Immanence and Transcendence

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Throughout life we question whether God is immanent or transcendent. Immanent theology believes that God is in everything on earth. Immanence is similar to being omnipresence in that God is present in everything at the same time. As human beings we believe that God is always around but still look up to God as being the superior one. Transcendent theology believes that God is above the earth and that God is separate from and independent of nature and humanity. God is not attached or involved in his creation. As humans living on earth we do not know who God is because God lives outside space and time. There are various arguments and examples to support immanent and transcendent theology through theologians that makes you contemplate if God is immanent or transcendent. Thomas Berry and Rudolf Bultmann are two specific examples of immanent and transcendent theologians.
Thomas Berry was a Catholic priest, theologian and ecological thinker. Thomas Berry’s philosophy was immanent and earth-centered. Thomas Berry’s idea of the New Story came about after thinking about the social, political and economic problems humans were in the community.
This is when Thomas Berry devoted his career in finding out why and how the Western religion and culture failed to keep up a nurturing relationship between humans and the Earth. Thomas Berry wanted to get people more involved with the universe and the natural nature than having people talk to themselves. Thomas Berry wanted to show that God was not just a Creator of higher being but God surrounded humans wherever they went. God is not distant from creation and all creation participates in the divine reality. Specifically he wanted to show that God was within nature and human beings should create a sus...

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...s. The first mode is Jesus Christ. The history of God’s acts is surrounded by the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Transcendent believers believe that the knowledge of God is not about human nature or experience but God gives his knowledge to Jesus Christ who they look at as God and human. The second mode is the Scriptures because it represents a privilege to witness the divine revelation. The last mode is the church’s proclamation of the gospel. Through these modes we understand what God’s works but it does not explain the miracles that take place on earth. Through transcendent theology we focus more on the divine God than question the human understanding. Therefore Karl Barth’s theology has recovered the transcendence of God.
Through Thomas Berry and Karl Barth we understand the existence of God within immanent theology and transcendent theology.

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