Friday, June 29, 2012

Why pray?

rogereolson says:
June 28, 2012 at 1:25 pm


We have run around this bush numerous times here and I tire of it (no offense intended). From an Arminian perspective, God knows because something happens; it doesn’t happen because God knows it. God’s foreknowledge corresponds to what happens; it does not cause it or even render it certain.


If God knows what will happen because the future creates his knowledge of the future, then what does prayer accomplish? Is God changing the future–in answer to prayer? Which future is he changing? The one he knows? But if he’s dependent on the future for his knowledge of the future, how can he change it? For that matter, how does he know what to change? Can he knowingly change the future if that’s the source of his knowing the future? And if he’s not changing that future, then does the changed future have reference to a hypothetical future? If so, does a hypothetical future cause his knowledge of the future? But there’s more than one hypothetical future.

6 comments:

  1. If I had the power to kick him out of the club I would. He does more harm than good.

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  2. Well, Nick, you could always tap your Italian contacts to take Roger on a little trip in the trunk of a car!

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  3. He does more harm than good.

    I have heard several Arminians say this about Olson.

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  4. Calvinist that I am, I still like Roger Olson. I think it's because he reminds me of the hamburglar. And for theistic non-vegans like myself, theology and hamburgers go well together...

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  5. I think it's both a proper name of the character AND a title. So it should be capitalized as "The Hamburglar".

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