Chart on the Unevangelized
Displays some of the main views on the salvation of non-Christians and key figures who held the views.
Religious Pluralism & Hell
Must Christians Believe In Hell?
/1 Comment/in Hell /by John SandersA brief overview of different Christian views written for lay people.
Raising Hell about Razing Hell: Evangelical Debates on Universal Salvation
/0 Comments/in Hell /by John SandersEvangelical debates on annihilationism and Rob Bell’s Love Wins
Works by John Sanders on the salvation of non-Christians
/0 Comments/in The Unevangelized /by John SandersWorks by Sanders
Christian Approaches to the Salvation of Non-Christians
/4 Comments/in The Unevangelized /by John SandersMy most recent thoughts on inclusivism: the arguments for it, varieties of, and responses to assorted criticisms.
Hell Yes! Hell No! Evangelical Debates on Eternal Punishment
/0 Comments/in Hell /by John SandersViews on the nature of hell and the fate of the unevangelized.
Bibliography of views about hell
/0 Comments/in Hell, Uncategorized /by John SandersLists works on eternal conscious punishment, annihilationism, universal salvation, etc.
Billy Graham on the Salvation of Non-Christians
/0 Comments/in The Unevangelized /by John SandersBilly Graham on the salvation of non-Christians
Cognitive Linguistics
Theology in the Flesh
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersKey ideas in my book Theology in the Flesh
Liturgical Jellyfish
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersIf jellyfish worshipped God, their Nicene Creed would not say they “look forward” to the resurrection of the dead because their bodies lack fronts and backs. Nor would they speak of meeting “face to face” with God.
Anthropogenic Cognition in Religion and Nature
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersThis talk uses cognitive linguistics which affirms the embodied mind approach gaining ground in cognitive science to consider natural kinds. The claim is that humans use a basic mental tool set grounded in our sensorimotor capacities to reason about entities we interact with in our environment. The specific nature of the human body is key to understanding how humans cognize. I will examine several of these tools and show how they are used to construe natural kinds as well as God.
Podcast on Theology in the Flesh
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersFrom Homebrewed Christianity
Which way to the future?
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersHere is a fun example of how different languages can think about the same topic differently. Think for a moment about how English speakers understand the future in relation to our bodies. A parent may say to a child that “You have your entire future in front of you” and a commencement speaker tells the […]
American culture shapes how Americans read the Bible
/2 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics, Uncategorized /by John SandersWords are prompts or triggers for our minds to construct meaning. If someone says they are going to a wedding our minds furnish the event of a wedding lots of information about the rituals and dress of those involved. The same words may sometimes prompt different meanings depending upon the culture. For instance, take the […]
Words prompt our minds to construct meaning
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersWords are prompts or triggers for our minds to construct meaning. If someone says they are going to a wedding our minds furnish the event of a wedding with lots of information about the rituals and dress of those involved. The same words may sometimes prompt different meanings depending upon the culture. For instance, take […]
Different understandings of divine transcendence
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersIt is common to believe that God “transcends” the sorts of limitations that we creatures have. We tend to think of God as above or beyond the created realm. The words “above” and “beyond” are common human spatial terms and are used to “elevate” the divine majesty. Some theologians use above and beyond to argue […]
Metaphors and God
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersThe Bible contains over fifty different metaphors for understanding who God is and our relationship to God. Some of these are: husband, woman, shepherd, potter, bear, eagle, and rock. The metaphors structure how humans construe the types of relations and expected behaviors we have with God. For instance, thinking of God as a father involves […]
Truth has many meanings
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersEnglish has a number of ways to understand truth. We speak of “discovering,” “distorting,” or “twisting” the truth. This uses the truth is an object metaphor in which truth is a physical object that we can “grasp” and do things with. We also think of truth as a journey so that we pursue truth and […]
Conceptual Metaphor Theory as Support for Open Theistic Hermeneutics
/1 Comment/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersA cognitive approach to metaphors in the Bible and theology
What difference does it make how we understand concepts such as transcendence and being?
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersWays to understand divine transcendence and being
Human Concepts of Time
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersHow human bodies and our environment shape how we understand the nature of time.
How the Human Mind Thinks of God: A Cognitive Linguistic Analysis of Anthropomorphic God Concepts
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersHow embodiment and culture shape the way we think of God.
Bibliography of biblical and theological works using cognitive linguistics
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersWorks applying cognitive linguistics to Bible and theology.
Some Helpful Works on Cognitive Linguistics
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersRecommended readings on cognitive linguistics.
Theological Muscle-Flexing: How Human Embodiment Shapes Discourse About God
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersExplains some basics of cognitive linguistics and focuses on conceptual metaphor theory to show the mental tools humans employ to think about God.
Conceptual Metaphor Theory and the Mormon Understanding of God
/0 Comments/in Cognitive Linguistics /by John SandersThe debate over literal versus metaphorical biblical texts in evangelicalism and Mormonism. Suggests that conceptual metaphor theory is a superior way of dealing with biblical metaphors for God than the way Mormons and many evangelicals do.
Books
Embracing ProdigalsJanuary 6, 2022 - 8:04 pm
Theology in the FleshMay 20, 2016 - 1:29 am
The God Who Risks: A Theology of Divine ProvidenceMarch 14, 2016 - 7:35 pm
No Other Name: An Investigation into the Destiny of the UnevangelizedMarch 13, 2016 - 7:29 pm
What About Those Who Have Never Heard?March 12, 2016 - 5:25 pm
Topics
annhilationism
Bible
christian
Christian God
Christian theism
divine providence
divine suffering
dynamic omniscience
embodiment
ETS
evangelicalism
evil
evolution
foreknowledge
free will
freewill theism
God
hell
hermeneutics
holy spirit
humility
impassibility
inclusivism
jesus christ
literal
love
metaphor
natural evil
omniscience
Oord
openness theology
open theism
open view
prayer
process theism
prophecy
providence
salvation
suffering
time
timelessness
tradition
unevangelized
universalism
violence
Chart of four views on providence
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersClassical, Freewill, Open, and Process theisms
Philosophically oriented overview of open theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersSummary, support for, history, and responses to criticisms
Open Theism from Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Religion
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersShort summary of Open Theism
Summary of open theism
/8 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersOverview of and arguments in support of open theism. Key issues that have been raised in evangelicalism
Video Introduction to Open Theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersJazz is a good illustration of what God’s relationship to us is like.
Providence in Light of and Open God and an Open Future
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersOverview of open theism from 2021.
God and the Concept of Being
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersMany thinkers believe we must begin our reflections on God with the concept of being as a a box into which all existing things are placed. This results in many problems. However, we can begin our reflections on God in a different place.
Biblical predictions
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersWays open theists interpret biblical predictions. I’ve written in The God Who Risks that most biblical prophecies do not contain predictions of future events. Prophecies are most often about challenging people to walk the path of God. Yet, there are statements in the Bible that predict or seem to predict specific future events. These passages […]
I am who I am in Exodus 3
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersI am who I am is a promise to be with Moses and the people, not an abstract philosophical statement.
Response to Oord’s Death of Omnipotence
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersOord claims to have killed the idea of omnipotence. I give arguments why his reasons are not successful.
Is God “outside” of time?
/2 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersTo say that God is “outside” of time depends on the metaphor that time is a container but this is not the way we should understand time.
Simple Foreknowledge is Useless for Providence
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersSimple foreknowledge has catastrophic problems and the attempts to resuscitate it have failed. It is time to move on and affirm either dynamic omniscience, middle knowledge, or theological determinism.
Future of Open Theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersThe Future of Open Theism by Richard Rice (2020) is a wonderful book. The first part covers its development and reception. Rice does a terrific job of surveying the history of this idea, including forerunners such as McCabe and Olson. He explains how the book, The Openness of God, came about and summarizes the books […]
Podcast with Greg Boyd and Aaron Simmons on God and the Pandemic
/0 Comments/in Open Theism, Uncategorized /by John SandersWe discuss open theism and the covid-19 pandemic.
Muslim Scholarship on Open Theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersSome Islamic scholars affirmed dynamic omniscience. Some in the Qadarite school (eighth century) and Abd al-Jabbar, an important figure of the Mu’tazilite school (tenth century). See Michael Lodahl, “The (Brief) Openness Debate in Islamic Theology” in Thomas J. Oord ed., Creation Made Free: Open Theology Engaging Science (Pickwick, 2009), 55, 59. Muslim thinkers whose view […]
Open Theism: Progress and Prospects
/0 Comments/in Open Theism, Uncategorized /by John Sanders and William HaskerA brief historical introduction places the view in its historical context. This is followed by a section discussing some philosophical assumptions and implications of open theism, and the essay concludes with various theological topics. We discuss both the differences between open theism and other theological positions, and some matters of disagreement among open theists.
Sanders and Oord in conversation 2
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersTom Oord’s reply to my journal article (which criticized his understanding of theodicy and miracles) contains a number of helpful clarifications which help me understand his position better. Yet, I believe he misunderstands some things as well. In what follows I shall briefly address some of the topics raised in his reply that I hope […]
Problems with Oord’s Theodicy and Miracles
/4 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersProblems with Oord’s theodicy and miracles. John Sanders. Professor of Religious Studies, Hendrix College. Draft version, not for citation or quotation. Published version: “Why Oord’s Essential Kenosis Model Fails to Solve the Problem of Evil While Retaining Miracles.” Wesleyan Journal of Theology (fall, 2016): 174-187 Abstract: From the notion that love is incompatible with control […]
Podcast on Biblical Predictions and Cognitive Linguistics
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersInterview with Chris Fisher
Annotated list of publications on open theism by John Sanders
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersPublications
God’s Sovereignty in Today’s World
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by Clark PinnockThe nature of divine sovereignty and power in open theism
Key issues that the openness debate has raised
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersImportant questions that the debate over open theism has raised.
The Openness of God
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by William HaskerThe basics of open theism and how Hasker came to believe it.
The “Open” View of the Future
/2 Comments/in Open Theism /by Greg BoydUses biblical texts to defend that the future is open, not determined, and that God has dynamic omniscience.
God and the Future
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by Greg BoydBiblical support for open theism and responses to some common criticisms.
Mapping the Terrain of Divine Providence
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersPlenary address at Wheaton Philosophy conference, 2000
Who Has Affirmed Dynamic Omniscience and the Open Future in History?
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersThe history of those who have affirmed dynamic omniscience.
God and Violence in the Bible
/2 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersDoes God act immorally?
The Virtues Inherent in Open Theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersThe virtues that open theists should develop
A Goldilocks God?
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersHumility and the nature of God in open theism compared to some forms of analytic and Continental philosophy
Environmental concerns and open theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersApplies open theism to concern for the envrironment
Divine timelessness and relativity physics
/4 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersResponse to Wood’s criticism that open theism is out of line with relativity physics
Divine Suffering in an Openness Perspective
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersDivine suffering and impassibility
Is Open Theism a Radical Revision or Miniscule Modification of Arminianism?
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersCompares Wesleyan-Arminian theology and open theism
God, Time, and Foreknowledge
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersAn openness account of God’s relationship to time and knowledge of the future
Continental Philosophers of Religion on Open Theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersMost of the philosophical discussion of open theism has been done by “analytic” philosophers but there are several philosophers who practice an approach to philosophy of religion known as Continental philosophy who affirm open theism. One is John Davenport at Fordham University. He rejects many of the divine attributes as affirmed by classical theism. He […]
Can the Call be traced? Some reflections on the “God” of Jack Caputo
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersReflections on Caputo’s understanding of God
Does Open Theism Reduce or Limit God?
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersAddresses criticism by Helm, Geisler, Ware, etc. that open theism reduces God
On Highfield’s criticism that open theism limits God
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersDefends open theism from this accusation
Does human logic limit God?
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersWe have to use human reasoning to understand God
Hardening of Pharaoh’s heart in Exodus
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersGod influenced but did not determine what Pharaoh would do
Divine Reciprocity and Epistemic Openness in Clark Pinnock’s Theology
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersOn Pinnock’s pilgrimage in open theism and why humility in knowledge claims is inherent in the open view.
The Hexagon of Opposition: Thinking Outside the Aristotelian Box
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by Greg Boyd, Alan Rhoda and Thomas BeltDiscusses one way for open theists to understand the truth value of statements about future events.
On Heffalumps and Heresies: Address at the ETS
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersResponds to lots of criticisms from ETS members
Embracing Vulnerability by Roberto Sirvent
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersMy comments on the book
Creation Untamed by Fretheim
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersMy comments on the book
Things That May Be Only?
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by George M. PorterOn Lorenzo McCabe and the debate in nineteenth century Methodism about whether or not God knows future contingents.
God as Most Moved Mover
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by Clark PinnockOn Open Theism and Pentecostalism
The Incompatibility of Libertarian Free Will and Divine Timelessness
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by William HaskerArgues that freewill is logically incompatible with God being timeless
The Problem of Evil in Process Theism and Classical Free Will Theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by William HaskerExamines how evil is understood in these two models,
Tradition, Divine Transcendence, and the Waiting Father
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by William HaskerResponse to Fredoso about the nature of divine transcendence.
Response to papers on the Stone-Campbell Movement and Open Theism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersResponds to several chapters on open theism by theologians from this tradition
Preserving Civility and Piety within the BGC
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by Ron SaariLetter from a pastor in support of Greg Boyd
Implications of Divine Repentance For the Attributes of God
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by William HaskerIf the divine mind changes then God cannot have exhaustive definite foreknowledge
The “Openness” of God: A Reply to William Hasker
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by Alfred FreddosoPhilosopher Fredoso criticizes open theism.
Divine Relationality and Theodicy in The Shack
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersExamines the best-selling book, The Shack, on the problem of evil and divine openness
1994-2004, an Overview of the Debate on Open Theism in Evangelicalism
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersThe debate in evangelicalism
Is Open Theism Christian Theism?
/1 Comment/in Open Theism /by John SandersShows that open theism fits into the traditional free will theological traditions of the church
The Early Church Fathers on Hellenism and Impassibility
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersThe early fathers had different definitions of divine impassibility and open theism agrees with some of these views.
Books on Openness Theology
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John SandersKey Works
Reply to Bruce Ware
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John Sanders2002 reply to criticisms of open theism by Ware
A Letter to the Editor of Christianity Today
/0 Comments/in Open Theism /by John Sanders, Clark Pinnock, David Basinger, Richard Rice and William HaskerThe authors of the Openness of God respond to the comments about open theism by Grunler in Christianity Today.