Does the Open View Undermine God’s Sovereignty?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Determinism, Divine Foreknowledge, Free Will, God's Sovereignty, Open Theism
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Responding to Objections
A common objection to the concept of a risk-taking God is that it seems to undermine God’s sovereignty. If any particular individual can opt out of God’s plan, then every individual could conceivably opt out…
Isn’t the World Unsafe If God Doesn’t Control Everything?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Determinism, Fear, Free Will, freedom, God of the Possible, God's Character, Open Theism, safety
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Responding to Objections
If God isn’t in control of everything, the world feels unsafe. If the future is open and if things can happen outside of God’s will, what guarantee is there that there is a point to…
To What Extent is the Future Open to Real Possibilities?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Choice, Free Will, Future, Judgment, Open Theism
Topics: Free Will and the Future
We frequently get questions about the extent to which the future is composed of actual possibilities rather than settled or determined. Here’s what Greg has to say in response to these questions: 1. We can…
Dealing With Objections to Open Theism, Part II
Category: General
Tags: Across The Spectrum, Chaos Theory, Determinism, Objections to Open Theism, Open Theism, Probability
Topics: Open Theism
There are four major objections to Open Theism. In this post, we are dealing with the third and fourth. (See yesterday’s post to read about the first two.) Objection #3: God cannot foreknow only some of…
Dealing With Objections to Open Theism, Part I
Category: General
Tags: Across The Spectrum, God's Sovereignty, Objections to Open Theism, Omniscience, Open Theism
Topics: Open Theism
There are four major objections to Open Theism. Today we will deal with the first two and then tomorrow the third and fourth. For a basic introduction to Open Theism, click here. Objection #1: The…
Living Into the Future
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Free Will, Future, Love, Open Theism, Video, Warfare Worldview, Work of the People
Topics: Open Theism, Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Why didn’t God create a “perfect world”? Here’s Greg’s response to that question. See more at The Work of the People.
Does God Intervene?
Category: General
Tags: God's Character, Life, Open Theism, Prayer, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Open Theism
The Open View of the future recognizes the vast influence of all the angelic and human wills God created, which, in turn, influences the various outcomes and circumstances in life. Therefore life is arbitrary because…
Does The Open View Limit God?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Calvinism, Divine Foreknowledge, Future, God of the Possible, Open Theism
Topics: Attributes and Character, Responding to Objections
Suppose you and I both agree that God is omniscient and thus knows all of reality, but we disagree over, say, the number of trees on a certain plot of land. I say there are…
How Can Salvation by Grace Involve Free Will?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Calvinism, Free Will, Grace, Salvation, TULIP
Topics: Death and Salvation, Responding to Objections
How does salvation by grace work if people have free will? If salvation hinges on whether individuals choose to be saved or not, is salvation based on grace or works? If we have to choose…
Does Prayer Really Make a Difference?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Kingdom Living, Prayer
Topics: Hearing God, Prayer, Open Theism
I know the traditional cliché that prayer is for our sake, not God’s. It changes us, not God, or God’s plans. Even C .S. Lewis said that! I have the greatest admiration for Lewis, but…
Predestination: What Does It Mean?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Calvinism, Destiny, Determinism, Free Will, Is God to Blame?, Open Theism, Predestination
Topics: Free Will and the Future, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
When some people hear the biblical teaching that God “chose us in [Christ] before the foundation of the world” (Eph 1:4) and that “he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Christ,” (Eph 1:5) they…
Open Theism: A Basic Introduction
Category: General
Tags: Foreknowledge, Open Theism, Satan and the Problem of Evil, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Open Theism
On Monday and Tuesday, Greg explained Molinism and contrasted it against the open view of the future. (Click here for part 1). Because many see the open view as a limited view of God, it’s…
Molinism and Open Theism – Part II
Category: Q&A
Tags: Determinism, Molinism, Open Theism, The Great Omission
Topics: Open Theism What it is and is not, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
In the previous post on this topic I briefly outlined Molinism and then discussed “the grounding objection.” In this post I’ll first discuss another fundamental objection to Molinism and then discuss how it is overcome…
Molinism and Open Theism – Part I
Category: Q&A
Tags: Calvinism, Choice, Determinism, Free Will, God, Molinism, Open Theism
Topics: Open Theism What it is and is not, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
I’ve been asked for the umpteenth time on Twitter lately about the difference between “Molinism” and “Open Theism,” and for some reason, today seemed like a good day to begin addressing this question. I’ll do this…
Why Do Some Prayers Go Unanswered?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Is God to Blame?, Prayer
Topics: Free Will and the Future, Hearing God, Prayer, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
All of us have prayed for things and have been left wondering why God did not answer. Clearly, our prayers don’t all bring about what we ask for. It has been popular to say that…
If God Can’t Control, How Can I Trust Him?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Prayer, Problem of Evil
Topics: Open Theism, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
Question: If God can’t always answer our prayers for healing, for example (and I completely understand why—free will etc), then HOW can he promise to bring good out of the bad things that happen? Surely…
Why God Sometimes “Can’t”
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Free Will, freedom, God, Prayer, Problem of Evil, Sickness, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Open Theism, Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Greg continues his thoughts on sickness and spiritual warfare by addressing the question of why God “can’t” intervene in some circumstances of illness.
Open2013 Speakers (Video)
Category: Q&A
Tags: Greg Boyd, John Sanders, Open Theism, ReKnew, Tom Oord, Woodland Hills Church
Topics: Open Theism
Here’s all of the videos of the speakers and their Q&A’s from Open2013. Unfortunately, there was a mix-up and we didn’t get Jessica Kelley’s presentation taped. We’re working to get her to speak again so…
Open Theism Timeline
Category: Essays
Tags: Essay, Open Theism, Tom Lukashow, Woodland Hills Church
Topics: Open Theism
Open Theism Timeline by Tom Lukashow An argument that is frequently raised against the open view is that it is a recent innovation. Paul Eddy had discovered Calcidius, a fifth century advocate, and I and…
Free Will: How free will presupposes a great deal of determinism
Category: Q&A
Tags: Calvinism, Determinism, Free Will, Open Theism
Topics: Free Will and the Future, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
This particular video was recorded last week when the forecast called for a high of -4F. Greg makes light of the freezing conditions before he settles into the topic of how a mostly determined world…