Why I Reject Both Calvinism and Open Theism

The author argues against both Calvinism and Open Theism, rejecting their assumptions about God’s relationship with time. They affirm that God is omniscient, eternal, and sovereign, while also upholding human free will. The author believes that these two theological positions mistakenly assume that God experiences time as humans do, with a past, present, and future. This assumption, they claim, leads to incorrect conclusions about God’s knowledge and human freedom.

The author explains that if God knows what we will do, it does not mean our choices are predetermined. They distinguish between certainty and necessity, asserting that God’s knowledge of our future choices does not coerce or determine those choices. Instead, God’s knowledge is certain because he knows what we will freely choose, not because he causes us to choose that way.

The author uses an example of a future decision, like choosing to take the train, to illustrate that God’s knowledge of this choice does not cause it. They emphasize that divine foreknowledge, divine will, and divine causation are distinct. God can know what creatures will freely do without determining those actions.

The author also maintains that God’s complete knowledge of the future does not limit human freedom. They believe God knows the future completely, but this knowledge is logically related to our choices, not temporally dependent on them. Thus, God does not have to wait for our decisions to know what we will decide.

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