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God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God
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Average Rating:  out of 55 Reviews
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Price: $15.99
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Sale: $8.31
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Manufacturer: Baker Books
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780801062902
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Gregory A., Boyd
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Publisher: Baker Books
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Dewey Decimal Number: 231.4
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Publication Date: 2000-05-01
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Reading Level: 176
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Description: Does God ever change his mind? Is the future exhaustively settled, or does it include maybes? Why does God create certain people if he knows they are going to hell? Does God foreknow the outcome of every decision we will ever make? For some Christian thinkers, the traditional view that God always knows what will happen in the future raises biblical, theological, and philosophical questions. In this accessible, concise, and provocative book, Gregory Boyd shares his process of investigating this important subject and outlines why he believes an alternative view is necessary. Boyd begins by interpreting and analyzing the most important biblical passagesfirst those that point to the classical view that God possesses exhaustive definite foreknowledge, then those that appear to require an open view of God and the future. A discussion of the practical ramifications clarifies the issue. He then goes on to address eighteen frequently asked questions and objections to the open view and concludes with an appendix examining other open view passages. Combining a theologians intellect with a pastors heart, Boyd approaches this hot topic with grace toward those with opposing views and enthusiasm for the way this new thinking has revolutionized his life.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Changing perspective of GOD |
Date: 2008-12-09 |
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Details: Among many readers of theism some interest has recently developed in the remarkable new understanding of God currently being advanced by evangelical scholars who flatly reject the dogmatic foundations of classical theism.
Boyd does not focus on abstract theoretical issues but instead on showing how the open view of God can be seen in the Bible, once one has come to see that classical theism got it wrong about God "under the influence of Hellenistic philosophy" (p. 17).
Boyd argues that God is testing us to see if we will keep the covenant we have made with him. For this to be other than a game, we must be free and the future--our future as well as that of God--must be open and not fixed at the moment of creation. To accept this radically different understanding of divine and human things, according to Boyd, we must "simply free ourselves from the Hellenistic philosophical assumption that God must be unchanging in every respect and that time is an illusion" (p. 85).
We must reject "the Platonic notion that time and change were less real than timeless stability" (p. 107) if we are to understand what is really being set out in the Bible. Boyd insists that "the view of God as eternally unchanging in every respect (and thus as possessing an eternal unchanging knowledge of all of world history) owes more to Plato than it does to the Bible" (p. 109, cf. p. 115).
Boyd's setting forth of an understanding of God in which he is not above or outside time and therefore has a mutually significant reciprocal covenant relationship with his children will be useful to many.
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Review Summary: Great Book |
Date: 2008-07-22 |
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Details: This book clears up soooo much junk in Christian thought!
Thank you, Greg.
I wonder if the negative reviews even read the book or just
listened to a John MacArthur radio program - and was told what
to think on the matter.
Rick |
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Review Summary: Critical Thinking Christian |
Date: 2008-05-27 |
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Details: I have always been curious about Open Theism. For years I was taught things in churches that conflicted with each other, some of which wasn't even found in the Bible! But, if you're looking for a way to understand the Bible in a light that has been around since the 5th Century, this is a great introductory book to the view of Open Theism.
God Bless. |
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Review Summary: Interesting Ideas - Unbalanced Scripture Support |
Date: 2008-05-03 |
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Details: Boyd presents some interesting points in his discussion. For ex: God (according to Boyd) cannot know the future because it is logically impossible to know the decision a person with free will. But Boyd does maintain that God sort of knows what will happen. God knows us better than we know ourselves, therefore making God's "guess" highly likely to come true, but not 100%. Scetchy statement. Seems to limit or cripple God (though Boyd actually argues the opposite).
Boyd attacks the classical assumption that God exhaustively knows the future, by pointing to various Biblical passages - many of them interesting. For example, how could God truly be sorry if he knew what would happen beforehand? Or how could Moses convince God of sparing the Israelites? How could God change his mind? According to Boyd, it is because God exists just like us, in linear time. All these points are interesting, but if Boyd is going to bring scripture into the debate, he needs to address all the passages dealing with this theme. How does prophecy work, if God cannot see the future? There are other passages that can be seen in other reviews if one is interested.
But the ideas Boyd brings forth are still interesting. Can God not experience novelty? Does God have the power to change his mind? How is God able to function "in our time", if he is "above time"?
I think the answer to this lies in the nature of time itself. Both sides to the debate have something to offer. It is difficult to choose one side, and dishonest to omit certain areas of scripture.
I have one last thing. It seems many writers of today who deal with theological issues cannot write. Boyd repeats himself numerous times and has unnecessarily long sentences. It is quite annoying and distracting to be reading and know that you are reading pointless words, which could be editted without losing meaning. Overall though, an insightful, though not watertight, treatment of the nature of God's knowledge. |
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Review Summary: Expand Your View Of God's Greatness |
Date: 2008-03-17 |
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Details: Through this book, my view of God and His greatness were expanded. Additionally, this book helped me to better understand the role that I play in what God does. I strongly recommend this book. |
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