Predestination Vs Free Will

Since I began studying the Christian faith, the idea of predestination versus free will has captured my attention. This is, obviously, not a new idea within the Christian tradition. From Augustine and the Council of Orange in 529, to the debates between Gottschalk and Rabanus, to the theology of John Calvin and John Wesley, the concepts of predestination and free will have been discussed at great length. Within the subject of predestination versus free will, however, there is another issue that has developed only recently in the Christian tradition. This contemporary thought has caused quite a stir within the theological realm, and I have truly become captivated by the idea. The idea to which I refer is the idea of open theism. The idea of …show more content…
For various reasons, I am persuaded that soteriological paradigms with a strong free will emphasis give the fullest, most accurate depiction of God as revealed in Scripture. Additionally, holding an open theism stance yields several benefits for the Christian life and for the church. One benefit, as mentioned above, is that it resolves some of the tensions that exist between foreknowledge and predestination. There is no longer a need for discussions concerning how God can know something and not ordain it since God only knows possibilities of the future. Thus, the term predestination is re-interpreted in terms of means rather than terms of products. For example, in Ephesians the writer states that God, “predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will…” (Eph 1:5 NIV). This verse could be interpreted to say that God predestined certain people to be adopted, but the view of open theism would instead emphasize the means of Jesus Christ being predestined. Additionally, open theism better coincides with the view of God as revealed in the person of Jesus Christ, a God of love and compassion who desires all to be saved. The God of the predestinarians is a God that predestines some to eternal paradise and others to eternal damnation. With this view, God does not sound loving and desiring of all to be saved. …show more content…
This, however, is how open theism contributes to academia. The way in which open theism relates to the various other fields of theology is a great avenue for study, research and dialogue. With open theism being a field just recently developed, there is no shortage of availability in topics to research and write about. As such, open theism has potential to impact the world in tremendous and fresh