LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Midterm Essay
Submitted to Dr. Todd Buck
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
THEO 626
Doctrine of God
by
Harold C Hanson
June 11, 2021
1
The perception of God in the theological knowledge has been raised many times over
thousands of years during which this ancient discipline has been developing. Starting with the
Greek philosopher Plato and continuing with Augustine in the Western tradition, the concept of
Divine love for one's creation, man, was studied by theologians. In the modern cultural situation,
when human knowledge is enriched with significant scientific achievements, and philosophy has
reached an unprecedented level of reflection, the concept of God seems to be complicated by
many factors. These factors represent modern human's requests for what God should be in order
to be able to believe in him.
Modern theology is divided into several schools, each of which represents its own line of
view on the question of God's participation in the life of every person on Earth. There are
adherents of the Open View, that is, the idea of practical divine non-interference in people’s
lives. However, John Feinberg, one of the thinkers considered in detail, argues that their view
cannot in fact be registered as truly religious. For the most part, the theological thought of other
schools tries to determine the degree of divine presence in people’s lives, and the human task in
this regard. In essence, modern religious thought is looking for a balance between what would
correspond to the category of faith, that is, preserve it, and modern scientific achievements.
Theology, according to modern representatives of this discipline, should be able to answer
complex and sometimes even cynical questions arising in relation to such an ethically
problematic topic as faith.
