Special, or particular, divine action stands in contrast to ordinary, or general, divine action. God can be said to act generally through the regular structures of the world, which God creates and sustains. In addition, God may perform particular actions to achieve specific divine purposes in history, as in the self-revealing and redemptive acts depicted in biblical narratives. Modern theologians have found that the idea of special divine action presents difficult interpretive challenges, especially in light of scientific descriptions of the world as an integral structure of natural causes, and they have sought ways to identify what makes such events special other than miraculous divine intervention in the world.

See also DIVINE ACTION; PROVIDENCE; SPECIAL PROVIDENCE

THOMAS F. TRACY