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its own which is not incongruous with God’s rationality”. The dynamic contingency of creation
means that creation is not considered independent from God, and that creation has a certain
quality of its own because it is created through the “sheer mystery of God’s love, which knows
no reason beyond its own ultimateness as the Love that God is” (Torrance 1979:333).
Recently, scientific studies give account of the contingent nature of the universe. In the discourse
on natural sciences, there is a growing consensus that the natural order is characterized by both
orderliness and contingency. Natural scientists are responding to the feeling that there is more to
the world than can be traced by empirical research, and they have developed the insight that
there is a certain elusiveness in the natural order. One significant development in the discourse
on natural sciences is the connection between the physical structures of the cosmos and God the
Creator. This development gave rise to the current dialogue between theology and natural
sciences (see, for example, Torrance 1979, 1981; Polkinghorne 1987, 1998, 2006, 2010;
Worthing 1995; Yong 2006:183-204). The Scot T.F. Torrance has been one of the first
theologians who applied the aspect of contingency to explain the relationship between Creator
and creation, denoting that the universe, with its openness to a variety of possible interpretations,
is dependent upon the unlimited rationality and freedom of the Creator (cf. Torrance 1979:334).
Polkinghorne (1987:64) emphasizes the same relatedness and contingency of nature, when he
states that “the evolving process of the world depends for its fruitfulness upon a delicate
interplay between chance and necessity”, in which he recognizes God as the Sustainer of the
world.
9.2.2 Renewal of creation
The understanding that the being of creation is qualified by divine love also refers to the notion
of renewal of creation. Creation is damaged by the presence of evil, which “prevents the creation
from fulfilling its proper purpose” (Gunton 1997a:143). The redemption of creation is based on
the presence, the providence and the efficacies of a loving God, who has the well-being of
creation in mind. Therefore, the relation between Creator and cosmic life also means that God
aims at the recovery of creation, individually as well as collectively, and in the present as well as
eschatologically. Gods continuously redemptive work towards creation reveals that creation is
involved in a process of qualitative renewal.
God’s redemptive work is focused on the preservation of the quality of creation, over against the
power of evil. The relationship between salvation and creation can be perceived in various ways.
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