spirit and healing in africa - University of the Free State

any room for dualism between heaven and earth, between material and spiritual. The close
connection between this world and God’s kingdom includes the notion of continuity; there will
not be a new creation (creatio nova), but a re-creation. The old world will not be done away
with, but God will renew it. Instead of viewing the earth as a reality that will disappear one day,
Van Ruler emphasizes the opposite: this earth, in its purified condition, will be our final place,
and thus requires Christian engagement (such as appropriate stewardship). His doctrine of
creation provides contemporary theologians, like for example Ernst Conradie (2011), a firm
foundation for their endeavors to offer the contours of an eco-theology.
With his restoration theology, Van Ruler defines creation as something very positive and full of
joy. He is able to do so, because he perceives sin as secondary to the existence God has created
(Roozenboom 2007:268). Sin is a serious deficit in creation, but it does not cause a complete
disruption. The presence of death and transgression is real and horrible, yet they are not to be
perceived as principal entities in creation. Sin is not the source of existence. God’s love and
creaturely life existed prior to sin, and ought to be addressed as such. Van Ruler even states that
the human capacity to sin is an affirmation of the quality of creation: the fact that one is able to
sin should not be underplayed! This is what Van Ruler calls the ‘sunny side of sin’ (2009
[1965]:361-363).
Van Ruler’s Christology also reveals the centrality of creation in his thought about God’s
redemptive activities. The work of Jesus Christ, who is the One mediating between God and
humans, serves the purpose of creation. Van de Beek (2009:19) describes Van Ruler’s
Christology as follows: God’s saving involvement is primarily about mankind, and Christ is the
means for retrieving creation from the power of sin. Christ is the medium, the substitute who
carries the sin of the world. The salvation of Christ means that creation has been saved for recreation.
It should thus be noted, according to Van Ruler, that the Christian faith affirms creation
and teaches a deep joy for earthly existence.
The deep joy and appreciation of earthly existence is also reflected in Van Ruler’s positive
valuation of physicality. The body is a material manifestation of God’s intention with life, and
therefore the body is to be understood as valde bonum: in all of this materiality, visibility and
tangibility, human beings are related to God (Van Ruler 1953:30). This relationship is a mystery
that is beyond human understanding, but God’s commitment to our material existence cannot be
disputed, according to Van Ruler. In this relationship, one should be careful to make an absolute
distinction between God’s being and the materiality of this world. Our materiality is basically a
counter entity of God: it is not derived reality, but full reality that is genuine both for humans and
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