The Faithful Creator : Affirming Creation and Providence in an Age of Anxiety

As Paul says in Romans, creation groans for redemption. But can we trust God to make all things new? The doctrines of creation and providence address the question of human anxiety in the face of suffering and evil. In a world that often seems to be spinning out of control, Christian faith confesses a "faithful Creator" (1 Peter 4:19) who promises a glorious future for all creation. In The Faithful Creator , seasoned professor and author Ron Highfield presents an overview of creation, providence and the problem of evil. He explores a wide range of issues, including the biblical accounts of creation, the dialogue between theology and science, models of providence, philosophical problems of evil and the proposals of open theism and process theism. Both accessible and scholarly, The Faithful Creator is an ideal text for classroom use. Title Page Contents Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction Part One: Creation 1 “Let There Be Light”: Creation in the Old Testament The Old Testament Sources Old Testament Theology of Creation 2 “In the Beginning Was the Word: Creation in the New Testament New Testament Theology of Creation Christ and Creation 3 "Creator of Heaven and Earth” One God Beginning and End The Trinity and Creation Divine Freedom 4 How God Creates the World (Part One): Probing a Mystery or Solving a Problem? Creation as Divine Action The How of Divine Creating Ancient Theories of Mediation John Polkinghorne—A Contemporary Theorist of Mediation 5 How God Creates the World (Part Two): Assessing the Quest Creation and Causation Creation and Relationality The Quest for How—An Assessment Why God Made the World 6 Jesus Christ as Creator Hellenistic Jewish Background Two Models for a Theology of Creation Jesus Christ in Modern Theology of Creation Christ and Creation 7 Creation from Nothing: Creation as an Act of Sovereign Generosity Development of the Doctrine of Creation from Nothing The Biblical and Theological Meaning of Creatio ex Nihilo Divine Ideas and Possible Worlds Matter—The Third Principle 8 Divine Creation and Modern Science Ancient Science Early Modern Science The Competence and Limits of Natural Science Relating Natural Science and Christian Theology Big Bang Cosmology and Evolutionary Biology Gould, Dawkins and Dembski Why the Controversy? Augustine or Bellarmine? 9 Creation and Time The Bible and Time Augustine and Aquinas on Time Christ and Time Part Two: Divine Providence 10 Biblical Theology of Divine Providence Providence in the Old Testament Providence in the New Testament Biblical Theology of Providence Interpretation of the Bible in the Theology of Providence 11 All Things Work Together Defining Providence Unfolding the Doctrine of Providence 12 Models of Perfect Providence: Foreknowledge The Foreknowledge Models The Problem with Molinism (And Other Foreknowledge Models) 13 Models of Perfect Providence: Omnipotence Models Thomas Aquinas Post-Reformation Reformed Orthodox Theologians Karl Barth 14 The Open Theist Model of Providence Open Theism’s Revisions to the Traditional Doctrine of Providence Gregory Boyd on Divine Providence Critical Observations on the Open Theist Model 15 Creation, Providence and Freedom The Biblical and Theological Idea of Freedom The Compatibility of Providence and Freedom Part Three: The Challenge of Evil 16 Creation, Providence and Evil Dualism—Moral or Metaphysical? Sin, Error and Corruption The Fall and Original Sin How Do We Know Sin and Evil? 17 The Philosophical Problems of Evil Ancient Forms of the Problem The Modern Problem of Evil The Logical Problem of Evil The Evidential Problem of Evil 18 The Rhetorical Argument from Evil Leibniz’s Theodicy and Voltaire’s Satire Ivan Karamazov and Protest Atheism The Karamazov Argument After Dostoevsky Responses to the Rhetorical Problem of Evil Responding to the “Rhetorical Argument from Evil” 19 “Do Not Be Afraid” The Faith of Jesus Faith in Jesus Notes Introduction Chapter 1: “Let There Be Light”: Creation in the Old Testament Chapter 2: “In The Beginning Was the Word”: Creation in the New Testament Chapter 3: “Creator of Heaven and Earth” Chapter 4: How God Creates the World (Part One) Probing a Mystery or Solving a Problem? Chapter 5: How God Creates the World (Part Two): Assessing the Quest Chapter 6: Jesus Christ as Creator Chapter 7: Creation from Nothing: Creation as an Act of Sovereign Generosity Chapter 8: Divine Creation and Modern Science Chapter 9: Creation and Time Chapter 10: Biblical Theology of Divine Providence Chapter 11: All Things Work Together Chapter 12: Models of Perfect Providence: Foreknowledge Chapter 13: Models of Perfect Providence: Omnipotence Models Chapter 14: The Open Theist Model of Providence Chapter 15: Creation, Providence and Freedom Chapter 16: Creation, Providence and Evil Chapter 17: The Philosophical Problems of Evil Chapter 18: The Rhetorical Argument from Evil Chapter 19: “Do Not Be Afraid” Selected Bibliography Author Index Subject Index Scripture Index Praise for The Faithful Creator About the Author More Titles from InterVarsity Press Copyright Recipient of an Honourable Mention in the 2001 God Uses Ink Contest "Lord, please give me a parking space!"That prayer sounds right on your third time around the block, frustrated and late for an appointment. But is it consistent with how God works in the world?Does prayer change God's mind or only our feelings? Does God do things because we ask him to? Or do we ask him because he prompts us to do so? How much control does God really have in the world, anyway? If he has given us free will, can he always guarantee that things will happen as he intends or wishes? Is our need for parking spaces important enough to bother God, or is he only concerned about things that advance his program of salvation?If God has already decided how things will turn out, what use is it to pray? On the other hand, if our freedom limits God's ability to achieve his wishes all the time, how much could he do even if we asked for help? How much does God know about the future, and how does this factor into the way our prayers affect the outcome? And how does God's relationship to time enter into the whole equation? With such questions in mind, Terrance Tiessen presents ten views of providence and prayer--and then adds an eleventh, his own. He describes each view objectively and then tackles the question, If this is the way God works in the world, how then should we pray? The result of his investigation is a book that puts us at the intersection between theological reflection and our life and conversation with God. It prods and sharpens our understanding, making us better theologians and better prayers. -- Publisher's description Recipient of an Honourable Mention in the 2001 God Uses Ink Contest "Lord, please give me a parking space!" That prayer sounds right on your third time around the block, frustrated and late for an appointment. But is it consistent with how God works in the world? Does prayer change God's mind or only our feelings? Does God do things because we ask him to? Or do we ask him because he prompts us to do so? How much control does God really have in the world, anyway? If he has given us free will, can he always guarantee that things will happen as he intends or wishes? Is our need for parking spaces important enough to bother God, or is he only concerned about things that advance his program of salvation? If God has already decided how things will turn out, what use is it to pray? On the other hand, if our freedom limits God's ability to achieve his wishes all the time, how much could he do even if we asked for help? How much does God know about the future, and how does this factor into the way our prayers affect the outcome? And how does God's relationship to time enter into the whole equation? With such questions in mind, Terrance Tiessen presents ten views of providence and prayer--and then adds an eleventh, his own. He describes each view objectively and then tackles the question, If this is the way God works in the world, how then should we pray? The result of his investigation is a book that puts us at the intersection between theological reflection and our life and conversation with God. It prods and sharpens our understanding, making us better theologians and better prayers. Rarely Does A New Theological Position Emerge To Account Well For Life In The World, Including Not Only Goodness And Beauty But Also Tragedy And Randomness. Drawing From Scripture, Science, Philosophy And Various Theological Traditions, Thomas Jay Oord Offers A Novel Theology Of Providence - Essential Kenosis - That Emphasizes God's Inherently Noncoercive Love In Relation To Creation. The Uncontrolling Love Of God Provides A Clear And Powerful Response To One Of The Perennial Challenges To Christian Faith. Read More: Http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=4084#ixzz3oschyrai --publisher Tragedy Needs Explanation -- The Randomness And Regularities Of Life -- Agency And Freedom In A World Of Good And Evil -- Models Of God's Providence -- The Open And Relational Alternative -- Does Love Come First? -- The Essential Kenosis Model Of Providence -- Miracles And God's Providence. Thomas Jay Oord. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Rarely does a new theological position emerge to account well for life in the world, including not only goodness and beauty but also tragedy and randomness. Drawing from Scripture, science, philosophy and various theological traditions, Thomas Jay Oord offers a novel of theology of providence - essential kenosis - that emphasizes God's inherently noncoercive love in relation to creation. The Uncontrolling Love of God provides a clear and powerful response to one of the perennial challenges to Christian faith. Read more: http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=4084#ixzz3oScHyRAI --Publisher Rarely does a new theological position emerge to account well for life in the world, including not only goodness and beauty but also tragedy and randomness. Drawing from Scripture, science, philosophy and various theological traditions, Thomas Jay Oord offers a novel theology of providenceessential kenosisthat emphasizes God's inherently noncoercive love in relation to creation. The Uncontrolling Love of God provides a clear and powerful answer to the problem of evil, the problem of chance, and how God acts providentially in the world. IVP Readers'Choice AwardRarely does a new theological position emerge to account well for life in the world, including not only goodness and beauty but also tragedy and randomness. Drawing from Scripture, science, philosophy and various theological traditions, Thomas Jay Oord offers a novel theology of providence—essential kenosis—that emphasizes God's inherently noncoercive love in relation to creation. The Uncontrolling Love of God provides a clear and powerful response to one of the perennial challenges to Christian faith. In this concise and accessible introduction, Paul Helm outlines for students and interested readers the doctrine of divine providence. Unlike many doctrinal treatments, his approach is not historically oriented. Instead Helm focuses on the underlying metaphysical and moral aspects of God's providence, paying particular attention to the ideas of divine control, providence and evil, and the role of prayer in relationship to providence.

In this book I offer a view of my own, though not one that is peculiar to me. The chief reason for this approach is to try to avoid the blandness and obliqueness that often come from setting one view beside another in a 'neutral' way. - from the Introduction by the author.

From the view that God does not intervene in the world to the view that God is the only effective agent in the working of his will, Terrance Tiessen identifies ten views of providence and adds his own.