John Polkinghorne's Kenotic Theology of Creation and its Implications for a Theory of Human Creativity

This paper brings the work of John Polkinghorne and W.H. Vanstone into dialogue for the purpose of exploring the implications of Polkinghorne’s theology of creation for a theory of human creativity. The influence of Vanstone upon Polkinghorne is well known, and it is attested to by Polkinghorne’s numerous references to Vanstone’s book Love’s Endeavour, Love’s Expense. ¹ While Polkinghorne clearly draws upon Vanstone’s phenomenology of love, connections between Polkinghorne’s theology of creation and Vanstone’s observations of human creativity have not been explored. This paper will argue that Vanstone’s description of human creativity can serve as a metaphorical background for Polkinghorne’s theology of creation. Furthermore, Polkinghorne has not worked out the implications of his theology for a theory of human creativity, and connecting Vanstone and Polkinghorne in this way puts one in a position to do so.