Subject: Stumpped by my son |
Bible Note: Another examination of open theism may be found in John Piper's book "Beyond the Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity" John Piper is well known for his most excellent little book, "The Passion of Jesus Christ: Fifty Reasons Why He Came to Die". My understanding of Boyd's version of open theism is not that God does not know the future exactly as it is, but rather the question is, what is the nature of that future that God has created? Did God in fact create it such that it is already fully determined in every detail or is it that the future is not determined until it happens, and in that sense, God understands all the possible ways it may unfold, which by necessity must fall within his plan, but he has created it such that we may influence how that future unfolds in the details that are derived from the decisions we make, i.e. our will to choose love or not. For Boyd, our freedom to choose is fundamental to his theodicy. I note that in theodicies that hold the future is fully determined in every detail, our free will is often considered an illusion. I don't mean to start any threads on Calvinism or Arminianism, so lets not go there. My comment is merely to note Boyd's perspective for the benefit of those who may wonder what he stands for. |