No place for sovereignty, what's wrong with freewill theism
In recent years an increasing number of evangelical thinkers have called for a reevaluation of our understanding of God, making a case for what has variously been called "freewill theism" or the "open view" of God. R. K. McGregor Wright sees their efforts not as something radically new, but a contemporary reaffirmation of Arminianism. Concerned that evangelicals may soon find no place for sovereignty in their thinking, Wright sets out to show what's wrong--biblically, theologically and philosophically--with freewill theory in its ancient form. Along the way, he provides a short course in historical theology, making a fresh, powerful case for the Reformed emphasis on God's sovereign grace. Wright also meets challenges head-on with a discussion of the Arminian position and a chapter on the problem of evil. Finally, he subjects to close scrutiny the recent work of Clark Pinnock, a contemporary advocate of freewill theism. Regardless of where readers' sympathies lie, they will want to hear, think through and respond for themselves to the arguments Wright makes on behalf of the Reformed understanding of God.
Publisher: IVP
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9780830818815
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R. K. McGregor Wright holds a ThM from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a PhD from Denver University/Iliff School of Theology. With his wife, Julia Castle, he codirects the Aquila and Priscilla Study Center, a Bible and apologetics teaching ministry in East Tennessee.
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Wright's book shines as a book that is both thought out and based squarely on Scripture, and for that he deserves to be commended. He states accurately that evangelical Christianity is too quick to accept contradictions where none is needed and explain them away as mystery simply to hold extrabiblical presuppositions. I must respectfully disagree with the previous review of this book (johniii) and say that Wright's insistance on logical continuity is reasonable. Wright is not against the plain interpretation of Scripture, but what he is saying is that Scripture is not going to logically contradict itself, and if you have a presupposition (e.g. free will) that, when taken to its logical conclusion, contradicts Scripture, then the presupposition must be wrong (because Scripture is certainly right). He may overemphasize logical continuity to an extent, but I would give him a little room there considering that most evangelical Christians ignore the concept completely and that problem is far worse. Wright makes every effort to ensure that his thesis is Scriptural (and I believe it is) and to back it up with all means that are appropriate. His book, although not a good starting point for those interested in predestination or free will (as it IS very technical and scholarly in nature), is a must-read for those who have already delved into the subject. Luke Sneeringer