Everything You Wanted To Know About Free Will Theism

Openness thought, also known as free will theism, is generating lots of attention. Among its more radical claims is the belief that God does not in fact fully know the future. I have already written several book reviews on this topic, posted on this site. Given the importance and the controversy surrounding this relatively new theological position, I have here assembled a fairly comprehensive bibliography. It contains most of the relevant books in the debate. Those wanting to study the topic can pick from volumes promoting the theology or critiquing the theology. I would recommend a few of each, and then you can investigate matters further, depending on your theological inclinations.

For:
Basinger, David, The Case for Freewill Theism. InterVarsity Press, 1996.
Boyd, Gregory, God at War. InterVarsity Press, 1997.
Boyd, Gregory, God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God. Baker, 2000.
Boyd, Gregory, Is God to Blame? InterVarsity Press, 2003.
Boyd, Gregory, Satan and the Problem of Evil. InterVarsity Press, 2001.
Cobb, John and Clark Pinnock, eds., Searching for an Adequate God: A Dialogue Between Process and Free Will Theists. Eerdmans, 2000.
Hasker, William, Providence, Evil, and the Openness of God. Routledge, 2004.
Pinnock, Clark, Most Moved Mover: A Theology of God’s Openness. Baker, 2001.
Pinnock, Clark, ed., The Grace of God and the Will of Man. Bethany House, 1989.
Pinnock, Clark, ed., The Openness of God. InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Pinnock, Clark and Robert Brow, Unbounded Love. InterVarsity Press, 1994.
Rice, Richard, God’s Foreknowledge and Man’s Free Will. Bethany House, 1985, 1980.
Sanders, John, The God Who Risks: A Theology of Providence. InterVarsity Press, 1998.

Against:
Bray, Gerald, The Personal God. Paternoster Press, 1998.
Erickson, Millard, The Evangelical Left. Baker, 1997.
Erickson, Millard, What Does God Know and When Does He Know It? Zondervan, 2003.
Frame, John, No Other God: A Response to Openness Theism. Presbyterian and Reformed, 2001.
Geisler, Norman, Creating God in the Image of Man? Bethany House, 1997.
Geisler, Norman and H. Wayne House, The Battle for God: Responding to the Challenge of Neotheism. Kregel Publications, 2001.
Gray, Tony and Christopher Sinkinson, eds., Reconstructing Theology: A Critical Assessment of the Theology of Clark Pinnock. Paternoster, 2000.
House, H. Wayne, Charts on Open Theism and Orthodoxy. Kregel, 2003.
Huffman, Douglas and Eric Johnson, eds., God Under Fire. Zondervan, 2002.
Piper, John, Justin Taylor and Paul Kjoss Helseth, eds., Beyond the Bounds: Open Theism and the Undermining of Biblical Christianity. Crossway Books, 2003.
Richards, Jay Wesley, The Untamed God. InterVarsity Press, 2003.
Robinson, Michael: The Storms of Providence: Navigating the Waters of Calvinism, Arminianism, and Open Theism. University Press of America, 2003.
Roy, Steven, How Much Does God Foreknow? InterVarsity Press, 2006.
Spiegel, James, The Benefits of Providence. Crossway, 2005.
Ware, Bruce, God’s Lesser Glory. Crossway Books, 2000.
Ware, Bruce, Their God is Too Small. Crossway Books, 2003.
Wilson, Douglas, Bound Only Once: The Failure of Open Theism. Canon Press, 2001.
Wright, R.K.M., No Place for Sovereignty. InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Both:
Basinger, David and Randall Basinger, eds., Predestination and Free Will: Four Views of Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom. InterVarsity Press, 1986.
Beilby, James and Paul Eddy, eds., Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views. InterVarsity Press, 2001.
Hall, Christopher and John Sanders, Does God Have a Future? A Debate on Divine Providence. Baker, 2003.
Robinson, Michael, The Storms of Providence: Navigating the Waters of Calvinism, Arminianism, and Open Theism. University Press of America, 2003.

Process Theology

Since it can be rightly argued that free will theism is a sort of halfway house between process theology and Evangelical/Arminian theology, it is worth exploring process thought as well.

For:
Cobb, John, God and the World. Westminster Press, 1969.
Griffin, David, God, Power and Evil: A Process Theodicy. Westminster Press, 1976.
Pittenger, Norman, Process Thought and Christian Faith. Macmillan, 1968.

Against:
Basinger, David, Divine Power in Process Theism. State University of New York Press, 1988.
Gruenler, Royce, The Inexhaustible God: Biblical Faith and the Challenge of Process Theism. Baker, 1983.
Henry, Carl, “God Who Stands and Stays, part two”. Vol. VI of God, Revelation and Authority. Word Books, 1983.
Nash, Ronald, ed., Process Theology. Baker, 1987.

Both:
Cobb, John and Clark Pinnock, eds., Searching for an Adequate God: A Dialogue Between Process and Free Will Theists. Eerdmans, 2000.

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3 Replies to “Everything You Wanted To Know About Free Will Theism”

  1. I might have to get a couple of these books Bill, I need to find out more about what the Bible has to say about predestination. If God chooses some then consequently that means he doesn’t choose others…. yet he IS a just and loving God. Can’t wait to get stuck into this topic.
    Keith Jarrett

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