Although I stand in the Augustinian-Calvinist tradition, there is one open theist whom I enjoy listening to and whose thought I enjoy interacting with. Even though I come to different conclusions in interpreting Scripture, he provides an example of preaching with both intellect and relevance. Gregory Boyd pastors Woodland Hills church in St. Paul, MN, and you can listen to his sermons here. I mention him here because I’m going to write about one of his books here.
Although I believe them mistaken, I find that the discussion with open theists produces a few healthy benefits for Calvinists and evangelicals. First, their reading of Scripture informs their understanding of God and his foreknowledge. Such methodology can remind us that theology is rooted in the revelation of Scripture, and over-systemization can be the result when we lose the narrative flow of the Bible and progressive revelation. Their claims serve as a call and warning sign to make sure that our doctrine arises from, rather than imposes upon, Scripture.
A second benefit of the discussion between open theists and Augustinian-Calvinists results in each side’s paradigms, premises, and sources/influences examined. While they accuse us of having Greek philosophy as the fountain head of our understanding of God (or at least synthesizing revelation with such philosophy), they in turn, as Stephen Roy points out in How Much Does God Foreknow?, often rely on or find their starting points in Alfred North Whitehead and John Cobb (I don’t have the book available to give the reference here).
Such a dialog can reinvigorate the classical theist view, as Calvinism’s understanding of the covenantal character of the biblical narrative treks the ridge of redemptive history and progressive revelation.
Hi Ken,
You said,
But does it really? Because, in my understanding, they ignore much of Scripture, picking and choosing which passages align with their preconceived notion of human freedom.
Can you give some examples?
Hi Ken,
I came across your blog because we both used the tag open theism. My blog is at theopenfuture.org. If you or Dave are looking for someone to further your discussions about open theism, please consider dropping by.
I am an open theist, but have just recently come to that perspective. Before I became aware of the open theist position I had pretty much abandoned my faith and walked away from God. There’s a very long story about this on my blog and you can read it if you want.
I would love to have others who do not share my position to provide comments and feedback because I honestly believe that, as you said in your post above, dialog between positions is beneficial for all. I don’t believe that open theism is a huge pillar of our faith but I am quite enthusiastic about it because it was the tool that God used to finally get through to me and break down the barriers that I had put up to keep Him out of my life.
One could argue that this was my experience of God’s irresistible grace and I would love to explore that further…
Thanks, Brad, for your comment. I will definitely read your story, as I’m intrigued by what you’ve posted here. I also appreciate your friendly, non-combative approach as well, as that will make for a rewarding dialog. I know Dave’s not too hot on Boyd’s The Myth of a Christian Nation, so we’ll see what he thinks about open theism.
Thanks much!