Greene, Herman F. "Nature as a Source of Knowledge in Theology: Overcoming the Bifurcation of Revealed and Natural Theology." (April 14, 2003, Korean Conference, Unpublished)

Abstract

This paper is concerned about nature, as distinguished from revelation, as a source of knowledge of ultimate reality. Western philosophy in the modern period has questioned the ability of humans to obtain anything other than factual knowledge of the world. This factual knowledge is received by he senses and is limited to the primary qualities of existence. In much of modern Christian theology and philosophy, the world of nature, thought to be knowable by “objective” science, and the world of the humanities, including religion, thought to be knowable only relativistically and subjectively, have become separated. The author argues for a new role for natural theology, and for its validity, based on realistic humanism as presented by E. Maynard Adams and realism founded on the reformed subjectivistic principle as presented by Alfred North Whitehead. The paper is written from the standpoint of the Christian traditions, but it addresses an issue that is present generally in the classical religious traditions.