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    God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God
    God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God
    God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God
    Ebook183 pages3 hours

    God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God

    By Gregory A. Boyd

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    About this ebook

    Through an examination of relevant biblical passages, this theologian-pastor presents an alternative "open view" to the classical doctrine on God's foreknowledge of the future.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBaker Publishing Group
    Release dateMay 1, 2000
    ISBN9781585581504
    God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God
    Author

    Gregory A. Boyd

    Gregory A. Boyd (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is a pastor at Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minnesota. Previously, he was a professor of theology at Bethel University, also in St. Paul. His books include Recovering the Real Jesus in an Age of Revisionist Replies, Letters from a Skeptic, God of the Possible, Repenting of Religion, Seeing is Believing, Escaping the Matrix, The Jesus Legend, Myth of a Christian Nation, Is God to Blame, God at War and Satan and the Problem of Evil.

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    Reviews for God of the Possible

    3.5/5

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    • 5/5
      Life-changing.
    • 5/5
      Open Theism is grossly misunderstood by many Evangelicals. They believe Open Theism greatly diminishes the sovereignty of God. This couldn't be further from the truth. In Open Theism, God still knows the beginning and the end, but not everything in between is predetermined/predestined while some things are. Think "Choose Your Own Adventure" books where the outcome is already written, but the in between stuff is for you to choose.In a sense, to me it seems Open Theism is Arminianism on steroids (although Boyd would disagree). We have choices. We either go to the left or we go to the right. Some of these choices are predetermined, while others remain open. But, whatever path we choose, unknown to God (although He likely has an idea), He then operates within the parameters of the path we do choose (in us, through us, around us) in order to achieve His purpose and so that He may be glorified. This is what I believe best describes Open Theism. And, what I believe best describes the way God operates throughout eternity.Nevertheless, Gregory Boyd does an excellent job in taking something very complex and explaining it in such a way that the average layman will understand. Opponents would be hard pressed to use Scripture to debunk the Open Theism view since a copious amount of Scripture is cited to support it. In fact, it seems to me there is more Scripture that supports Open Theism than the classical view to which Boyd attributes to the influence of Plato and western philosophy. I highly recommend this book for those who want an introduction to Open Theism. And, I highly recommend this book to those who may be skeptical of this controversial view concerning the sovereignty of God.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      If you're at all interested in Open Theism, start here. Boyd writes with the understanding of a theologian and the voice of a pastor. Without sacrificing scope or scholarship, God of the Possible is brief and accessible.

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    God of the Possible - Gregory A. Boyd

    labor.

    ONE

    The Classical View

    of Divine Foreknowledge

    As mentioned in the introduction, two motifs in Scripture pertain to the nature of the future and thus to the content of God’s foreknowledge. The first expresses and celebrates God’s sovereign control and foreknowledge of the future. The second expresses and celebrates an open aspect of the future and God’s willingness to adapt to it. The classical view of divine foreknowledge is founded on the conviction that only the first motif describes God as he really is. The second motif is considered nonliteral in this view. In contrast, the open view is founded on the conviction that both motifs describe God as he really is.

    In this chapter, I present an overview of the first motif and critique its application in the classical view of foreknowledge. In the next chapter, I present an overview of the second motif and show why open theists believe it requires the rejection of the classical view of foreknowledge.

    Foreknowledge and Classical Theism

    The Unchanging God

    Before discussing the motif of future determinism in Scripture, it may prove helpful to place the classical view of divine foreknowledge in a broader theological context. The classical view of divine foreknowledge comes from what is generally called the classical view of God. Most theologians since the time of Augustine (fourth to fifth century) have espoused this view in one form or another.

    According to classical theology, God is unchanging in every respect. Not only his character, but also his will, his knowledge, and his experience never vary. They are what they are from all eternity. If this is so, then of course God’s knowledge of the future must be unchanging. It can never come into being, nor can it ever be adjusted. It is eternally the same. It is forever settled as a this and not that. There can be no maybe in God’s knowledge, a possibly this or a possibly that. Hence, whatever takes place in history, from events of great significance to the buzzing of a particular fly, must take place exactly as God eternally foreknew it would take place. The future is exhaustively settled and eternally known by God as such.

    Two Versions of the Classical Understanding of Foreknowledge

    Classical theologians do not agree on how the future is eternally settled, however. Some follow Augustine and Calvin and maintain that the future will be a certain way because God foreknows it this way. Others follow Arminius and argue that God foreknows the future a certain way because the future simply will be that way. In other words, classical theologians disagree about what comes first. Does God’s foreknowledge determine the future, or does the future determine God’s foreknowledge?

    Many followers of Augustine and Calvin maintain that since God alone exists eternally, the eternal settledness of the future could only come from him. Followers of Arminius usually admit that the cause of God’s eternal foreknowledge is a mystery, but insist that unless we accept this mystery we cannot avoid the dreadful conclusion that God is ultimately responsible for everything that transpires in history, including

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