Nature and the Supernatural

work by Bushnell

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July 1, 2026

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Horace Bushnell's Nature and the Supernatural (1858) posits that nature and the supernatural are not separate but form a unified "system of God." This work aimed to defend core Christian tenets, such as sin, miracles, and the divinity of Christ, against skeptical challenges. Bushnell, a significant figure in American religious liberalism, sought a middle ground between traditional Puritan theology and newer romantic philosophies. He emphasized the symbolic and evocative power of language in understanding religious faith and the divine. This perspective contrasts with pantheism, which emphasizes divine immanence, and classical theism, which stresses divine transcendence, with panentheism suggesting God is both transcendent and immanent.12

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Horace Bushnell
In Nature and the Supernatural (1858) he viewed the twin elements of the title as constituting the one “system of God” and sought to defend from skeptical attack the Christian position on sin, miracles, incarnation, revelation, and Christ’s divinity.
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In Nature and the Supernatural (1858) he viewed the twin elements of the title as constituting the one “system of God” and sought to defend from skeptical attack the Christian position on sin, miracles, incarnation, revelation, and Christ’s divinity.
Read More