Divine Providence and Human Freedom

Definition of Providence

God’s care and direction of creation. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Providence Question

“Why does event X happen?” (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Theological Determinism

View that every event has been ordained by God. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Meticulous Providence

God ordains whatever shall come to pass. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Theological Indeterminism

View that some events are not caused by God. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

General Providence

God ordains only what is necessary to His plan. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Reasons events not caused by God occur

Chance and natural laws; God created moral agents with freedom to choose. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Freedom Question

“What is human freedom?” (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Libertarian Freedom

A causally determined choice is not free; true freedom requires the ability to choose otherwise. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Compatibilist Freedom

A causally determined choice can still be free if it expresses one’s own desires. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Foreknowledge Question

“Does God have exhaustive definite foreknowledge?” (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Uncontroversial things God knows

Necessary truths, laws of nature, and what He Himself will do or choose. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Debate about future free choices

Whether God knows future libertarian free choices. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Reason some deny God’s foreknowledge of free choices

If a choice is foreknown, it may not be truly free. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Foreknowledge and Determinism Question

“Are foreknown choices necessarily determined?” (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Yes view on foreknowledge

Whatever God knows will happen must happen; if God foreknows X, X must occur. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

No view on foreknowledge

Knowing something does not cause it; God’s knowing X means it will happen, not that it must happen. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Crucial distinction between determinism and foreknowledge

Determinism: S chooses X because God knows X. Foreknowledge: God knows X because S chooses X. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Calvinism (John Calvin, 1509–1564)

Meticulous providence and compatibilist freedom; God foreknows because He foreordains; foreknowledge entails determinism. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Arminianism (Jacob Arminius, 1560–1609)

General providence and libertarian freedom; God has exhaustive definite foreknowledge; foreknowledge does not entail determinism. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Varieties of Arminianism

Atemporal (God sees all time as now), Middle Knowledge (knows all possibilities), Simple Foreknowledge (knows all truths, including free choices). (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Open Theism (Clark Pinnock, 1937–2010)

General providence and libertarian freedom; God does not foreknow future free human choices; foreknowledge entails determinism. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Myth of a “Continuum”

Providence views form a triangle, not a straight line, showing three distinct positions. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Classical Theism

Shared positions: Arminianism and Open Theism agree on Q1–Q2, Open Theism and Calvinism agree on Q4, Calvinism and Arminianism agree on Q3. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Divine Determination Texts

Texts appealed to by Calvinists (e.g., Ephesians 1:11, Proverbs 16:9, Isaiah 45:6–7). (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Responses to Determination Texts

God determining some things does not mean He determines everything; balance with “God didn’t want that” texts; beware poetic language. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Divine Foreknowledge Texts

Texts appealed to by Classical Theists (e.g., Micah 5:2, Matthew 26:31–35). (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Open Theist Response to Foreknowledge Texts

Prophecies sometimes concern God’s actions or are conditional (Jonah 1:2; 3:10). (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Peter’s Denial Explanation

A predictable character in a contrived situation rather than foreordination. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Open Future Texts

Texts appealed to by Open Theists (e.g., Genesis 22:12, Isaiah 38:1–5, Exodus 4:1–9). (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)

Classical Theist Response to Open Future Texts

Language is phenomenological—describes how things appear from the human perspective. (Category: Divine Providence and Human Freedom)