Search Results:
How do you respond to the book of Revelation?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism, Responding to Objections
“The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place…” (1:1). Because many modern evangelical readers consider almost everything in the book of Revelation to be a sort of “snap shot” about what shall occur at the end of history, it will…
How do you respond to Acts 13:48?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism, Responding to Objections
Verse: Acts 13
“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers.” If the individual Gentiles who believed were “destined for eternal life” before they “became believers,” some may argue, they obviously were foreknown by…
Paradigm Shift Questions
Category: General
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A, Spiritual Warfare, Theodicy, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Open Theism
A couple that was recently introduced to ReKnew and several of my books recently wrote to tell me that they are in the process of embracing the warfare worldview along with the open view of the future. They said that they “realize that these things aren’t minor adjustments but are…
What Unfulfilled Prophesies Say About the Open View
Category: General
Tags: Free Will, Future, Goldingay, Open Theism, Prophesy
Topics: Open Theism
Image by Lori Greig via Flickr Yesterday, we posted about how Messianic prophesies are understood in the open view of the future. Today, this post will look at prophesies that are not fulfilled in the way predicted and what that can tell us about the open view of the future….
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 he is powerless to do that too? And if he can bring good why can’t…
Boyd’s Bad Ass Tattoo
Category: General
Tags: Free Will, Open Future, Open Theism
Topics: Free Will and the Future, Open Theism
by: Greg Boyd In the process of working through a philosophical issue surrounding the openness of the future around twenty years ago, I and two friends (Alan Rhoda and Tom Belt) ended up creating the “Hexagon of Opposition”, or “Hexagonic Logic of Futurity,” as I’ve sometimes called it. I’ll explain…
What is the significance of 1 Samuel 15:10?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: 1 Samuel 15
In light of Saul’s sin the Lord says, “I regret that I made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me.” Common sense would suggest that one can only regret a decision one makes if the decision results in an outcome other than what was expected or hoped…
The Open View and Predestination
Category: General
Tags: Divine Foreknowledge, freedom, God's Character, Open Theism, Predestination, Satan and the Problem of Evil
Topics: Open Theism
Paul wrote in Ephesians, “For he [God] chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ …” (Eph 1:3-4). Some argue that the particular way Scripture portrays God’s providential…
What is the significance of Acts 27:10-44?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Acts 27
This is the passage deal with Paul’s ill-fated voyage to Italy as a prisoner. The ship ran into very bad weather and Paul announced, “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also”…
Past Sermon Series: Crap Happens
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Greg Boyd, Sermons, Theodicy, Woodland Hills Church
Topics: Apologetics, Open Theism, The Problem of Evil
Why God, why? This may be the most repeated prayer in history. Most people have said it at one point or another, if only under their breath. Why sickness? Why suffering? Why doesn’t God respond to my prayers? Why do I struggle so much? Honest questions like these deserve honest…
How do you respond to 1 Kings 13:2–3?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism, Responding to Objections
Verse: 1 Kings 13
The Lord proclaims against the pagan alter of Jeroboam, “O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: ‘A son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer incense on you, and human bones shall…
When God Discovers
Category: General
Tags: Divine Foreknowledge, Free Will, Open Theism
Topics: Open Theism
Scripture consistently portrays God’s knowledge as conforming to the ways things really are, and part of the way things really are is temporally conditioned. Scripture never expresses the commonly-held sentiment that time is somewhat illusory. God “remembers” the past and anticipates the future. Insofar as he empowers humans to freely…
When God’s “Plan A” Falls Through, What’s Next?
Category: General
Tags: Free Will, God of the Possible, God's Will, Open Theism
Topics: Open Theism
Image by Katie Tegtmeyer via Flickr Suzanne was angry, to say the least. Since her early teens, her only aspirations in life were to be a missionary to Taiwan and to marry a godly man with a similar vision, and she prayed daily about these. She went to a Christian…
What is the significance of Exodus 32:14?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Exodus 32
The Lord states his intention to destroy Israelites because of their wickedness: “Now let me alone,” he says to Moses, “so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them” (vs. 10). Moses “implored the Lord” (vs. 11) and, as a result, “the Lord changed his…
When God Needs an Intercessor
Category: General
Tags: Divine Foreknowledge, Free Will, Intercession, Prayer
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Ezekiel 22
In the previous two posts, we have been exploring biblical narratives that point to how God’s knowledge is temporally conditioned and thus supports an open view of the future, or open theism as it is commonly called. The first addressed how God regrets and the second how God discovers. In…
Does God Intervene?
Category: General
Tags: God's Character, Life, Open Theism, Prayer, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Open Theism
Image by Timmy2wheels via Flickr 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 of the way the decisions made by an unfathomably vast…
How do you respond to Acts 2:23 and 4:28?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Acts 2, Acts 4
Question: Acts 2:23 and 4:28 tell us that wicked people crucified Jesus just as God predestined them to do. If this wicked act could be predestined, why couldn’t every other wicked act be predestined? Doesn’t this refute your theory that human acts can’t be free if they are either predestined…
What is the significance of Amos 7:1–6?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Amos 7
The Lord revealed a judgment he was planning to bring on Israel to Amos in a vision. Amos prayed “O Lord God, forgive, I beg you!” (vs. 2). Scripture declares that, “The Lord relented concerning this; ‘It shall not be,’ said the Lord” (vs. 3). The Lord then showed Amos…
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 we can get that to you. Thanks for posting this on youtube T. C.! And…
How do you respond to John 13:18–19; 17:12?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism, Responding to Objections
Verse: John 13, John 17
“I am not speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that…