The Immanent Divine: God, Creation, and the Human Predicament

by John J. Thatamanil

While traditional Christian thought and spiritualityhave always affirmed the divine presence inhuman life, Thatamanil argues we have much to learnfrom non-dualistic Hindu thought, especially that of theeighth-century thinker Sankara, and from the Christianpanentheism of Paul Tillich. Thatamanil compares theirdiagnoses and prognoses of the human predicament inlight of their doctrine of God or Ultimate Reality. Whatemerges is a new theology of God and human beings,with a richer and more radical conception of divineimmanence, a reconceived divine transcendence, and akeener sense of how the dynamic and active Spirit at workin us anchors real hope and deep joy. Using key insights from Christian and Hindu thoughtThatamanil vindicates comparative theology, expands thevocabulary about the ineffable God, and arrives at a newconstrual of the problems and prospects of the humancondition.

Genres: Theology

256 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2006

About the author

John J. Thatamanil teaches a wide variety of courses in the areas of comparative theology, theologies of religious diversity, Hindu-Christian dialogue, the theology of Paul Tillich, theory of religion, and process theology. He is committed to the work of comparative theology—theology that learns from and with a variety of traditions. A central question that drives his work is, “How can Christian communities come to see religious diversity as a promise rather than as a problem?” He is also an passionate but irregular practitioner of vipassana meditation and includes time for meditation in virtually all of his courses at Union.

Reviews

[Jerry Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An important contribution to comparative theology

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thatamanil brilliantly compares a Hindu theologian, Sankara, and a Christian theologian, Paul Tillich. He builds his comparative theology around the theological category of divine immanence. His core value is a non-dualistic conception of God.

In thinking about my own faith, considered theologically (as opposed to experientially), I arrive at different conclusions than Thatamanil. I give his book five stars because he forces me to think about implications contained in my belief. For instances, he doesn't use the word "omnipresent" in this work, but he does insist that there is no place that God is not. I have always considered sin to be separation from God. If God is truly omnipresent, such a separation is impossible. I have conceptualized Hell as eternal separation from God. If God is truly omnipresent, this idea of Hell is impossible.

I am not quite ready to embrace non-duality as a core truth about God's reality as Thatamanil presents it. However, my own core convictions about who/what God is are not as rooted as I thought they were. I don't know that I will ever arrive at Thatamanil's nonduality idea about God because I don't at this point believe it's an accurate picture. However, I don't think I possess a better sense.

This work has planted in me a desire to read further on topics of immanence, transcendence, and God's omnipresence and omnitemporality. In that regard, Thatamanil has both fed my theological curiosity and made me hungry.

[Nindyo Sasongko]

Well, my first bite on comparative theology. Yet, I enjoy reading it so far.