On the distinction between creation andconservation: a partial defence ofcontinuous creation

The traditional view of divine conservation holds that it is simply acontinuation of the initial act of creation. In this essay, I defend the continuouscreationtradition against William Lane Craig’s criticism that continuous creationfundamentally misconstrues the intuitive distinction between creation andconservation. According to Craig, creation is the unique causal activity of bringingnew patient entities into existence, while conservation involves acting upon alreadyexisting patient entities to cause their continued existence. I defend continuouscreation by challenging Craig’s intuitive distinction and by showing that thealternative account of creation and conservation he bases upon it is fraught withserious internal difficulties