Panel: REIMAGINING GOD IN A COMPLEX WORLD: TOWARDS A DYNAMIC THEOLOGY FOR SOCIAL-CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION



964.1 - THE PROBLEM OF REDUCTIONISM IN SCIENCE AND RELIGION.

AUTHORS:
Butler R. (AdventHealth University ~ Winter Park ~ United States of America)
Text:
This paper applies insights from biological systems to reframe atonement within a dynamical theological framework. Drawing on Richard Lewontin's distinction between agents and causes, it critiques reductionist atonement models that isolate the Cross while neglecting the broader "envirome" of sin—social, systemic, and relational. Just as public health addresses disease through multifactorial causes, atonement is reconceptualized as Christ disrupting sin's strange attractor, catalyzing transformation toward shalom. By integrating biological systems theory and theological reflection, this paper advances a holistic vision of atonement for socio-cultural and ecological renewal.