The Hebrew terms behind “the powers” questions is, as @Philosurfer says, ambiguous. Heiser takes a spiritual view of this, in “divine councils,” and whatnot. Ralph Winters, for the U.S. Center for World Missions, was developing an apologetic concerning the idea that would grant “fallen angels” and “demons” the power to influence the material world in invasive or maligning ways --like the advent of biologically mutant bacteria that introduces disease. Others have merely politicized the notion. It would seem that @AllenWitmerMiller is exploring a meaning with regards to “creative influence upon” evolution. That these can be descibed as a kind of “vitalistic” notion of the material world, is clear to me, but perhaps not to the tastes of the various advocates.
As a matter of secondary causation, at best, I’m comfortable with remaining investigatory.
These former ideas are, indeed, “alive,” but not in the biological sense --at least not primarily.
Perhaps they could be applied to protozoa, for whom we would not normally grant conscious sentience, but which are alive.
In any case, God is sovereign over them all, and even, whenever or however He chooses, acts immanently within nature to restrain moral evil.
See the thread Brian Curry: Christ, Creation, and the Powers: Elements in a Christian Doctrine of Creation started by @Philosurfer and joined by @jongarvey for more on these questions. ERRATA : I mistakenly attributed the new thread to @AllenWitmerMiller , initially. Sorry!
1 Like