Delia argues that the God of Jesus represented a breakthrough to a new understanding of the intimate relation between God and creation. In response to heresies, the church turned to neoplatonic thought, but at expense of that new insight. This was codified in Thomist metaphysics. But there is an alternative tradition: via Francis, Duns Scotus, Bonaventure that recovers that creation-centered, incarnational faith. The Church is still too largely stuck in its old metaphysics. But Whitehead's process theology renews this other tradition, and Teilhard brings that in line with Catholic thought. Pope Francis brings this together in Laudato Si"--a Franciscan theology of creation.
