‘For the creation waits with eager longing ...’: Panpsychism and the problem of evil

Panpsychism, the view that every creature or created thing is conscious to some degree, is explored in relation to Christian theology and the problem of suffering. The paper opens with a reflection on Romans 8:17–25, where Paul comforts persecuted Christians by placing their suffering in solidarity with Christ and all creation. It outlines panpsychism as held by Process theology, noting biblical passages where nature praises God or laments sin. While panpsychism may seem to worsen the problem of evil, the paper suggests it can serve not as an intellectual theodicy but as part of the church's therapeutic or pastoral response to suffering.

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Abstract

This paper was originally delivered as the fourth D. W. D. Shaw memorial Lecture at the University of Glasgow on 12th May 2025. In honour of Professor Shaw’s combined vocation as a churchman and an academic, this paper opens with a short homiletic reflection on Romans 8:17–25, wherein Saint Paul seeks to comfort the persecuted church in Rome by placing their suffering in solidarity, not only with Christ’s and his own experience, but also with the wider creation. In section two, it turns to one of Professor Shaw’s academic interests; namely Process theology and the panpsychist view of consciousness held by this movement. Panpsychism is the view that every creature or created thing is conscious to at least some degree. I provide a brief outline of this view and discuss biblical passages where nature is depicted as praising God or lamenting human sin. Section three explores how panpsychism might seem to make the problem of evil and suffering worse for Christians. Finally, section four then returns to Romans 8, and I suggest that rather than an intellectual theodicy that attempts to justify why God permits evil, panpsychism can be part of the church’s therapeutic or pastoral response to suffering.