Four Views on Divine Providence (Counterpoints)

by Gregory A. Boyd; Paul Kjoss Helseth; William Lane Craig; Ron Highfield

Publisher:

Zondervan

, 2011

Overview

Questions about divine providence have preoccupied Christians for generations. Are people elected to salvation? For whom did Jesus die? This book introduces readers to four prevailing views on divine providence, with particular attention to the question of who Jesus died to save (the extent of the atonement) and if or how God determines who will be saved (predestination). But this book does not merely answer readers’ questions.

Four Views on Divine Providence helps readers think theologically about all the issues involved in exploring this doctrine. The point-counterpoint format reveals the assumptions and considerations that drive equally learned and sincere theologians to sharp disagreement. It unearths the genuinely decisive issues beneath an often superficial debate.

Each author explains his position, which is critiqued by the other three authors. The interactive and fair-minded nature of the counterpoints format allows the reader to consider the strengths and weaknesses of each view and draw informed, personal conclusions. Introductory and closing essays by Dennis Jowers give relevant background and guide readers toward their own informed beliefs about divine providence.

Key Features

• Exploration of scriptural foundations
• Sketch of the history of theological reflection
• Introduction of the perspectives advocated

Contents

Top Highlights

“Everybody agreed that logically prior to God’s decree to create a world, God had knowledge of all necessary truths, including all the possible worlds he might create. This was called God’s natural knowledge. It gives him knowledge of what could be. Moreover, everyone agreed that logically subsequent to his decree to create a particular world, God knows all the contingent truths about the actual world, including its past, present, and future. This was called God’s free knowledge. It involves knowledge of what will be. The disputed question was where one should place God’s hypothetical knowledge of what would be. Is it logically prior or posterior to the divine decree?” (Pages 80–81)

“Scripture presumes that determinism and genuine human freedom are compatible, in other words, even though it does not explain the mechanics of how this is possible, and ‘the method of this reconciliation cannot in this life be clearly and perfectly explained by us.’” (Page 41)

“Scripture, then, supplies grounds for a range of answers to significant questions about God’s providence. Does God ever foreordain evil acts? Does God always get what he wants? How can one reconcile human beings’ moral responsibility with God’s sovereignty over their acts? More broadly, how does God influence the affairs of this world at all?” (Page 10)

“Knowing all the possible circumstances, persons, and permutations of these, God decreed to create just those circumstances and just those people who would freely do what God willed to happen. Thus, the whole scenario, as Luke insists, unfolded according to God’s plan.” (Page 86)

Product Details

• Title: Four Views on Divine Providence
• Authors: Gregory A. Boyd, Paul Kjoss Helseth, William Lane Craig, Ron Highfield
• Series: Zondervan Counterpoints Series
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Print Publication Date: 2011
• Logos Release Date: 2012
• Pages: 272
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Providence and government of God › Christianity--Comparative studies
• ISBNs: 9780310496755, 9780310325123, 0310496756, 0310325129
• Resource ID: LLS:4VDIVNPROVDNC
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-28T20:27:54Z

About the Authors

Paul Kjoss Helseth (PhD, Marquette University) is a professor of Christian thought at Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is the author of “Right Reason” and the Princeton Mind: An Unorthodox Proposal, and has co-edited and contributed to Reclaiming the Center.

William Lane Craig (PhD, University of Birmingham, England) is a research professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University and lives in Marietta, GA.

Ron Highfield (BA, MTh, Harding University; MA, PhD, Rice University), professor of religion at Pepperdine University, is the author of Great is the Lord: Theology for the Praise of God

Gregory A. Boyd is the founder and senior pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, MN, and is Founder and President of Christus Victor Ministries. He was a professor of theology at Bethel College in Minnesota for 16 years. He is a national and international speaker at churches, colleges, conferences, and retreats, and has appeared on numerous radio and television shows.

Dennis Jowers is an associate professor of theology and apologetics at Faith Evangelical Seminary in Tacoma, Washington.