Read 'em and Reap!: Their God is too Small

Their God is too Small – Bruce Ware
There is a new heresy making its way into the Church. It’s called Open Theism. The proponents of it would have us think that God doesn’t know the future. They want us to believe that he cannot make a decision until we, as free agents, let him know what we are thinking. I’m not kidding. They use such language as “God took a risk”, “Don’t think that God had anything to do with the tragedy that intrudes your life” and “God is waiting for us to act so he will know what to do.”

Thankfully, men of God are taking a stand against this heresy. Bruce Ware, Dean and Professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky, has written a solid, logical, biblical defense of the True God of the Bible while exposing the so-called ‘god’ of Open Theism. He gives a short overview of Open Theism and the Christian Faith using good examples and anecdotes in the first chapter of the book.

The second chapter begins a series of chapters that set Open Theism against three of the most cherished truths of Scripture: 1)God’s Foreknowledge, 2)Suffering and 3)Hope. The Open Theist destroys the doctrine of God’s Foreknowledge – that God not only knows what will happen, but that He ordained it to happen (not to be confused with foresight). When dealing with suffering, Open Theists claim that suffering is pointless, and not something of which God would have any part. Ware gives sufficient examples from Scripture of exactly the opposite.

Then, when dealing with Hope, the Open Theists strip the Christian of any hope or confidence in God. If God cannot know the future, he is bound to make mistakes (something else the Openness proponents claim), making His advice and leading no different from Fallen man’s.

If you’ve not heard of Open Theism, you will. It is becoming a very popular belief among the higher critics and elites. However, it is slowly creeping down into our churches as well. Consider this: Wild at Heart is perhaps one of the worst books to hit the Christian market in a long time. Along with all of the other false teaching that is in it, there is also a foundational belief in Open Theism. For example, Eldridge states plainly that God took a huge risk in giving man free will. That is the core of Open Theism.

Be prepared to confront this heresy. It is essential that believers know what is going on within the Church. Ware’s book is a good introduction, easy to ready, very anecdotal. Read ‘em & Reap!

Comments

Off topic. . . Thanks for listing Gary Ezzo's "Babywise" in your not recommended list. *grin*

I just read this one on your recommendation and thoroughly enjoyed it. While I already knew the basics of Open Theism, I was absolutely shocked by the reality of the denials of Biblical truth these men makes. It was both shocking and disgusting. This is an issue on which the church needs to take a stand!

I agree. They are pretty flagrant and bold with their claims. It's amazing to me that anyone who even reads the Bible (much less studies it) could ever be duped by the Open Theists; their views are so far out in left field! I hope that all of our readers, yours and mine, will take the time to familiarize themselves with Open Theism.