Moving the Hand of God: Footnotes

FOOTNOTES

1. “In A.D. 233 Ambrose referred to Origen some issues that a woman named Tatiana had brought to his attention: First if God foreknows what will come to be and if it must happen, then prayer is in vain.” Cited in John Sanders, The God Who Risks: A Theology Of Providence (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998), page 268.


2. C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, (New York: Touchstone, 1996), page 149

3. Libertarian or contra-causal freedom could be broadly defined as the ability to do otherwise. To be free means there is always the possibility that we could have chosen differently. External circumstances and internal motivations may influence but never determine our decisions.

4. “God did not foreknow that we would actually sin, only that it was possible; thus he cannot be held morally culpable”. John Sanders, The God Who Risks, page 259

5. Gregory Boyd, God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), page 35 “In the open view, God knows all possibilities and all probabilities (as well as all settled realities) perfectly.”

6. David Basinger, ‘Practical Implications’, The Openness of God: A Biblical Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of God, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1994), page 163. See also John Sanders, ibid., page 74

7. David Basinger, ibid., page 160

8. Donald Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering And Evil, (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1990), pages 201 – 218. Carson provided an exegetical case for the compatibilism without trying to resolve its tension. For a more philosophical definition of compatibilistic freedom, see John Feinberg, “God Ordains All Things”, Predestination And Freewill: Four Views Of Divine Sovereignty And Human Freedom, ed. David Basinger and Randall Basinger, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1986), pages 20-28.

9. Middle knowledge refers to the notion that God not only knows the past, present and future, He also knows other possibilities like “What would have happened in Europe if Hitler had not been born?”

10. John Sanders, The God Who Risks, page 271.

11. However, open theism affirms God’s knowledge of past and present and all possibilities and probabilities so nothing we could say in prayer really surprises Him too.

12. John Piper, The Godward Life, (Oregon: Multnomah, 1997), page 191

13. John Piper, Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, (Oregon: Multnomah, 1996), page 146 - 147

14. One could also say with equal logical coherence, “Since God is sovereign, I will zealously pursue prayer and obedience knowing that His purpose would surely prevail and my efforts would bear much fruit!”

15. John Piper, The Pleasures of God: Meditations on God’s Delight In Being God, (Portland: Multnomah, 1991), page 226

16. Bruce Ware, God’s Lesser Glory: A Critique of Open Theism, (Apollos: Leicester, 2000), page 171

17. Clark Pinnock, “God Limits His Knowledge”, Predestination And Freewill: Four Views Of Divine Sovereignty And Human Freedom, ed. David Basinger and Randall Basinger, (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1986), page 161

18. Basinger, ibid.,page 165

19 For a real story of how Boyd interpreted God’s guidance for a woman’s happy marriage could be frustrated by sin, see Gregory Boyd, God of the Possible, pages 105 – 106

20. Bruce Ware, God’s Lesser Glory, page 171

21. David Basinger, ibid., page 163

22. Bruce Ware, God’s Lesser Glory, page 184

23. Jerry Bridges, “Does Divine Sovereignty Make a Difference In Everyday Life?” in Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace, edited by Thomas Schreiner and Bruce Ware, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book, 1995), page 297

24. Clark Pinnock, Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God’s Openness, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), page 139

25. Gregory Boyd, God of the Possible, page 153

26. Gregory Boyd, Letters From A Skeptic, pages 46-47

27. Gregory Boyd, God of the Possible, page 191

28. Millard Erickson, What Does God Know? And When Does He Know It? (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), page 193

29. Bruce Ware, God’s Lesser Glory, page 212 - 213

30. John Piper, “Are There Two Wills In God?” in Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace, edited by Thomas Schreiner and Bruce Ware, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book, 1995), page 122 - 124

31. John Piper, Beyond The Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity, Edited by John Piper, et. al., (Wheaton:Crossway, 2003), page 373 - 375

32. For an example of how some open theists confused the distinction between God’s decretive will and moral will, see the off-the-mark rhetoric in Clark Pinnock, “God Limits His Knowledge”, Predestination And Freewill: Four Views Of Divine Sovereignty And Human Freedom, page 161


Bibliography

1. Beyond The Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity, Edited by John Piper, Justin Taylor and Paul Kjoss Helseth, Crossway: Wheaton, 2003

2. Christian Theology, Millard Erickson, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2001

3. Creating God In The Image of Man, Norman Geisler, Bethany House: Minneapolis, 1997

4. God of The Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God, Gregory Boyd, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 2000

5. God’s Lesser Glory: A Critique of Open Theism, Bruce Ware, Apollos: Leicester, 2000

6. How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering And Evil, Donald Carson, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 1990

7. Predestination And Freedom: Four Views Of Divine Sovereignty & Human Freedom, John Feinberg, Norman Geisler, Bruce Reichenbach, and Clark Pinnock, , InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 1986

8. Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace, Edited by Thomas Schreiner and Bruce Ware, Baker Books: Grand Rapids, 1995

9. The God Who Risks: A Theology Of Providence, John Sanders, InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 1998

10. The Openness of God: A Biblical Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of God, Clark Pinnock, Richard Rice, John Sanders, William Hasker, and David Basinger, InterVarsity Press: Downers Grove, 1994

11. What Does God Know? And When Does He Know It? , Millard Erickson, Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 2003