Open Theism: An Answer to My Critics

Author: Pinnock, Clark H.

Source: Dialog, Volume 44, Number 3, September 2005 , pp. 237-245(9)

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Abstract:

Abstract:

Open theism is a version of historic free will theism which posits God as granting to human beings significant freedom to cooperate with or to resist the will of God for their lives. God's goal is to make possible relationships of mutual love between God and creatures and therefore set up a dynamic give and take situation in which God can even be said to risk failure to the degree permitted by the overall plan. A debate has broken out as to whether open theism goes too far in its revision. I myself see it as a mere adjustment to standard Arminian thinking on the point of understanding the divine foreknowledge. In this article, I argue that, despite a goodly number of objections, the position deserves to be viewed as a legitimate option for Christian theology, yea even for “evangelical” theology.

Keywords: Open theism; libertarian freedom; present knowledge; meticulous sovereignty; divine pathos

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.0012-2033.2005.00263.x

Publication date: 2005-09-01