The Paradigm Shift for a Post-Modern Era:
From Fall/Redemption Religion to Creation Spirituality
In my book Original Blessing, published in 1983, I offer a list that contrasts the two traditions of Fall/Redemption Religion and Creation Spirituality. At the request of readers, I offer the contrast here in a slightly updated rendition.
| Fall/Redemption | Creation Spirituality |
| Begins with sin | Begins with Dabhar, God’s Creative energy |
| Emphasizes original sin | Emphasizes original blessing |
| Faith is “thinking with assent” (Augustine) | Faith is trust |
| Patriarchal | Feminist and Gender balanced |
| Ascetic | Aesthetic |
| Mortification of body | Discipline toward birthing |
| Control of passions | Ecstasy, Eros, celebration of Passion |
| Virtue lies in the will (Augustinians) | Virtue lies in the passions (Aquinas) |
| Passion is a curse | Passion is a blessing |
| God as Father | God as Mother, God as Child, as well as Father |
| Suffering is wages for sin | Suffering is birth pains of universe—all beings suffer |
| Death is wages for sin | Death is a natural event, a prelude to recycling and rebirth |
| Introspective in its psychology | Cosmic (connecting psyche to cosmos) in its psychology |
| Emphasizes introvert meditation | Emphasizes art as meditation (also known as extrovert meditation) |
| Science is unimportant | Science, by teaching us about Nature, teaches us about the Creator |
| Dualistic (either/or) | Dialectical (both/and) |
| Spirit is in opposition to matter | Spirit and matter form a “wonderful communion” (Aquinas) |
| “Spirit is whatever is not matter” (Augustine) | Spirit is the ‘elan” in everything (Aquinas) |
| Suspicious of the body and violent in its body/soul imagery: “Soul makes war with the body” (Augustine) | Welcoming of body and gentle in its body/soul imagery: “soul loves the body” (Eckhart) |
| “Humility is to despise yourself” (Tanquerry) | Humility is to befriend one’s earthiness (humus). “Holy people draw to themselves all that is earthy.” (Hildegard) |
| Be in control | Letting go—ecstasy, breakthrough |
| Pessimistic | Hopeful |
| Climbing Jacob’s Ladder | Dancing Sara’s Circle |
| Elitist | For the many, democratic |
| No Cosmic Christ | Cosmic Christ |
| Emphasis on Jesus as Son of God but not Jesus as prophet | Emphasis on Jesus as prophet, artist, parable-teller, wisdom figure and Son of God who calls others to their divinity |
| Personal salvation | Salvation, healing and divinizing of people, the earth and the cosmos (theosis) |
| Build up church | Build up Kingdom/Queendom |
| Kingdom = church | Kingdom = cosmos, creation |
| Human as sinner | Human as royal person who can choose to create or destroy |
| Time is toward the past (lost perfection) or future (heaven): unrealized eschatology | Time is now and making the future (heaven) begin to happen now: realized eschatology |
| Eternal life is after death | Eternal life is now |
| Contemplation is goal of spirituality | Compassion, justice, and celebration are goals of spirituality |
| A spirituality of the powerful | A spirituality of the powerless, the anawim (those without a voice) |
| Emphasizes the cross | Considers the cross as significant for the Via Negativa, but also emphasizes the Creation, Resurrection and coming of the Spirit in co-creation |
| Emphasizes the cross | Considers the cross as significant for the Via Negativa, but also emphasizes the Creation, Resurrection and coming of the Spirit in co-creation |
| Tends toward christolotry and Docetism with an underdeveloped theology of the Creator and the Holy Spirit | Trinitarian in full sense of celebrating a Creator God, a prophetic Son of God, and the Holy Spirit of divine transformation |
| Emphasizes obedience | Emphasizes creativity |
| Tends to abstractions | Sensual |
| Righteousness | Justice |
| Duty | Beauty |
| Guilt, shame and redemption | Thanks and praise |
| Purity from world | Hospitality to all beings |
| Apolitical, i.e. supportive of status quo | Prophetic, i.e. critical of status quo and its ideologies |
| Humanity is sinful | Humanity is divine yet capable of demonic and sinful choices |
| Faith is in intellect | Faith is in imagination |
| Suspicious of the artist | Welcomes the artist since all are called to be co-creators with God |
| Theistic | Panentheistic |
| My religion is the only way to God | Deep Ecumenism |