I agree with Dr. O’Neill a lot. There does seem to be no good response to Hart that doesn’t forfeit some crucial aspect of the deposit of faith, (e.g. metaphysics of rational freedom, God’s capability of saving all, non-equivocal predication of love and mercy). The only response does seem to be a kind of fideism, out of fidelity to the Tradition of the Church. I think it is the prudent move for those who understand Hart’s argument but want to be faithful to the magisterium as we understand it.
I would say though that it’s inaccurate to say that Hart gives an easy answer to the Problem of Evil. His position since Doors of the Sea has to my knowledge always been that he has no answer. And that he’s critiqued those who make That All Shall be Saved into a book about the Problem of Evil.
Thanks, Matthew, for this interesting conversation. The idea that the time is right for a collaboration of theologians of different schools as well as the holistic understanding of theology as interpretation of revelation of God in the experience of all cultures--very hopeful.
The podcaster Robert Wright (Nonzero) had a conversation with Roger Haight, S.J., in which Roger explains St. Thomas's explanation of the causality of God in the world at 32:39. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hImiKbr3fSI Providence, Predestination, Grace in an evolving cosmos: endless questions!
I agree with Dr. O’Neill a lot. There does seem to be no good response to Hart that doesn’t forfeit some crucial aspect of the deposit of faith, (e.g. metaphysics of rational freedom, God’s capability of saving all, non-equivocal predication of love and mercy). The only response does seem to be a kind of fideism, out of fidelity to the Tradition of the Church. I think it is the prudent move for those who understand Hart’s argument but want to be faithful to the magisterium as we understand it.
I would say though that it’s inaccurate to say that Hart gives an easy answer to the Problem of Evil. His position since Doors of the Sea has to my knowledge always been that he has no answer. And that he’s critiqued those who make That All Shall be Saved into a book about the Problem of Evil.
Thanks, Matthew, for this interesting conversation. The idea that the time is right for a collaboration of theologians of different schools as well as the holistic understanding of theology as interpretation of revelation of God in the experience of all cultures--very hopeful.
The podcaster Robert Wright (Nonzero) had a conversation with Roger Haight, S.J., in which Roger explains St. Thomas's explanation of the causality of God in the world at 32:39. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hImiKbr3fSI Providence, Predestination, Grace in an evolving cosmos: endless questions!
Onward.