Deus Machinator: God the Engineer

About Deus Machinator: God the Engineer

Abstract

This essay reflects on the traits of God that reflect the ideal traits of engineers. Engineers apply their intellect to subdue and control the forces of nature, not as an end in itself, but rather, like God, this is accomplished for the greater good, particularly for the good of other human beings. In this sense, seeing the engineer in God helps us to see the good and proper role of engineering. Essentially, God is the "ideal" engineer, and provides a model for the ideal engineer for which we strive. Rooted in the pre-Fall commands to create and subdue (cf. Genesis 1:28), comes the distinct realization that our engineering work is a participation in God‘s continuing work in the world. This assessment of Deus Machinator has another, more fundamental aspect. If properly understood in its pre-Fall roots, this call to be an engineer is an aspect of our nature, and call to all people. These calls to create, to subdue, and to tend, are fundamental to the very nature of each person. In this work we must apply the free will, as independent agents that God created us with. This is truly "Engineering" in the modern sense of the term: not just an understanding or a search for truth, as with the sciences (both Theological and Natural), but using understanding to do, to act, to build – in imitation of God [Ephesians 5.1]. In this sense, we have much to learn from the nature of ―God the Engineer,‖ in the necessity of imitating God in our doing in accordance with His Will [cf. Is 55:11].