Making sense of God's providence

I'm a devoted listener to Greg Koukl's radio show and podcast "Stand to Reason". Stand to Reason is a very valuable ministry for those who like to think reasonably about the Christian worldview and realize that believing in God and Christ is not a "leap of faith".

This week's podcast was a bit odd to me because Koukl spent a large portion of the show talking about why he is a Calvinist, specifically regarding the topic of God's providence and human free will. There were two things that bothered me here. First, Koukl didn't explain why he doesn't agree other views of God's providence. He briefly mentioned Arminianism, but didn't, as far as I remember, even mention Molinism (or Middle Knowledge). Second, Koukl's view assumes certain foundational truths, but he didn't argue for these foundational truths. What I mean is, he takes a Calvinist stance based on some assumptions which may or may not actually be true.

My point is not to argue against Calvinism here, so I won't go into detail on the issue, but for a brief example, Koukl explains that humans have compatiblist free will, but doesn't really argue for why he thinks this. He assumes it using a common sense approach. He asked if it would be possible for humans to live sinlessly and assumed the answer to be "No." But what if someone thinks the answer is "Yes"? Regardless of what the answer is, I don't like that he simply appealed to common sense on this issue.

Since Koukl left out mention of Molinism, I am assuming that there are many teachers out there who are doing the same. For this reason, I am writing today. I want to make sure that you have had the opportunity to research this view. Perhaps you haven't even heard of it. A more common term for this view is "Middle Knowledge". The modern father (if you will) of this view is Dr. William Lane Craig. With his wonderfully logical thinking, Craig has been very effective at explaining and teaching about this view of God's providence and human free will.

I will not try to explain the view here because it has been thoroughly explained elsewhere. My goal is to bring the view to your attention and to encourage you to read some resources on the topic. My goal here on Reverentium is always to encourage you to think. This is an issue worth thinking about. A few years ago, I had never had solid convictions on the topic. Then, a friend introduced me to Craig's arguments for the Middle Knowledge view. This view, I think, makes the most sense of Bible passages on the topic. It solves the issues present in Calvinism and Arminianism, and it takes a totally different perspective on some foundational ideas assumed by Calvinists.

You might find the Middle Knowledge view to be refreshing.

Some good resources are:

The Only Wise God, by William Lane Craig
Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview, by J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig
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