ABSTRACT
In general I agree with Hefner’s theological view of nature. The framework of his approach to nature is praxis-oriented. This is in line with his main work The Human Factor, the thesis of which is that human beings are created co-creators. Moreover, he regards the relation between human beings and nature as a communion. In spite of my agreement in general with Hefner’s view, however, I have some comments on its elaboration. My main objection is that his view of nature is too optimistic. The title of his paper is ‘Nature good and evil: a theological palette’, but he speaks of evil only in passing. In his book The Human Factor he calls natural evil the falsifier of his theory of human beings as created co-creators. In the introduction to his conference paper he refered to his article on natural evil and stated ‘that God is not yet finished with nature, and that divine providence will unravel the contradictions that are noted’. Is this statement to be explained in line with Hick’s theodicy, which he endorses in The Human Factor (1993: 44) and his article on natural evil (2000)?
