On several occasions, I have seen Arminians make the following objection to Calvinism: if you can’t preach this to those who suffer, you shouldn’t believe it. Here’s an example from Roger Olson: “Someone has said that no theology is worth believing that cannot be preached standing in front of the gates of Auschwitz. I, for one, […]
open theism
Is Preachability at the Gates of Auschwitz a Proper Measure for Good Theology?
Why I’m grateful for open theism (even though I’m not an open theist)
A few years ago I heard a lady speak on the devastating experience of losing her son. As the extraordinarily painful narrative unfolded, she described how her faith had faltered on the rock of divine foreknowledge. And she recounted the central question she faced: how could she worship a god who foreknew and — by […]
Why John Sanders won the Unbelievable Debate on Open Theism and Heresy
The most recent episode of “Unbelievable” featured a debate between open theist John Sanders and Calvinist James White. All in all it was a good exchange, although White tended to offer potted criticisms of open theism and I found Sanders had an effective reply to many of his points. All in all a very worthwhile primer […]
Meticulous Providence, Open Theism, and Twittery: A response to Greg Boyd
The other day I came across this tweet by Greg Boyd (courtesy of a Justin Brierley retweet). The tweet consists of an advertising graphic for the upcoming film God’s Not Dead 2 accompanied with Boyd’s wry twittery. What’s “twittery”, you ask? I coined the term to refer to the following: twittery. n. “pithy statements which […]
62. Paul Helm on God, Time, and Eternity
Augustine famously commented on the nature of time, “What, then, is time? If no one ask of me, I know; if I wish to explain to him who asks, I know not.” Augustine isn’t alone: the nature of time remains among the most difficult and controverted topics in classic metaphysics. In that respect, it shares […]
“Heresy” and Christian Publishing
This week I heard from a very intelligent and respected senior member of the evangelical community in North America. Let’s call this individual Quentin (not the individual’s real name). Quentin has written a manuscript defending a Christian form of universalism, one that upholds the authority of scripture, the atoning work of Christ and all the other essentials. […]
Is God impotent in open theism?
davidstarlingm explains further why he believes open theism is heretical: it replaces the omniscience of God with a deity whose power is more acceptable to humanity. Broadly defined, open theism attempts to solve the problem of evil by declaring that the future does not yet exist in the mind of God; that God is, in […]
What do we mean when we call something “heresy”?
Yesterday Davidstarlingm made the following statement concerning open theism: Open Theism is dangerous because it is very attractive and yet wholly heretical. It is attractive because it offers an explanation for difficult questions without openly contradicting any of the surface components of easy-believism Christianity. It is heretical because it produces a man-centered gospel and a […]
Inerrancy faces anti-trinitarians, open theists and holocaust deniers
Ever since its founding the Evangelical Theological Society has required a core confession of its members: the inerrancy of scripture in the autographs. Then they discovered (in the early 80s as I recall) that non-trinitarian oneness people had infiltrated their ranks. It would seem that confession of inerrancy does not ensure that one will come […]
