Is God Clueless?

RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 7005 Location: USA

By Dave Meurer

A new concept is sweeping through Christian circles. And it’s not only upsetting the theological apple cart—it’s also replacing the apples with turnips.

The novel theology, sometimes called the “openness view of God” goes roughly like this: “God knows all things that can be known. But since the future has not yet happened, it is inherently unknowable. So, not even God can know it. Thus, God has no clue what we are going to do in the next five minutes, much less the next five years. Fortunately, He is an extremely agile deity who is very adept at responding to the trillions of decisions that humans surprise him with on a daily basis.”

So basically, God is winging it every day.

This new view of God seeks to answer several unsettling questions about human freedom. For example, Bible scholars have long wrestled with mind-boggling questions like, “How can humans have any real freedom if the future is already known to God? If God knows the future, and if He is accomplishing an elaborate plan that predates creation, then how can we be other than simply puppets in a divinely-ordained play? If God saw Adam and Eve’s sin before He even made them, does that mean they had to sin?”

If the “open future” theology is accurate, those thorny questions evaporate. The whole Adam and Eve fiasco was not only not part of a divine plan, but God could have conceivably said, “Whoa! I didn’t see that coming!”

The openness view tries to answer those curious passages where God is said to have “repented,” like when He said He rued the day He ever created humans because they were so evil in the days of Noah. The traditional view of passages like that is that God simply adopts a form of speech and an imagery we can understand. He is communicating how He found the rampant sin in Noah’s day to be heartbreaking and morally repugnant. So, He speaks in our emotional language to drive home the point. But the traditional view of scripture does not include any idea that God was actually surprised by the evil of Noah’s world

“Everyone who believes in God at all believes that He knows what you and I are going to do tomorrow.” — C.S. Lewis

In the “openness” view, the reason God seems shocked and \nsurprised is because, well, He really was shocked and surprised. The only real downside to the “openness view” of God is it repudiates a couple thousand years of both Jewish and Christian orthodoxy and gives an unceremonious heave-ho to vast sections of the Bible that speak of God’s foreknowledge of everything. The book of Revelation is Exhibit “A.” And ditto all those highly-specific prophecies in the Old Testament.

I’m not a theologian. I have never even attended Bible school. So, I am certainly not the “go-to guy” for answers in this heady debate. But I \nhave read enough of the Bible to know a picture of a clueless God who has \nto decide each day how to react to the latest antics of humanity has a lot more \nin common with the Greek gods I studied in high school than the omnipotent, \nomniscient God revealed in the pages of Scripture.

Openness seeks to answer difficult questions about human freedom, suffering, and evil, but at the cost of God’s foreknowledge of all things. I do not believe we have the right to engage in this kind of theological trade-off simply because we are in a fog about how to reconcile certain truths—namely, that God is all powerful, all knowing, and in control of history while we’re still free to exercise our wills each day. But if I could figure God out, He would not be very impressive. I barely understand my microwave oven—I mean, it doesn\’t have any flames but it can still cook my broccoli. So, why should I be all that surprised if God is over my head?”

In the “openness” view, the reason God seems shocked and surprised is because, well, He really was shocked and surprised. The only real downside to the “openness view” of God is it repudiates a couple thousand years of both Jewish and Christian orthodoxy and gives an unceremonious heave-ho to vast sections of the Bible that speak of God’s foreknowledge of everything. The book of Revelation is Exhibit “A.” And ditto all those highly-specific prophecies in the Old Testament.

I’m not a theologian. I have never even attended Bible school. So, I am certainly not the “go-to guy” for answers in this heady debate. But I have read enough of the Bible to know a picture of a clueless God who has to decide each day how to react to the latest antics of humanity has a lot more in common with the Greek gods I studied in high school than the omnipotent, omniscient God revealed in the pages of Scripture.

Openness seeks to answer difficult questions about human freedom, suffering, and evil, but at the cost of God’s foreknowledge of all things. I do not believe we have the right to engage in this kind of theological trade-off simply because we are in a fog about how to reconcile certain truths—namely, that God is all powerful, all knowing, and in control of history while we’re still free to exercise our wills each day. But if I could figure God out, He would not be very impressive. I barely understand my microwave oven—I mean, it doesn’t have any flames but it can still cook my broccoli. So, why should I be all that surprised if God is over my head?

While I have no theological credentials, Dr. John Piper certainly does. A widely-respected pastor, writer, and author of numerous books, Piper has offered the following assessment of open theism: “As a pastor who longs to be biblical and God-centered and Christ-exalting and eternally helpful to my people, I see open theism as theologically ruinous, dishonoring to God, belittling to Christ, and pastorally hurtful.”

Those are strong words, but a lot is at stake in this debate.

We need to believe everything the Bible teaches. And if that means we live in some intellectual tension… well, them’s the breaks. We can’t redefine God in an attempt to make him more understandable. So, warn your brothers and sisters about this crazy new theological fad. And when you do, understand that God will be delighted by your defense of His truth, even though He won’t be remotely surprised by it.
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FFT · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:28 am Post subject:

cballard · Grizzly Bear Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 731 Location: WV

FFT, how else can one communicate with someone unless one uses words and ideas that person can understand? Why would it be any different with God communicating with man which, of course, is what Christians believe God does in the Bible.

FFT · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:16 pm Post subject:

By what method do you determine what He "actually meant" except by redefining what He "actually said" to make it more understandable?

RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 7005 Location: USA

Cultural context for one. If scripture were written today and God said: Noah, you are a righteous dude, and the ark you built according to my directions is phat!

We would know what He meant.
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FFT · Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 9:38 am Post subject:

RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 7005 Location: USA

So?
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FFT · Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 10:36 am Post subject:

Helper · Growing Guppy Joined: 05 Oct 2006 Posts: 44

“Is God Clueless”? Can God see as clearly into the future as He does with the current and past?

This question has stirred up so much anxiety within the Christian community. Some Christians has said to me that they are “afraid to think that God may not know all the future events. Thinking this would diminish His greatness.”

It is not a sin to seek, ask and knock for answers concerning this topic. Following are some of the many questions I have entertained.

Why would God knowingly create an angel that would turn to Satan?
Why would God knowingly create Satan, thus causing His kingdom to be divided?

Luk 11:17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
Luk 11:18 If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.

Why would God create mankind, then consider destroying all of them?
Why would God grieve?

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Gen 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
Gen 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

Why would God test Abraham to sacrifice his son if He already knew what Abraham’s faith was?

Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

Wasn’t it God who chose Saul and had him ordained?

1Sa 9:15 Now the LORD had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying,
Tomorrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me.
1Sa 9:17 And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people.

Why would God grieve and repent over selecting Saul as King?

1Sa 15:35 And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death: nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul: and the LORD repented that he had made Saul king over Israel.

Why after God said to an angel to destroy Jerusalem, did he change His mind and have compassion on them?
2 Samuel 24:16
When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

Why would God say something never entered His mind?
Jeremiah 32:35
They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.

Why would God want all men to be saved if He already knew who wouldn’t?
1 Tim. 2:1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

In my mind, I now have a better understanding of the scripture that says:

Gen 1:26 God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."

Be not afraid, ask knock and seek.