He believes that the future is open and that God not only affects creatures but that creatures affect God. God takes risks in this give-and-take relationship, yet he is endlessly resourceful and competent in working toward his ultimate goals. According to Pinnock, God limits himself voluntarily. He honours the degree of relative autonomy which He grants to the world. The most troublesome consequence of free will theism is the implication that God has no complete knowledge of the future.
Pinnock says that the freedom of man is compromised if God knows in advance what He will decide. What about the prophecies in Scripture? They really do not yet exist to be known ahead of time.
Why should the Almighty and all-knowing God create a being whose choices are beyond His foreknowledge? If God is not Almighty and not omniscient is He worthy of worship? Yet the Word of God is clear on the matter. The crucified, risen, and ascended Christ is the King of the world. Like Paul in Romans, we should make Jesus Christ our first concern so that we know our sin and the need for the Saviour.
When I do this, the question of predestination is no longer a statistical problem, but a wonder of the fact that with no obvious merits of my own I am justified out of free grace, a child of God Who holds me safe in the hollow of His hand for time and eternity.
Sproul has said publicly that Pinnock is a heretic for teaching limited omniscience. Pinnock leaves us with more questions than answers. How can we say that God is reliable and loving when people can thwart His will? Are we free to disobey God whenever we want to believing that there is little God can do about it? Is God so respectful of our freedom that we can rebel at will?
And how can God do something about suffering if He is not all powerful and all knowing? Pinnock attempts to read Scripture out of the context of histo ric confessional interpretations. He has been at work throughout time. And Scripture is not for the academically trained only. The Bible is to be understood by all His people. The calling of Christian scholars is to help ordinary Christians to a deeper faith and a better understanding of the great historic Biblical truths.
We can only speak and write about God with fear and trembling. We may not lower Him to our level of thought. Language is not adequate to describe the majesty of God. How unsearchable are His judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Click for reprint information. Smith , and others. Previous articles in Christianity Today about Clark Pinnock include:. Already a subscriber? Log in to continue reading. To unlock this article for your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below.
To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. Sections Home. Bible Coronavirus Prayer. Subscribe Member Benefits Give a Gift. Subscribers receive full access to the archives. News Obituary. Clark Pinnock Dies at 73 From biblical inerrancy to open theism, the systematic theologian was not afraid to change his mind. Doug Koop August 17, Free Newsletters Get the best from CT editors, delivered straight to your inbox!
Article continues below. Posted: August 17 , Title Clark H. Author Ray C. College Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. Abstract This study investigates Clark H. Recommended Citation Roennfeldt, Ray C. Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as Digital Commons. Pinnock, Clark H.
Publication Timeline. Most widely held works about Clark H Pinnock. Most widely held works by Clark H Pinnock. The Scripture principle by Clark H Pinnock Book 20 editions published between and in English and Undetermined and held by WorldCat member libraries worldwide A balanced approach to understanding the inspiration and authority of the Bible that presents a "middle" position on inerrancy, steering clear of the pitfalls common to both ends of the spectrum.
Flame of love : a theology of the Holy Spirit by Clark H Pinnock Book 20 editions published between and in English and Chinese and held by WorldCat member libraries worldwide Questions, he also explores issues of the Spirit's universality, gender language for the Spirit and charismatic gifts. Pinnock intends his book to be catholic in the sense of respecting the beliefs and worship of the historic church and evangelical drawing particularly on the heritage of the Reformation.
Always in sight is the mission of the church, for "people want to meet the real and living God and will not be satisfied with a religion that only preaches and. The openness of God : a biblical challenge to the traditional understanding of God by Clark H Pinnock Book 10 editions published between and in English and Undetermined and held by WorldCat member libraries worldwide Presents a careful and full-orbed argument that the God known through Christ desires "responsive relationship" with his creatures.
While it rejects process theology, the book asserts that such classical doctrines as God's immutability, impassibility and foreknowledge demand reconsideration.
The authors insist that our understanding of God will be more consistently biblical and more true to the actual devotional lives of Christians if we profess that "God, in grace, grants humans significant freedom" and enters into relationship with a genuine "give-and-take dynamic.
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