Participatie als nederige ontologie

Protestant/Reformed theology usually does not hold participation, the Platonic-Christian metaphysical framework that undergirds a doctrine of theosis, in high regard. This article defends participation, finds it attractive and, in fact, an unavoidable traditionalChristian account of the relationship between God and the world, not strange to the Reformed tradition. This doctrine moves individual soteriological concerns into the wider orbit of God’s being, the nature of creation, and humanity. The article argues thatalthough participation is rooted in Platonism as a spiritual philosophy, it was fundamentally altered by the Jewish-Christian tradition. It explores the different ways in which the Christian tradition tried to do justice to the difference between God and creation in a participatory sense. It continues to show how the Reformed theologian Herman Bavinck’s dogmatics adopts the participatory theological-metaphysical framework as a matter of received wisdom of the tradition. The article closes with recognizing three characteristics of a participatory ontology that suggest it is sound Christian theology.