How does theistic idealism connect reality with God?

In the context of idealism, theistic idealism connects reality with God by positing that the world is fundamentally spiritual or dependent upon a divine mind.

Different schools of thought approach this connection in distinct ways:

• Subjective Idealism: George Berkeley argued that physical objects are collections of ideas that exist only insofar as they are perceived. He maintained that the world remains in existence when not perceived by humans because it is continuously perceived by God, whose thinking sustains all reality.1
• Theistic Idealism: Founded by Rudolf Hermann Lotze, this approach views the world as a process that is both mechanical and teleological. Here, the "world ground"—the unity in which all things find their existence—is identified as an infinite spiritual being, or God.2
• Theistic Absolutism: This perspective, represented by thinkers like Paul Tillich, interprets the cosmos as having a continuing relation to a spiritual world-ground. It rejects the concept of God as a mere "first cause," instead viewing reality as fundamentally spiritual in essence.2
• Personalism: Developed by philosophers such as Borden Parker Bowne, this school emphasizes the structure of personhood. It views both finite human beings and the infinite God as central realities, suggesting that the universe is structured around these personal centers.2