Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 05:4 (Winter 2001)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

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SBJT 5:4 (Winter 2001) p. 110

Book Reviews

God’s Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism. By Bruce A. Ware. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2001, 240 pp., $15.99, paper.

The origin of this book is traceable to three lectures given at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, in 1999. The aim of this book by Southern Seminary’s Bruce Ware is to set out the basic tenets of open theism and to evaluate them. Open theism is the view that specific, complete divine sovereignty and human freedom are incompatible. This means that God only has partial knowledge and control of the future, so that the future is open, at least to some extent. The task of this book is accomplished in three main sections.

Part One is a summary of the central beliefs of open theism and their supporting evidence. Open theists believe that the classical Arminian understanding of divine providence is inadequate. The classical understanding of God’s complete knowledge of the future is without ground. Further, they hold that such knowledge of the future is incompatible with human freedom. Finally, simple foreknowledge of the future is no benefit to God in controlling that future. Ware follows this with an excursus on middle knowledge.

The support for such a view of God is found along five lines of argument. First, this is the only way in which the divinehuman relationships portrayed in the Bible can be meaningful. Second, God has created creatures who are genuinely free and thus beyond his complete control. God has taken significant risks in the creation of such a world. Third, biblical statements about the repentance of God do not have to be taken as anthropomorphisms; rather, they may be taken as cases of genuine repentance in light of new information. Fourth, open theism is able to understand straightforwardly statements in Scripture that God reassesses his plan in the light of new and unforeseen developments. Fifth, God’s response to human suffering and pain is genuine. He wishes things would been otherwise.

Part Two is an evaluation of the biblical, theological, and philosophical arguments for open theism. Ware argues that the Bible teaches that God has exhaustive, comprehensive knowledge of all things including the future, that he is not a risk taker but has all things under his control, and that these truths are the ground for claiming that God is all-wise.

Part Three examines the consequences of open theism on a believer’s daily life in three areas: prayer, direction and guidance, and pain and suffering. Defenders of open theism claim that their understanding of God has benefits for each of these areas of a believer’s daily life. Ware argues that that is not the case. Perceived benefits do not exist. As a matter of fact, the real benefits are on the side of the ...

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