Reimagining Creation as Creative Activity

Abstract

Creativity is at the origin of human works, words, and ideas. It is displayed in the making of something original and the reformation of something that already exists. Creativity is revealed in the design of the world and is therefore integrally linked to the Christian doctrine of creation. Why then do theologians and ethicists so seldom make the leap from creation to creativity?¹ Why do we hesitate to forge conceptual links between God’s creation and human creative activity? Beyond the scope of Christian theology and ethics, creation is understood as the act of an agent’s making, producing, bringing into existence, or constituting something for the first time or afresh by one’s agency. Creation is synonymous with invention, causation, and production. This means that creation cannot be discussed without considering action as well. In the Christian tradition, creation has an additional meaning centered on the activity of God. When preceded by the, the creation refers to the events through which God brought the entire world into existence and it also refers to everything created through those events (e.g., the natural world, the universe, all creatures, and humankind).²