Free Will
God’s Regrets and Divine Foreknowledge
Category: General
Tags: Divine Foreknowledge, Free Will, God of the Possible, Open Theism, Scripture, Wisdom
Topics: Open Theism
One aspect of the portrait of God in Scripture that suggests the future is partly open is the fact that God sometimes regrets how things turn out, even prior decisions that he himself made. For…
The Logical Hexagon Made Simple
Category: Essays, General
Tags: Free Will, Open Future, Open Theism, Philosophy
Topics: Defending the Open View, Free Will and the Future, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
by: Greg Boyd The Hexagaon in a Nutshell For those of you who don’t have the twenty to thirty minutes it will probably take to read this essay but who nevertheless would like to have…
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…
Did Free Will Evolve? (podcast)
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Evolution, Free Will, Open Theism
Greg considers how free will emerged from the churning chaos of evolution.. Episode 613 http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0613.mp3
How Much of the Future is Settled? How Much is Open? (podcast)
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Free Will, Future, Omniscience, Open Future, Open Theism
Greg considers the mathematical nature of determinacy. Episode 566 http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0566.mp3
5 Ways the Bible Supports Open Theism
Category: General
Tags: Arminianism, Bible, Calvinism, Free Will, Open Theism
Topics: Defending the Open View
Open Theism refers to the belief that God created a world in which possibilities are real. It contrasts with Classical Theism which holds that all the facts of world history are eternally settled, either by God willing…
How People Misunderstand Open Theism
Category: General
Tags: Calvinism, Divine Foreknowledge, Free Will, freedom, Future, Open Future, Open Theism
Topics: Free Will and the Future, Open Theism What it is and is not
Open theism holds that, because agents are free, the future includes possibilities (what agents may and may not choose to do). Since God’s knowledge is perfect, open theists hold that God knows the future partly as a realm of…
Did God Predestine Judas to Betray Jesus? (podcast)
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Free Will, judas, Open Theism, Predestination
Greg talks about the role Judas played in the crucifixion of Jesus and speculates about his potential for good. Episode 516 http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0516.mp3
What Does It Mean that God Hardens Hearts?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Choice, Determinism, Free Will, Is God to Blame?, Open Theism, Predestination
Topics: Interpreting Violent Pictures and Troubling Behaviors
Some argue that passages which speak of God hardening human hearts (Jos 11:19-20; Ex 7:3; 10:1; Rom 9:18) demonstrate that God controls everything, including people resistant to this declared intentions. He hardens whomever he wills,…
If salvation depends on our free choice, how are we saved totally by grace?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, Grace, Predestination, Q&A, Salvation, The Holy Spirit
Topics: Death and Salvation, Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Trinity
Question: I’m an Arminian-turned-Calvinist, and the thing that turned me was the realization that if salvation hinges on whether individuals choose to be saved or not, as Arminians and Open Theists believe, then we can’t…
What is the biblical basis for “free will”?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, Q&A
Topics: Free Will and the Future
Question: Much of your theology depends on a supposed ability humans have to thwart God’s will by our free choices. But what is the biblical basis for your conclusion that people have “freedom”—at least “freedom”…
Where is Human Free Will in the Bible?
Category: General
Tags: Evil, Free Will, God's Will, Love, Problem of Evil, Theodicy
Topics: Spiritual Warfare, Cosmic Conflict
The Bible is emphatic on its teaching that humans possess free will and are capable of originating evil. Notice, for example, that in the very first chapter of the Bible God commands humans to be…
Three Arguments Against Determinism
Category: General
Tags: Free Will, Predestination, Responding to Calvinism
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
There was an interesting article in the NY Times yesterday by John Tierney entitled “Do You Have Free Will? Yes, It’s The Only Choice.” The article reviews research that suggests that everybody intuitively believes people are…
Podcast: Why Must God Wait for Prayer to Meet Our Needs?
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Free Will, Prayer, Providence
Is God a bad father? Greg explores the intricacies and nuances of prayer. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0404.mp3
Podcast: If Our Names Have Been in the Book of Life Since Before Creation, Are We Still Free?
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Free Will, freedom, God's Sovereignty, Predestination
Greg considers the documentation habits of the Lord. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0382.mp3
A Metaphysical Defense of Free Will
Category: General
Tags: Determinism, Free Will, Metaphysics
Topics: Free Will and the Future
Warning: As the title of this post may have already suggested, this post is a bit heady – and a bit long. I’m going to get into some rather tall metaphysical grass as I go…
Podcast: Doesn’t Jesus Violate the Free Will of Demons When He Casts Them Out?
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Demons, Free Will
Greg discusses the free will of demons and speculates on whether God is ever violent towards spiritual entities. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0163.mp3
Podcast: Do Open Theists Believe that God EVER Intercedes Directly in the World?
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Free Will, Intercession, Open Theism
Greg considers God’s intervention in light of human prayer, and discusses the covenant of non-coercion. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0122.mp3 [3] Swain, 40. Photo via Ted Van Peltflickr.com
Podcast: Will We Have Free Will in Heaven?
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Free Will, freedom, Heaven
Greg discusses the afterlife and the type of freedom we might have there. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0103.mp3
Podcast: Are We REALLY Free if God is Going to Ultimately Trump Our Choices?
Category: ReKnew Podcast
Tags: Free Will, Open Theism
Greg looks at the nature of freewill, specifically: how God’s promises constricts human free will. http://traffic.libsyn.com/askgregboyd/Episode_0070.mp3