12
the source and guide of its fruitfulness. The work of the Creator continues, not least through the natural processes that are
expressions of Gods will."
49
For Polkinghorne, the idea of continuous creation demonstrates that the divine role of the
Creator "is not tied to any particular instant but, on the contrary, it is an enduring relationship"
50
and points to his mode of
divine immanence. Thus the act of creation is one of continuing development.
51
To those who might protest the presence of evil, carnage, and destruction, Polkinghorne replies that the creation
of the world, including humanity, was not anthropically centered. This means that what happens on our tiny world, and in
particular to human beings, is only one small part in the equation.
52
"A world allowed to make itself through the
evolutionary exploration of its potentiality is a better world than one produced ready-made by divine fiat," because the
"malfunctions and blind alleys" help to "stimulate human spiritual growth and development."
53
Thus "God acts but does
not overrule. The Spirit guides, but with a gentle respect for the integrity of creation."
54
Therefore, Polkinghorne justifies
the presence of murder and disease by acknowledging that although such incidents go against the will of the Creator, "they
are allowed to happen by divine permission in a world that is not the creation of the Cosmic Tyrant."
55
In addition to its rather blundering development, which has resulted in "at least five major mass extinctions
to which the fossil record testifies,"
56
the universe is faced with "a highly problematic future. Its long-term history is
controlled by the competing effects of expansion (the ,,explosive consequences of the big bang) and gravity
(drawing matter together)."
57
Due to the delicately balanced nature of these two tendencies, it is uncertain which will
49
Ibid.
50
Ibid., 81.
51
Ibid.
52
Ibid.
53
Ibid., 94.
54
Ibid., 95.
55
Ibid.
56
The God of Hope and the End of the World, 8.
57
Ibid.