In Defence of Stillness: On Entropy, Heat Death, and Doxology

Recent theological interpretations of entropy are almost univocally negative. Entropy is used as a stand-in for disorder, corruption, and evil. Responding to three reasons to correlate entropy and evil, this paper will argue instead that entropy is a good-but-fallen creaturely reality with a role to play in inspiring doxology. This paper argues that both entropy and heat death should be interpreted primarily in light of the doctrines of creation and providence, not eschatology and theodicy. Finally, Christian practices of figural interpretation are employed to interpret even heat death as an edifying phenomenon.