The Evangelical and The Open Theist: Can Open Theism Find Its Place Within the Evangelical Community?

Since the publication of The Openness of God in 1994, open theism has become a hot topic of debate within evangelical circles. The debate has become so heated, in fact, that the Evangelical Theological Society brought to a vote a motion to expel two of its members for adhering to the teachings of open theology.

What is it about open theism that inspired opponents to claim that "American Christianity is currently engaged in a crucial debate over the doctrine of God" and that "nothing less than the biblical orthodox doctrines of God and of salvation are at stake"? What about its teachings inspire such passionate reactions within the evangelical community?

Evangelical and Open Theist?

The Evangelical and The Open Theist explores the tenants of open theism in light of the foundational beliefs of evangelicalism to determine whether the open theist can legitimately claim the title “evangelical.”

This book pursues this goal by evaluating

--The foundational beliefs and theological markers of evangelicalism.
--The Scripture passages proponents and opponents of open theism most frequently utilize in making their arguments.
--The most common philosophical and theological arguments for and against open theism.

By carefully tracing and organizing the most common arguments in this heated debate, the book’s author—though not an open theist himself—seeks to answer whether in the midst of this controversy, open theists can find their place within the evangelical community.