Human Nature

Theses A and B below represent the complementary pair, Sovereignty and Creation, as they apply to the Christian conception of human nature. The upper theses offer a moderate synthesis that can be affirmed without contradiction. The lower theses, -B and -A, represent exaggerations of A and B respectively that are commonly stated. Click the 'more' links for more details on each of the views. This is one of three complementary pairs linked by the left and right arrows. Overview of this dialogic diagram. Also see 3-D Overview.

	Sovereignty and Creation
	A: God's sovereignty means God's rule over all creation, including humanity. The Creator and creatures are absolutely distinct. God is self-sufficient and free. more	B: Humans have been created in the image of God, as persons. This unique gift endows us with the ability to know, love and glorify God in personal relationships. more
	-B: Human life is merely as a puppet of God. Humans have no special significance. Determinism. Fatalism. more	-A: God's will can be overruled by humans, so God is not completely sovereign. Someone else is therefore God, OR there is chance back of God. more

Human Nature

Theses B and C below represent the complementary pair, Creation and Providence, as they apply to the Christian conception of human nature. The upper theses offer a moderate synthesis that can be affirmed without contradiction. The lower theses, -C and -B, represent exaggerations of B and C respectively that are commonly heard. Click the 'more' links for more details on each of the views. This is one of three complementary pairs linked by the left and right arrows. Overview of this dialogic diagram. Also see See 3-D Overview.

	Creation and Providence
	B: God created real people. We are significant to God. Our choices are a real outgrowth of our own character. more	C: God provides the gift of life, and sustains us by grace day by day. We are not self-sufficient. more
	-C:People are autonomous, free agents, independent of God. God does not exist, or doesn't matter. "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul." Secular existentialism. more	-B: We are not significant; we are zeros in a world that is totally predetermined by law. Free will is an illusion. Naturalism. Behaviorism. more

Human Nature

Theses C and A below represent the complementary pair, Providence and Sovereignty, as they apply to the Christian conception of human nature. The upper theses offer a moderate synthesis that can be affirmed without contradiction. The lower theses, -A and -C, represent exaggerations of C and A respectively that are commonly heard. Click the 'more' links for more details on each of the views. This is one of three complementary pairs linked by the left and right arrows. Overview of this dialogic diagram. Also see 3-D Overview.

	Providence and Sovereignty
	C: Humans are distinct from other creatures. We are the vice-regents or stewards of God on earth, with a mandate to manage and care for God's earth. more	A: God's sovereignty implies God's immanence in all creation. The earth is the Lord's, not ours. God is present everywhere in it. more
	-A: We are "cosmic orphans", left alone in a desolate nature, and we alone are responsible for it. God is impersonal or does not intervene. more	-C: We humans are, along with all nature, an extension of the essence of God. All nature is sacred and divine. Dionysian Man. more