Download or read book God Suffering and the Value of Free Will written by Laura W. Ekstrom and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-02-23 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For many of us, the question of whether or not God exists is one of the most perplexing and profound questions of our lives, and numerous philosophers and theologians have debated it for centuries. Laura Ekstrom here takes a new look at the issue of God's existence by examining it against the reality of human suffering, bringing to the fore contentious presuppositions concerning agency and value at the core of the matter. When we survey the world, we observe an enormous amount of pain, including virtually unspeakable kinds of maltreatment and agony, many instances of which seem patently unfair, unearned, and pointless. This book argues that, in light of these observations, it is reasonable to conclude that God does not exist. The book unravels the extent and power of arguments from evil. Ekstrom provides a close investigation of a largely overlooked claim at the heart of major free-will-based responses to such arguments, namely that free will is worth it: sufficiently valuable to serve as the good that provides a God-justifying reason for permitting evil in the world. Through fresh examinations of traditional theodicies, Ekstrom develops an alternative line called divine intimacy theodicy, and makes an extended case for rejecting skeptical theism. The book takes up an argument from evil concerning a traditional doctrine of hell, which reveals a number of compelling issues concerning fault, agency, and blameworthiness. In response to recent work contending that the problem of evil is toothless because God is indifferent to human beings, Ekstrom defends the essential perfect moral goodness of God. She further tackles the question of whether or not it is possible to live a religious life as an agnostic or as an atheist. Through rigorous reflection, with deep respect for religious thought and experience, and with sensitivity to the range and kinds of suffering so many endure, Ekstrom firmly advances discussion of the problem of evil and paves the way for further scholarship in the philosophy of religion.

Download or read book Chosen by God written by R. C. Sproul and published by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. This book was released on 2011-02-18 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nearly 200,000 copies sold! Chosen by God by Dr. R. C. Sproul is a contemporary classic on predestination, a doctrine that isn’t just for Calvinists. It is a doctrine for all biblical Christians. In this updated and expanded edition of Chosen by God, Sproul shows that the doctrine of predestination doesn’t create a whimsical or spiteful picture of God, but rather paints a portrait of a loving God who provides redemption for radically corrupt humans. We choose God because he has opened our eyes to see his beauty; we love him because he first loved us. There is mystery in God’s ways, but not contradiction.

Download or read book What about Free Will written by Scott Christensen and published by . This book was released on 2016-02-29 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible claims that Gods sovereignty is absolute and that humans make their own choices. Christensen explains two harmonizing viewsArminian and Calvinisticmaking a fresh, biblical case for Calvinisms.

Download or read book God s Foreknowledge and Man s Free Will written by Richard Rice and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2004-01-27 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a thought-provoking study of some issues concerning the historic Calvinist/Arminian debate. Does God know absolutely everything that's going to happen? Can He foresee future moral choices and actions which have not yet been made? If one's future responses and behavior are totally foreknowable, is she truly free? Dr. Richard Rice explores these and other fascinating questions which have sometimes divided Christians. The author gives new perspective on one of the most fundamental issues of the Christian faith: the relationship of God to His creation and the reality and extent of human freedom. Carefully scrutinizing the Scriptures on this subject, the author challenges the reader to examine for himself this critical issue of theology. With strong theological background and sound biblical scholarship, Dr. Rice presents his viewpoint in a convincing and readable style.

Download or read book Our Fate written by John Martin Fischer and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Our Fate collects John Martin Fischer's previously published articles on the relationship between God's foreknowledge and human freedom. The book includes a substantial new introductory essay that puts all of the chapters into a cohesive framework, and presents a bold new account of God's foreknowledge of free actions in a causally indeterministic world.

Download or read book God s Will Man s Will and Free Will written by Ernest C. Reisinger and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2011-05-01 with total page 102 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book contains a brief study on a very important but neglected subject, that is, the subject of free will. We will be considering in what sense the will is free and how important this subject is to the Christian faith. Does salvation depend upon man's willingness to be saved apart from a prior work of the Holy Spirit? We will see that no one is saved against his will; however, God changes the "willer" so as to make the sinner willing. We will see that the subject of free will is at the very heart of Christianity and has a profound effect on our message and method of evangelism. We will see that "whosoever will may come." We will see that the Bible teaches that salvation depends not on man's willingness but on God's willingness, God's grace, and God's power-and if God did not have power over man's will the whole world would go to hell. We will see that God does not exclude anyone in His invitations; however, sinners do exclude themselves.

Download or read book Predestination Free Will written by David Basinger and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 2009-09-20 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If God is in control, are people really free? This question has bothered Christians for centuries. And answers have covered a wide spectrum. Today Christians still disagree. Those who emphasize human freedom view it as a reflection of God's self-limited power. Others look at human freedom in the order of God's overall control. David and Randall Basinger have put this age-old question to four scholars trained in theology and philosophy. John Feinberg of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and Norman Geisler of Dallas Theological Seminary focus on God's specific sovereignty. Bruce Reichenbach of Augsburg College and Clark Pinnock of McMaster Divinity College insist that God must limit his control to ensure our freedom. Each writer argues for his perspective and applies his theory to two practical case studies. Then the other writers respond to each of the major essays, exposing what they see as fallacies and hidden assumptions. A lively and provocative volume.

Download or read book The Divine Foreknowledge written by and published by . This book was released on 1842 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Evangelical Universalist written by Gregory MacDonald and published by SPCK. This book was released on 2012-11-15 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Can an orthodox Christian, committed to the historic faith of the Church and the authority of the Bible, be a universalist? Is it possible to believe that salvation is found only by grace, through faith in Christ, and yet to maintain that in the end all people will be saved? Can one believe passionately in mission if one does not think that anyone will be lost forever? Could universalism be consistent with the teachings of the Bible? In The Evangelical Universalist the author argues that the answer is ‘yes!’ to all of these questions. Weaving together philosophical, theological, and biblical considerations, he seeks to show that being a committed universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the biblical texts and of historic Christian theology.

Download or read book Determined to Believe written by John C. Lennox and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2018-03-27 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A serious biblical and philosophical investigation of theological determinism: the idea that everything that happens has already been decided by God, including who will and won’t be saved. This book was written for those who are interested in, or troubled by, questions about God's sovereignty and human freedom and responsibility. Christian apologist John Lennox writes in the spirit of helping people understand the biblical treatment of these concepts. In this mind-bending review of the topics of theological determinism, predestination, election, and foreknowledge, Lennox: Defines the problem, considering the concept of freedom, the different kinds of determinism, and the moral issues these pose. Explores the range of theological opinion and unpacks what the Bible—especially the gospels and Paul's letter to the Romans—teaches about human and sovereign will. Addresses the question of Christian assurance: how can I know if I have salvation? This nuanced and detailed study challenges some of the widely held assumptions about theological determinism and brings a fresh perspective to the debate. This book is for anyone who's asked questions like: Is my decision to believe or disbelieve in Jesus actually my decision? Is it possible for a genuine believer to lose their salvation? How much free will do I really have? By the author of Seven Days that Divide the World and 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity, Determined to Believe? will launch your consciousness into a fresh understanding and appreciation of this important Christian debate and help you think both biblically and logically about the human condition.

Download or read book What is Reformed Theology written by R. C. Sproul and published by Baker Books. This book was released on 2016-09-13 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What Do the Five Points of Calvinism Really Mean? Many have heard of Reformed theology, but may not be certain what it is. Some references to it have been positive, some negative. It appears to be important, and they'd like to know more about it. But they want a full, understandable explanation, not a simplistic one. What Is Reformed Theology? is an accessible introduction to beliefs that have been immensely influential in the evangelical church. In this insightful book, R. C. Sproul walks readers through the foundations of the Reformed doctrine and explains how the Reformed belief is centered on God, based on God's Word, and committed to faith in Jesus Christ. Sproul explains the five points of Reformed theology and makes plain the reality of God's amazing grace.

Download or read book Once Caught No Escape written by Norman Grubb and published by . This book was released on 2005-11-01 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Once Caught, No Escape, Norman Grubb's autobiography, we come to know a remarkable soldier of Christ, one who has made a unique contribution to Christian thinking in the 20th century. This riveting account of his life includes a fascinating description of missionary life in the early 1900's in the heart of Africa, his memories of World War I army days, and his little-known role in the development of the Christian Literature Crusade and Intervarsity Fellowship. Norman shares the three spiritual crises that shaped his life-his salvation, his identity in Christ, and his seeming loss of faith. How he forever settled his Galatians 2:20 identity by faith is critical to an understanding of his life and serve as a roadmap for all facing the same heart cry, and his interpretation of his final crisis is a superb and concise summary of what he came to call the total truth, expanded and developed in his later works and was to become the keystone of his theology for the rest of his life. In the foreword to Once Caught, No Escape, Norman says that he has written "straight out of my heart and mind," and that he has surely done. He writes with unreserved honesty, self-deprecating humor, and profound insight. He was a man drenched in the scriptures, and totally dedicated to sharing the great truth of Jesus Christ-our savior, indweller, and life. He laid down his life that many others might come to know who they are in Christ, and paid the intercessor's price to do so. The book is aptly titled, for once God "captured" him, Norman was driven to share the truth he knew, no matter the cost.

Download or read book Holy Bible NIV written by Various Authors, and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2008-09-02 with total page 6637 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.

Download or read book Grace Faith Free Will written by Robert E. Picirilli and published by Randall House Publications. This book was released on 2002 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Robert E. Picirilli, in Grace, Faith, Free Will, renews the discussion of issues that have divided Calvinism and Arminianism since the Reformation, Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian of the 16th century, contested the dominant theological ideas advanced by the well-known Protestant reformer John Calvin and his disciples. Historically, Arminius has been frequently misunderstood and often interpreted by friend and foe alike. Even today, one who calls himself "Arminian" does so with considerable risk, as the name means different things to different people and comes in various flavors. Many automatically think of Arminians as liberal, differing little from Universalists, at least holding to salvation by works , and possibly espousing heretical views of the Trinity or the goodness of man. In truth, some "Arminians" have held and even now hold such beliefs. No so of Arminius himself, his original followers, or able contemporary theologians such as Picirilli. Though he presents both classics Calvinism and Arminianism in order to help readers intelligently decide for themselves, Dr. Picirilli unashamedly advocates a very specific form of Arminianism as the best resolution of the tensions between the two doctrinal positions.

Download or read book God Reforms Hearts written by Thaddeus Williams and published by Lexham Academic. This book was released on 2021-08-11 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Must we be free to truly love? Evil is a problem for all Christians. When responding to objections that both evil and God can exist, many resort to a "free will defense," where God is not the creator of evil but of human freedom, by which evil is possible. This response is so pervasive that it is just as often assumed as it is defended. But is this answer biblically and philosophically defensible? In God Reforms Hearts, Thaddeus J. Williams offers a friendly challenge to the central claim of the free will defense—that love is possible only with true (or libertarian) free will. Williams argues that much thinking on free will fails to carve out the necessary distinction between an autonomous will and an unforced will. Scripture presents a God who desires relationship and places moral requirements on his often--rebellious creatures, but does absolute free will follow? Moreover, God's work of transforming the human heart is more thorough than libertarian freedom allows. With clarity, precision, and charity, Williams judges the merits and shortcomings of the relational free will defense while offering a philosophically and biblically robust alternative that draws from theologians of the past to point a way forward.

Download or read book Gospelbound written by Collin Hansen and published by Multnomah. This book was released on 2021-04-06 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A profound exploration of how to hold on to hope when our unchanging faith collides with a changing culture, from two respected Christian storytellers and thought leaders. “Offers neither spin control nor image maintenance for the evangelical tribe, but genuine hope.”—Russell Moore, president of ERLC As the pressures of health warnings, economic turmoil, and partisan politics continue to rise, the influence of gospel-focused Christians seems to be waning. In the public square and popular opinion, we are losing our voice right when it’s needed most for Christ’s glory and the common good. But there’s another story unfolding too—if you know where to look. In Gospelbound, Collin Hansen and Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra counter these growing fears with a robust message of resolute hope for anyone hungry for good news. Join them in exploring profound stories of Christians who are quietly changing the world in the name of Jesus—from the wild world of digital media to the stories of ancient saints and unsung contemporary activists on the frontiers of justice and mercy. Discover how, in these dark times, the light of Jesus shines even brighter. You haven’t heard the whole story. And that’s good news.

Download or read book Free Will and the Christian Faith written by W. S. Anglin and published by Oxford : Clarendon Press ; Toronto : Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1990 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Libertarians such as J.R. Lucas have abandoned traditional Christian doctrines because they cannot reconcile them with the freedom of the will. Traditional Christian thinkers such as Augustine have repudiated libertarianism because they cannot reconcile it with the dogmas of the Faith. In Free Will and the Christian Faith, W.S. Anglin demonstrates that free will and traditional Christianity are ineed compatible. He examines, and solves, puzzles about the relationships between free will and omnipotence, omniscience, and God's goodness, using the idea of free will to answer the question of why God allows evil, and presenting arguments that link free will to eternal life and to the nature of revelation. Topics covered include the meaning of life, the soul and Lesbegue measure, and strategies for discerning the voice of God.