New Article Published

Posted on Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 10:36 am

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A brand new theological journal has just published its first issue and has chosen to publish an article of mine.  The journal is called American Theological Inquiry and my article is titled “The Openness of God and the Historical Jesus.” It is a pretty heavy article (with Greek grammar, arguments about the nature of free will, etc.) so I am not sure that many will care much about it, but it is nice to see one’s work getting out there.

Of course I know that if it were not for the Lord it would all be in vain.  There is nothing quite so pointless as trying to make a name for oneself, only to die in the end.  The problem is that seems to happen to everyone.  This article deals with what I perceive as a very significant problem in the church at large.  The openness of God is the view that God does not know the future of all things because the future is made up of free choices by creatures whose choices are not bound in any way.  Thus for example, many practitioners of this this view would hold that God does not know the route that I will take to get home from the office because I have not decided yet the route I will take home.

The article deals with the very serious problems that this raises in terms of seeing God as all knowing, of seeing God as working all things together for good, and with seeing God as ultimately victorious over the evil one.  For a very good work on this subject I recommend my friend Steve Roy’s book How Much Does God Foreknow?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0830827595/ref=sib_dp_pt/002-6851618-5679249#reader-link

Steve is a friend of mine and does a great job of dealing with this issue in a clear, evenhanded, yet orthodox and Biblical manner.

I am just thankful that the God of the Scripture is a God who knows the future, plans the future, and takes care of the future.  I put my trust in Him, rather than in any decision that I might make on my own.

Blessings,

DrSamLam