathematically that the energy required to input information for influencing a chaos event can be withdrawn from the immediate environment as an undetectable amount of heat (pp. 119-20). He then shows that there is a link between chaos theory and his chaos theology in that the "unpredictability" of chaos events facilitates information input that reduces chaotic "disorder" (p. 121).

The remaining chapters apply Bonting's chaos theology to the problem of evil, the God-world relation, Christology and soteriology, genetic modification, disease, extraterrestial life, and eschatology. Throughout, he seeks fidelity to the biblical witness and traditional theological intuitions while addressing contemporary concerns in a manner that both admirers and critics will find helpful. At times, he seems to lack familiarity with proposals he criticizes (such as Pannenberg on evil and Gunton on creation as a continuing "project"), but this alone is insufficient reason to reject his innovative program. Ultimately, the doctrine of creation from primeval chaos is inadequate because it posits two primordial realities. Distinguishing chaos from preexistent evil and describing it as matterless (p. 95) is inconsequential to this point: If chaos is with God before creation, God is defined by God's distinction from chaos, as chaos is defined by its not being God. And if this is the case, the absolute context within which these two are mutually defined is properly called God the Creator ex nihilo.

James R. Wilson

Union Theological Seminary

Richmond, Virginia