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)
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