Open Theism: A Philosophical Objection

Open Theism was a hot topic in the church a few years ago, and I know its a little strange to revisit the issue at this late date...But, having briefly discussed the issue the other night with a couple of young Pastor friends, I thought I would write down my continuing objection to the position. Many of you (not that there are actually many of you readers) may not be aware of the debate. You'll have to look elsewhere for fuller treatments than can be offered here. In short, it is the rejection of the traditional view of God's foreknowledge as absolute, or exhaustive. Open theists believe that the future does not have the ontological status of existence (since it hasn't happened yet) and therefore does not present itself as available to be known. They believe in omniscience, but assert that divine omniscience comprehends only those things that are capable of being known, i.e., that exist as potential objects of knowledge.

Here is a short version of my continuing objection to "Open Theism".

Open theists believe that though God almost never overrules the exercise of free will He can and does (or has done) do so in a narrow field of instances, namely in those instances that carry the possibility of substantively disrupting the flow of redemptive history. There are certain outcomes that must be achieved (e.g., the cross) in order to insure that history arrives at its intended goal. The necessary choices to effect these outcomes are thought of as momentous.

My question is this. If there exists within the Divine cognition a mechanism that distinguishes between momentous and non-momentous choices, exactly how does it work? It seems to me that it can only work by extrapolating the consequences of every human choice into the future ad infinitum. And, if God has the capacity to extrapolate the consequences of every human choice into the indefinite future, then how does this differ from what has traditionally been called exhaustive foreknowledge?

Augustine on Aging

I recently got an e-mailed response to this blog from an old friend. Jimmy and I went to the same church together as boys (Oliver Presbyterian in Minneapolis) and became close friends. His family was always kind and hospitable to me and we had a lot of fun together. We battled it out for the ping pong championship of the church youth group and I held on for a narrow win. One of the athletic highlights of my growing up years. Although we haven't seen each other for about 42 years (if memory serves) we've started to correspond in recent months via e-mail. Needless to say we've been down some roads in all these years and its been good to start to reconnect.

I was thinking he'd be astonished to see the effect of the years on my wizened brow after I sent him a link to this blog. It didn't seem to phase him. He returned the favor and attached a photo of himself in an e-mail. Well, it seems we look older than we did when we were 18.

Oh well, its the world that gets old. Its the "old man" that dies. In Christ we are renewed each day. Here is a quote from a recent post on Christianity Today about Augustine's view of the passing of time.

As Augustine aged, he increasingly thought of the world, its politics, culture, and institutions, as a tottering old man whose days were numbered: "You are surprised that the world is losing its grip? That the world is grown old? Don't hold onto the old man, the world; don't refuse to regain your youth in Christ, who says to you: 'The world is passing away; the world is losing its grip; the world is short of breath. Don't fear, your youth shall be renewed as an eagle.'"

Comforting Thoughts

Here are a couple of quotes from the English Reformer Hugh Latimer, from his famous sermon on the Lord’s Prayer given in 1552.
On the general usefulness of this prayer:

For like as the law of love is the sum and abridgment of the other laws, so this prayer is the sum and abridgment of all other prayers: all the other prayers are contained in this prayer; yea, what­soever mankind hath need of to soul and body, that same is contained in this prayer.

On the matchless privilege of addressing God as Father:

Therefore our Saviour, when he teacheth us to call God "Father,"teacheth us to understand the fatherly affection which God beareth towards us; which thing maketh us bold and hearty to call upon him, knowing that he beareth a good-will towards us, and that he will surely hear our prayers. When we be in trouble, we doubt of a stranger, whether he will help us or not: but our Saviour commanding us to call God, "Father,"teacheth us to be assured of the love and good-will of God toward us. So by this word "Father, we learn to stablish and to comfort our faith, knowing most assuredly that he will be good unto us.

Amen

A Prayer for The Community

Remembering Our Need: A Stimulus to Prayer

I just began a series of sermons on the Lord's Prayer. One of the issues I am grappling with again is the question of how to awaken and develop a sustained passion for prayer. This is both a pastoral and a personal concern. Here are a few preliminary thoughts. I welcome your comments. (You may have tried to leave a comment on an earlier post and been sent away for lack of registration. I think I now have it set so that anyone may leave a comment. Please do. You may also use the link provided to e-mail me.)

• A precondition for prayer is a sense of need; i.e., there must be a desire for either personal or situational transformation. Its not hard to pray when the plane we're on is hijacked (cf. Lisa Beamer's, A Reason for Hope} or when the we lie beneath the rubble of the World Trade Center (cf. Oliver Stone's excellent film The World Trade Center. But we don't live in perpetual crisis.
  
• The desired outcome must be conceived as something beyond one's own capacity to perform or effectuate.
• Prayerlessness, therefore, arises from a shallow contentment with things as they are or a chronically low set of expectations regarding the need for personal (internal) or situational (external) transformation.
• Herein lies the genius of utilizing the pattern of the Lord's prayer. In it we are reminded of our great and continuing need for sustenance, forgiveness and protection.
  

Jerusalem and Sept.11

On Saturday eve., while doing a few errands in town, I caught a bit of the "Last Night of the Proms". The Proms (short for promenade) is a 110 year old tradition in Britain. It is a summer- long celebration of classical music that features many concerts accross the UK and it culminates with an evening concert at The Royal Albert Hall in London. They always do some patriotic sing-alongs and I happened to catch one that blew me away. I'm not really sure why. The crowd sang and cheered afterward. As I sat and listened in my car I pulled into a parking spot and felt tears streaming down my cheeks. Sometimes when I hear a great throng in full and lusty voice I find myself longing for my part in the heavenly choir when I will join my voice with all of the redeemed of the Lord to forever sing His mighty praises.

The song was Jerusalem, a poem by William Blake set to music in 1916 by Hubert Parry. Here is a link to a version of the hymn. It doesn't include the singing and cheering of the crowd and the accompaniment doesn't have the same feel as the BBC Symphony Orchestra provided as I listened to the live broadcast, but its the only audio file I could find. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/rulebritannia.html#Jerusalem

Here is the text of the poem.

And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark satanic mills.

Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O Clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land!

Without taking time to go into all of the nuances of this poem, including its use of national legend, it is, it would seem, a passionate plea to a nation to resist the dehumanizing influence of the Industrial Revolution (the dark satanic mills) and to fight on with a view to the establishment of a truly Christian (probably meaning for Blake liberal, i.e. humane) society. Thus the popularity of the hymn at Labour Party and Women's Institute conferences.

But was Blake's romantic hope realistic? Is it right for us to suppose that there may be a way to establish a Christian society? Should we, like the mullahs of Islam, work toward the integration of the religious and civic spheres? I think not. Nor should we retreat from the public square and fail to attempt to bring our values to bear in the policy debates of our time. Check out this fine article by Timothy George for a thoughtful discussion of this question. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/009/1.78.html

Following the lead of Augustine, in The City of God, his opus magnum et arduum, George rightly argues that we must be engaged in the world with a view to impacting our society for good and that we must at the same time put our hope only in God. As he puts it:

There are two major (and regrettably common) mistakes Augustine wants us to avoid. One is the lure of utopianism. This is the mistake of thinking that we can produce a human society that will solve our problems and bring about the kingdom of God on earth. This was the basic error of both Marxism and 19th-century liberalism.

The other error, equally disastrous, is cynicism. This creeps up on us as we see ever-present evil. We withdraw into our own self-contained circle of contentment, which can just as well be a pious holy huddle as a secular skeptics club.

Lets continue to be moved and inspired by the romantic idealism of Blake and to attempt great things for God. But as we do we must remember that we bear witness to the Light in Christ in the midst of a dark and fallen world.

The Lord's Prayer

Some Good Books

Here are a few books I read this summer and recommend.

* John Updike's new novel called "Terrorist" is a wonderful read. Its full of fascinating insight into Islam, Christianity and human nature. His critique of Christianity is both powerful and kind. The musings of a tired insomniac guidance counselor who reflects on his life as "an extended blunder" in the middle of the night made me laugh out loud. Updike knows the ennui of approaching age and the kind of continuing grief for lost opportunities and misdirected energies that characterizes middle aged American manhood.
* The Places in Between by Rory Stewart is another fascinating book. Stewart, a former British Soldier and diplomat walked across Afghanistan (from Herat to Kabul) about 2 weeks after the fall of the Taliban. Its a great adventure and is full of historical and cultural insight.
* Following Jesus, by N.T. Wright is a wonderful sermon series that stimulates fresh thinking on Christian discipleship. I used his approach as a launching pad for a "companion series" at Temple Baptist.
* Donald Carson, in his Becoming Conversant with the Emergent Church has provided a helpful and insightful analysis of postmodernism and its influence in the church.