How Far Apart are the Panentheist Ex Deo approaches of Boersma & Bracken?
I was unable to access the article but am generally sympathetic to the ex Deo thrust of Hans Boersma’s Participatory Metaphysics and Creation out of God Heythrop Journal (2025)
Meanwhile, I engaged AI to prep me for my eventual access & thought it might be of general interest.
John Sobert Sylvest asked Perplexity:
Do you have any insights on the competing views of Hans Boersma and Joseph Bracken with regard to panentheism and creatio ex deo? How are they similar? Dissimilar?
Perplexity responded:
## Similarities between Hans Boersma and Joseph Bracken on Panentheism and Creatio ex Deo
**Shared Panentheistic Concerns**
- Both Boersma and Bracken engage with panentheism, the view that God and the world are intimately related-"God in all things, and all things in God"-yet God remains distinct from creation[1][6].
- They each seek to overcome the stark dualism of classical theism (which separates God and creation) by emphasizing participation: creation exists within God and is sustained by God’s presence[1][6].
**Interest in Participation**
- Both theologians are interested in a participatory metaphysics, where creation’s being is not independent but derives from and participates in God’s being[6].
## Dissimilarities in Their Approaches
**Hans Boersma**
- Boersma draws on patristic sources (especially Gregory of Nyssa and Maximus the Confessor) to argue for a "participatory metaphysic" that combines creation ex nihilo (out of nothing) with creation ex deo (out of God), but always maintains a real distinction between Creator and creation[6].
- He is cautious not to collapse the substance of creation into the substance of God, warning against any blurring that would compromise divine transcendence[6].
- Boersma’s approach is sacramental and ontological, emphasizing that creation is both distinct from God and yet only exists by participating in God’s being[3][6].
**Joseph Bracken**
- Bracken, influenced by process philosophy (notably Whitehead), develops a process-panentheistic model where God and the world are in dynamic, mutual relationship[5].
- He emphasizes the ongoing, relational interaction between God and creation, sometimes risking a greater blurring of the boundary between Creator and creation than Boersma would allow[5].
- Bracken’s model is more explicitly process-oriented, focusing on the evolving, communal aspects of divine-world interrelation, rather than the more static participatory ontology of Boersma[5].
## Summary Table
| Aspect | Hans Boersma | Joseph Bracken |
|-----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| Philosophical Source | Patristic, especially Gregory of Nyssa & Maximus | Process philosophy (Whitehead) |
| Key Emphasis | Participatory metaphysics, sacramental ontology | Dynamic, process-relational panentheism |
| View on Creatio ex Deo| Affirms as participation, but maintains Creator-creature distinction | Stresses mutuality, risks blurring distinctions |
| Approach to Panentheism| God and world interpenetrate, but not identical | God and world in ongoing, evolving relationship |
In summary, both Boersma and Bracken advocate for a participatory, panentheistic understanding of God and creation, but Boersma is more cautious about maintaining the Creator-creature distinction, while Bracken’s process approach stresses relationality and mutuality, sometimes at the expense of that distinction[5][6].
Citations:
[1] Celtic Theology and the Promise of Panentheism -- Bruce Epperly https://www.bobcornwall.com/2011/11/celtic-theology-and-promise-of.html
[2] [PDF] Untitled - Hananiya Theological College https://library.hananiya.org/index.php?p=fstream-pdf&fid=58&bid=56
[3] Durham E-Theses - From Laws to Liturgy: An Idealist Interpretation ... http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12176/1/Thesis_Master_Document_5.31.17.pdf?DDD32+
[4] [PDF] complete dissertation.pdf - VU Research Portal https://research.vu.nl/files/75840009/complete%20dissertation.pdf
[5] [PDF] Reading the “Paradoxical Book of Bell:” A Case Study in Theology ... https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/56295/1/On%20the%20Paradoxical%20Book%20of%20Bell.pdf
[6] [PDF] Participatory Metaphysics and Creation out of God - Fr. Hans Boersma https://hansboersma.org/api/v1/file/83f8712c-d378-4cd9-bf88-98d454bd3d23.pdf
[7] [PDF] The Trinitarian Ethics of Jϋrgen Moltmann ACADEMISCH ... - CORE https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/15453279.pdf
[8] What Does it Mean to Say “Loosely Christian?” (Bruce Epperly) https://www.bobcornwall.com/2013/09/what-does-it-mean-to-say-loosely.html
John Sobert Sylvest asked Perplexity:
I suppose this would play out in their competing eschatologies, where Boersma's mediated theophanic account of the beatific vision would be grounded in Nyssen, for example, consistent with the essence - energies distinction and Bracken would be willing to blur the ontological lines a little more with a more immediate & supratheophanic account of the beatific vision grounded in such as Aquinas' noetic identity?
Perplexity responded:
## Boersma vs. Bracken on the Beatific Vision and Eschatology
**Hans Boersma**
- Boersma’s eschatology is deeply influenced by Gregory of Nyssa and the Eastern Christian tradition, especially the *essence-energies* distinction. He emphasizes a *mediated, theophanic* encounter with God: the beatific vision is a participation in God’s uncreated energies, not a direct apprehension of the divine essence. This maintains a real ontological distinction between Creator and creature, even in the eschaton, preserving the mystery and transcendence of God. The vision of God is always mediated-never fully immediate or identical-consistent with Nyssen’s apophatic theology and the participatory metaphysics Boersma affirms.
**Joseph Bracken**
- Bracken, drawing on process thought and systems theory, is more willing to blur the ontological boundaries between God and creation. His eschatology envisions a more *immediate* and *relational* union with God, where the distinction between God and the redeemed is less pronounced. While he does not collapse Creator and creature, his process framework allows for a dynamic, ongoing integration, possibly resembling Aquinas’ account of the beatific vision as a noetic identity-where the intellect is joined to God as its intelligible form and illuminated to see God’s essence directly[7][10]. Bracken’s approach is less apophatic and more open to a supratheophanic immediacy in the final vision of God.
## Comparison Table
| Aspect | Hans Boersma | Joseph Bracken |
|---------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------|
| Eschatological Vision | Mediated, theophanic, grounded in Nyssen | More immediate, relational, process-oriented |
| Ontological Distinction | Strongly maintained (essence-energies distinction) | Willing to blur lines for deeper union |
| Beatific Vision | Participation in energies, not essence | Closer to direct, noetic identity with God |
| Theological Roots | Patristic, Eastern Orthodox | Process philosophy, Aquinas’ noetic themes |
**Summary:**
Boersma’s account is more cautious, sacramental, and participatory, always preserving the Creator-creature distinction even in the beatific vision. Bracken, influenced by process thought, is more open to a direct, transformative union with God, allowing for a greater ontological integration in the eschaton[6][9][10].
Citations:
[1] Of Making Many Books There Is No End https://learn.ligonier.org/articles/of-making-many-books-there-is-no-end
[2] The Transfiguration and the Inauguration of the Eschatological Age https://www.bobcornwall.com/2020/02/the-transfiguration-and-inauguration-of.html
[3] [PDF] The Trinitarian Ethics of Jϋrgen Moltmann ACADEMISCH ... - CORE https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/15453279.pdf
[4] [PDF] Untitled - Hananiya Theological College https://library.hananiya.org/index.php?p=fstream-pdf&fid=58&bid=56
[5] Compassionate Eschatology: The Future as Friend - Everand https://www.everand.com/book/399735660/Compassionate-Eschatology-The-Future-as-Friend
[6] [PDF] The One, the Many and the Trinity https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3208&context=auss
[7] [DOC] https://philarchive.org/archive/VANASH-2v1 https://philarchive.org/archive/VANASH-2v1
[8] [PDF] Jesus and the Cross - Research Bank https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/3ef2594de7fe493537d5bd8b944ebb50d5cc644d4a045265a6baf4aefef2076f/1557093/64958_downloaded_stream_183.pdf
[9] The World in the Trinity: Open-Ended Systems in Science and Religion https://www.fortresspress.com/store/product/9781451482058/The-World-in-the-Trinity
[10] Beatific vision - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatific_vision
John Sobert Sylvest commends his reflections on Tim Troutner's Crisis of a House Divided: Jordan Wood and the End of the Ressourcement Thomist Settlement as a heuristic bridge to try to reconcile Boersma & Bracken.