Their God Is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God

by Ware, Bruce A.

• ISBN13: 9781581344813
• ISBN10: 1581344813
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-08-12
• Publisher: Good News Pub

Summary

Can you trust a "God" who can't know the future?A new theology is trickling down from the lofty halls of academia to the pews of evangelical churches. Calledopen theism, this novel view of God denies that he fully knows the future and insists that he takes risks by giving humans wide-ranging freedom. This view has disastrous consequences for the everyday faith of ordinary Christians, consequences you can't afford to ignore.Their God Is Too Smallexplains some of the beliefs of open theism and shows their practical implications. Using biblical truth and personal anecdotes, Bruce Ware demonstrates how open theism undermines trust in God for everyday life, particularly in the midst of suffering. This is no dry academic discourse; if you care about God's glory and your confidence in him, then this book is for you because it concerns the everyday issues of faith."With unassailable logic, compelling exposition, and captivating real-life implications, Ware convincingly demonstrates the theological barrenness of open theism by exposing its major biblical deficiencies." --John F. MacArthur, Jr., Pastor-Teacher, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California"Open theism supports its reducing of God's sovereignty by denying his full knowledge of the future. If any doubt remains as to whether this falls short of the Bible's teaching and waters down Christian faith and hope, Bruce Ware's pastoral reasoning will surely dispel it." --J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College"Their God Is Too Small effectively exposes the diminished God of open theism, and in so doing provides pastors with a powerful tool to foster genuine faith in the sovereign, wise, and trustworthy God of the Bible." --C. J. Mahaney, Senior Pastor, Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland"Confusion about God inevitably leads to confusion about life. Thankfully, Bruce Ware keeps our heads and hearts on track toward an accurate knowledge of God against the backdrop of prevalent distortions." --Joseph M. Stowell, President, Moody Bible Institute

Author Biography

Bruce A. Ware is Senior Associate Dean and Professor of Christian Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He studied at Western Seminary (M.Div., Th.M.), the University of Washington (M.A.), and Fuller Theological Seminary (Ph.D.)

Table of Contents

Introduction	7	(4)
Open Theism and the Christian Faith	11	(14)
Open Theism and God's Foreknowledge	25	(34)
Open Theism and Suffering	59	(28)
Open Theism and Prayer	87	(22)
Open Theism and Hope	109	(18)
Conclusion	127	(4)
Notes	131	(4)
General Index	135	(4)
Scripture Index	139