Book Review: Four Views on Divine Providence (by Various Authors)

Four Views on Divine Providence (Counterpoints: Bible and Theology)

Dennis Jowers (Editor), Stanley N. Gundry (Series Editor), Paul Kjoss Helseth (Contributor), Gregory A. Boyd (Contributor), Ron Highfield (Contributor), William Lane Craig (Contributor)

One of my favorite movies is Chrisopher Nolan’s Interstellar. One of the main themes of the film is mankind trying to find “their place in the stars”. This is a scientific question that mankind has asked for centuries: “Where do we fit?” However, in theological circles, a major question still today is “What is God’s place in the stars?” More specifically, how is it that God interacts with His creation? Does He interact with it at all? In the extent of interaction, what does God know? Are all events in time predetermined by Him or is God simply reacting to events in His ultimate wisdom?

The doctrine of providence is a theological undertaking that has plagued and divided the minds of Christians for ages. The differences in thought are still present today. Walk into any seminary in the world, and you will find 10 people with 10 different nuanced thoughts on God’s providence. In fact, my own views on the doctrine of providence changed during my time in Bible college and they are still being nuanced today. This has become even more true after reading through this book.

In this edition of the Four Views Series, four different men tackle the doctrine of providence from four different perspectives. Once the representatives for each position have stated their case, the other three men are allowed a chance to interact with the position currently being argued for. Representing the Reformed tradition is Paul Kjoss Helseth. He argues, fulfilling the true Reformed expectations, that all events find their occurrence the mode of their occurrences in God. He causes every act by creatures so that He determines entirely the nature and the outcome of each and every act.

William Lane Craig stands up on behalf of the contemporary Molinists. Molinists lean heavily on what is referred to as the Middle Knowledge of God. In his chapter, he explains that Middle Knowledge is essentially God’s knowledge of "possibilities". So, through this knowledge, God has not necessarily caused all events or every human decision. This, in Craig’s thought, helps with the “problem of evil” and keeping God from being held responsible for any evil in the world.

Gregory Boyd upholds the Open Theism position. Open Theists also argue for the importance of free will. However, differing from Molinism, Open Thiests claim that in order for a decision to be truly free, then God can neither know what the decision will be nor can He determine it.

Finally, Ronald Highfield stands in the gap for the Restorationist tradition. In his chapter, he calls all forms of thought on the doctrine of providence before the bar of Scripture. He intends to prove that Scripture alone is able to provide a clear view of God’s providence and how He interacts with His creation.

As pastors, we will encounter people in our congregations with differing views on this subject and even a different view than we hold. This book is a wonderful resource for pastors to read through a thoughtful and detailed explanation of four of the most prominent views on providence. Having a basic understanding provided by this book can help us engage in theological conversations with our people and provide another means by which to show them that we care about them and their current theological journey. Who knows—we may even see some holes in our own perspective and learn something helpful from someone else’s.

Aaron Allen

Young Adults and Families Pastor

Sunnyvale First Baptist Church