Predestination
Lighten Up: Fate
Category: General, Lighten Up
Tags: Calvinism, Cartoons, Fate, Free Will, Lighten Up, Predestination
Sermon: Does God Play Favorites?
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Free Will, Predestination, Sermons, Woodland Hills Church
In this clip from last week’s sermon, Greg begins to dive into the question of what it means to be chosen by God. Does he play favorites? Does God predestine some as “his chosen” and…
A Cross-Centered Evaluation of Responses to Tragedy
Category: General
Tags: Cruciform Theology, Free Will, Predestination, Problem of Evil, Responding to Calvinism
I’d like to pick up where I left off on my previous post about Draper’s article entitled “Aurora shooting inspires various perspectives on God and belief.” Toward the end of his article, Draper reports on an…
Why believe in free will? [Video]
Category: Sermons and Video Clips
Tags: Free Will, Predestination
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will
In this video excerpt from his April 29, 2012 sermon tracing the Pietistic influence on Woodland Hills Church, Greg explains why they—along with John Wesley—believe that God does not control everything, but rather gives human beings free will.
If God shouldn’t get blamed when free agents do evil, why should he be thanked when they do good?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, Predestination, Q&A
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, The Problem of Evil
Scripture tells us that every good gift comes from God the Father who “does not change like shifting shadows” (Ja 1:17). I interpret this to mean that God is always good and that he’s always…
URI Inauguration of David M. Dooley -Greg’s Speech: 4/8/10
Category: General
Tags: Free Will, Predestination
Watch Greg’s Speech at the Inauguration of David M. Dooley at the University of Rhode Island.
What is the difference between “libertarian” and “compatibilistic” freedom?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, Predestination, Q&A, Responding to Calvinism
Topics: Free Will and the Future, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
Question: I often hear philosophers and theologians talk about “libertarian” and “compatibilistic” freedom. What do these terms mean? Answer: A person who holds to “libertarian” freedom believes that an agent (human or angelic) is truly free and morally…
How do you respond to Romans 9?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, Open Theism, Predestination, Q&A, Responding to Calvinism
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Responding to Objections
Verse: Romans 9
The Deterministic Interpretation of Romans 9 Many people believe that Romans 9 demonstrates that God has the right and power to save whichever individuals he wants to save and damn whichever individuals he wants to…
How do you respond to 1 Peter 1:1–2?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Open Theism, Predestination, Q&A
Topics: Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Responding to Objections
Verse: 1 Peter 1
As I read it, I Pet 1:2 is the thematic statement for the whole chapter. As I will show in a moment, the rest of the chapter unpacks this statement, so the rest of the…
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…
If every effect has a cause, how can there be free choice?
Category: General
Tags: Free Will, Predestination
The most common argument given in defense of determinism is that it’s implied in the nature of causation. Every event has a cause, and this cause accounts for the event being the way it is….
Revelation 13:8 refers to “everyone whose names have not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life.” How does that square with open theism?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Bible, Free Will, New Testament, Open Theism, Predestination, Q&A, Responding to Calvinism, Revelation
Topics: End Times, Providence, Predestination and Free Will, Responding to Objections
Verse: Revelation 13
Three possibilities exist in terms of reconciling Revelation 13:8 with open theism. 1) First, the “from the foundation of the world” clause can attach to either “everyone whose names have not been written” or to…
Response to the September 11th attacks
Category: Essays
Tags: Current Events, Essay, Free Will, Open Theism, Predestination
Topics: Ethical, Cultural and Political Issues, The Problem of Evil
Was God Punishing Us? Since the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11th, many people have asked the question, “Why did God allow this to happen?” In response, some Christian…
What is omni-resourcefulness?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, God, Open Theism, Predestination, Q&A
Topics: Attributes and Character
Question: What do you mean when you refer to God’s omni-resourcefulness? Can you support this with Scripture? Answer: I and others use the term omni-resourcefulness to highlight a feature of God in Scripture that the…
Is Free Will compatible with Predestination?
Category: Q&A
Tags: Free Will, Predestination, Q&A
Topics: Free Will and the Future, Providence, Predestination and Free Will
Question: Isn’t “freedom” simply our ability to do what we want? And if this is so there seems to be no incompatibility between saying that a person is “free” on the one hand, but predestined…