Posts
What’s the significance of Acts 17:26-27?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Acts 17
This passage is frequently cited by determinists, for Paul here states that God “marked out” the “appointed times in history and the boundaries” of nations (Ac. 17:26). This doesn’t entail omni-control on God’s part, however….
What is the significance of Acts 21:10–12?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Acts 21
While Paul and Luke were making preparations to go and preach in Jerusalem, “a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.” The prophet approached Paul, took his belt, and announced, “Thus says the Holy Spirit,…
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…
What is the significance of 2 Peter 3:9–12?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: 2 Peter 3
Peter says that the Lord has delayed his coming because “he is patient with you, not wanting any to perish” (vs. 9). We are encouraged to be “looking for and hastening the coming of the…
What is the significance of Revelation 3:5?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Revelation 3
“If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not blot your name out of the book of life…” If God is only the God of certainties, it is…
What is the significance of Revelation 22:18?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism
Verse: Revelation 22
“If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city…” For God to “take away”…
The Subversion of Christianity
Category: General
Welcome open minded internet thinkers. Thanks again for all your prayers. I’m feeling much better. I’m still a bit sick, but I managed to travel to Columbia, Missouri, this weekend to preach/teach at a friend’s…
New Testament Support for the Warfare Worldview
Category: Essays
Tags: Bible, Essay, New Testament, Spiritual Warfare, Warfare Worldview
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
Warfare in Jesus’ Ministry The theme of God striving to establish his sovereign will (his Kingdom) on earth over and against forces that oppose him is prevalent in the New Testament. In keeping with the…
What is Open Theism?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism What it is and is not
Open Theism is the view that God chose to create a world that included free agents, and thus a world where possibilities are real. The future is pre-settled, to whatever degree God wants to pre-settle…
Naturalism and the Historical Jesus
Category: Essays
Tags: Apologetics, Essay, Gospels, Jesus, New Testament
Topics: Jesus: Lord or Legend
The quest for a “merely human” Jesus The various radical views of Jesus now being advocated by certain scholars and propagated through the press are buttressed by a number of different historical arguments. Some argue,…
Is homosexuality a sin?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Q&A, Sexuality, Sin, Social Issues
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues, Sin
There are three passages in the Old Testament (Gen. 19: 1-13; Lev 18:22; 20:13) and three in the New Testament (Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10; I Tim. 1:10) that have traditionally been read as prohibiting…
Does the Bible forbid interracial marriages?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Christian Life, Church, Diversity, Q&A, Racism, Relationships, Social Issues
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues, Relationships
Absolutely not! Racist Christians used to argue against interracial marriage by quoting Old Testament passages that prohibited Jews from marrying non-Jews. This prohibition had nothing to do with race, however. In fact, there was no…
Is the Bible against body piercing and tattoos?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Christian Life, Q&A, Sin
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues
Some Christians argue against body piercing and tattoos on the basis of a couple of Old Testament verses that prohibit them (Lev. 19:28). Several years back an aggravated lady tried to get me to preach…
Is it true you’re an “Open Theist” and that you don’t think God knows the future perfectly?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism What it is and is not
I am an “Open Theist” – though I honestly don’t care for the label, because as I’ll show, the uniqueness of this view isn’t in what it says about God but in what it says…
A Call to Christian Anarchy
Category: General
I’m ALIVE!!! Not 100% for sure, but compared to Wednesday, I’m the epitome of health. Thanks for your prayers. Well, obviously the last five days haven’t been the most productive in my life. But when…
Isn’t Open Theism outside of historic orthodoxy?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism What it is and is not
The Church has never used one’s view of divine foreknowledge as a test for orthodoxy. And while the open view has always been a very minor perspective, it has had its defenders throughout Church history…
What is the right way to interpret Revelation?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Bible, End Times, New Testament, Q&A, Revelation
Topics: Biblical Interpretation, End Times
Few biblical topics have captured the imagination of contemporary evangelicals like the book of Revelation. The recent unprecedented success of the Left Behind series is evidence of this popular fascination. Many evangelicals don’t realize that…
Why the 35W Bridge Collapsed – blog post 8/09/2007
Category: General
Tags: Current Events, Free Will, Open Theism, Predestination
Topics: Open Theism, The Problem of Evil
As all of you know, I’m sure, a little over a week ago the 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed. This is the most traveled bridge in Minnesota. It was a tragedy, though the fact that…
Washing Osama’s Feet – blog post 8/28/07
Category: General
Tags: Non-Violence
(This post was written by Greg on Sunday, October 28, 2007. It was such a controversial entry that he had to write a follow-up post which you can read here) Brad Cole is a friend…
Isn’t it true that God doesn’t know the future in the open view?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Q&A
Topics: Open Theism What it is and is not
This is the single most common misconception people have about the open view. Open Theists and Classical Theists disagree about the nature of the future, not about how much God knows about it. Both sides…