A Beautiful Nuance of Anabaptist Thought: Open Theism

The more I study Anabaptistica the more I embrace their beliefs and practices as my own concerning faith and practice at present. Yet I do not hold to everything they taught 100% more like 98½%. Regarding those things, I have problems with in my opinion just needs to be nuanced or tweaked. Now this leads me to what I am want to present but first the reasons.

It is no secret that Anabaptists did not accept as true foreordination and other aspects of that line of thinking where it is would make God the author of evil. Regarding His sovereignty and foreknowledge, many tried to address them while others did not even bother. For those that did they put forth a valiant effort to present a theodicy that did not mar God’s character. In essence, they were in opposition to Reformed or Calvinistic thought on the issue.[1]

No one can or will argue with the fact that the Anabaptists held to free will or their concern for God’s character when a lack of free will is present, and they contended against Reformed theology from the very commencement of the movement.[2] What I desire to focus on is that what would slightly modify and create a well-reasoned fully-orbed theodicy based on Anabaptist thinking. Open Theism (a belief that I personally hold to) would be just the thing to accomplish this.  In my opinion, it harmonizes with the Anabaptists’ primitive non-Reformed Arminianism.[3]

The following is some useful links that will provide more information on this form of belief regarding the nature and character of God.

Open Theism Information Site
Open Theism Facebook Group
Open Theism Simplified
On Heffalumps and Heresies: Responses to Accusations Against Open Theism

For those that desire something more in-depth I recommend the following books.[4]

 

God of the Possible: A Biblical Introduction to the Open View of God
by Gregory A. Boyd

The Openness of God: A Biblical Challenge to the Traditional Understanding of God 
by Clark H. Pinnock (Author) , Richard Rice (Author) , John Sanders (Author) , William Hasker (Author) , David Basinger (Author)

The God Who Risks: A Theology of Divine Providence 
by John Sanders

---

[1] In the future, I will most likely write a post that provides a little more detail.

[2] Some areas they held in common but those were nuanced from an Anabaptist perspective.

[3] The Five articles of Remonstrance was not drawn up until 1610, thus Anabaptism (1525) preceded a full presentation of Arminianism by some 85 years.

[4] If an individual would sticks with these books they will attain a pure unadulterated form of Open Theism.