Open Theism Research Paper

OPEN THEISM: AN ORTHODOX RELIGION Open theism is a theological movement that develops within post evangelical and evangelical protestant Christianity as a response to certain ideas in relative to the formation of Christian theology and Greek philosophy. I concur with McCormack assessment. Open theism is a belief that God doesn’t exercise timid control of the universe instead He leaves it, open for human to make choices that are meaningful and that affect their bonding with others and God. Open theists in addition believe that this would mean that God does not know the future entirely. Proponents concur that the Lord is Omniscient but refuse that this means that the Lord knows everything that will happen. McCormack argues that open and classical theists have a problem namely inadequate Christology thus offering Barth as a counteract. McCormack concludes, ‘’There is absolutely no winner in the debate between classical theists and open on the basis of the Old Testament scriptures. Progress can’t be made until each side start to take Christology more seriously. It’s time for evangelists to more seriously take their declaration of the deity of Christ and commence to think about God on a complete Christology basis.’’(McCormack)
Open theism is highly rising among evangelical Christians and in a bid to make God attractive to the society.
Many evangelists are and have encouraged a God who doesn’t know each detail concerning what will happen in the future. To me it is totally absurd. From the book of Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord tells Jeremiah that He knew him before He formed him in the womb and before he was set apart. He appointed him as a prophet to the Nations. This to me only affirms that God is Foreknowledge thus He knows the future. Not only this but also in the book of Isaiah 48:3, ‘’I foretold the former things long before, announced by my mouth and I made them known then suddenly acted and they came to pass.’’(Old Testament NIV
Bible) The approach used by open theism to the problem of evil is flawed fundamentally because it doesn’t arise from an exegetical study of scripture. Instead open theism deals with the problem of evil in an elegant and theoretically-satisfying manner while affirming both human autonomy and Gods loving character. The scripture affirms that God is good and that His goodness is a great blessing to us. Our understanding of goodness should be in need of being conformed to the teaching of scripture. ‘’Be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that testing you may discern what is good’’ (New Testament NIV Bible) Open theism tends to put it that salvation is not by works but by faith alone. This is a severely concept of faith. Having faith is implicitly being holy does not correspond with the scriptures. James 2:17 says, ‘’Faith without works is dead.’’(New Testament NIV Bible) Faith is not basis of salvation in that it constitutes ones righteousness before God. If it were that Faith alone brought salvation then the death of Jesus Christ at the cross would lose its meaning. The first step is to Believe and if one believes then they will follow in His footsteps which mean His deeds. John Feinberg book called, ‘’No One like Him.’’ Agrees with McCormack. Feinberg’s understanding of human freedom is a highly detailed freedom. His compatisibilistic freedom appears to leave God in charge of guilt for evil in the society. Feinberg acknowledges that foundation is mandatory to the affirmation of God who has given Himself to be known as He is in Christ and by the Holy Ghost. He criticizes the classical theism of libertarian freedom.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1 .Brucel McCormack, Engaging the Doctrine of God: Contemporary Protestant Perspectives.
2. John Feinberg, No one like Him.