4 Views of Divine Foreknowledge: My Conclusion & Announcement
Sorry to keep everyone waiting over a month for my conclusion. School, work, family and my other blog have been consuming me. I will not abandon this, So without further delay, here is my conclusion on 4 Views of Divine Foreknowledge.
As I read these books I felt torn between two positions: Middle-Knowledge & the Augustinian-Calvinist view. For the record, I come from a background of 5 point Calvinism. I good resource to understand what that means is on R.C. Sproul's website.
I think both hold powerful arguments for an understanding of God's foreknowledge. Molinism (middle-knowledge) would posit that God knows all counterfactuals. He knows all possible universes He could have made. He chose this one because it accomplished His will and His purpose the best. The Augustinian-Calvinist view posits that God determines all things. This does not mean he makes bad people do bad things, rather He allows it in His good and sovereign plan.
After thinking, praying, and talking through this, I am still more in the Calvinist camp. Scripture seems to be abundantly clear that God is sovereign over all. I do not take it to the extreme that He blows the butterfly wherever it goes, nor does he determine where each wave crashes, and of course He is not the purveyor of evil deeds. He is no master of puppets.
Conversely, I believe Molinism holds the greatest philosophical answer for the apparent contradictions between human free will and God's sovereignty. To have a away for God to know and then choose the best universe while taking into account all human choices provides great solace for those who struggle.
So I could lean either way, but for now I stick to the Calvinist view.
And now the announcement: No I am not abandoning this blog. I am enhancing it with broader content. I will still focus on apologetics, and I will be blogging on relationships, marriage, parenting, Christian living, and a few miscellaneous topics along the way. Be ready for more consistency and greater availability for discussion!
Until next time, check out my new speaking page: www.natcrawford.com
As I read these books I felt torn between two positions: Middle-Knowledge & the Augustinian-Calvinist view. For the record, I come from a background of 5 point Calvinism. I good resource to understand what that means is on R.C. Sproul's website.
I think both hold powerful arguments for an understanding of God's foreknowledge. Molinism (middle-knowledge) would posit that God knows all counterfactuals. He knows all possible universes He could have made. He chose this one because it accomplished His will and His purpose the best. The Augustinian-Calvinist view posits that God determines all things. This does not mean he makes bad people do bad things, rather He allows it in His good and sovereign plan.
After thinking, praying, and talking through this, I am still more in the Calvinist camp. Scripture seems to be abundantly clear that God is sovereign over all. I do not take it to the extreme that He blows the butterfly wherever it goes, nor does he determine where each wave crashes, and of course He is not the purveyor of evil deeds. He is no master of puppets.
Conversely, I believe Molinism holds the greatest philosophical answer for the apparent contradictions between human free will and God's sovereignty. To have a away for God to know and then choose the best universe while taking into account all human choices provides great solace for those who struggle.
So I could lean either way, but for now I stick to the Calvinist view.
And now the announcement: No I am not abandoning this blog. I am enhancing it with broader content. I will still focus on apologetics, and I will be blogging on relationships, marriage, parenting, Christian living, and a few miscellaneous topics along the way. Be ready for more consistency and greater availability for discussion!
Until next time, check out my new speaking page: www.natcrawford.com
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