More reasons as to why there is a modern push for Openness Theology…..

In today’s culture we like quick, relatable answers. We want solutions that provide for fast answers to religious issues that relate to our world and make sense to us. If God is in control, in the classical sense – He knows and determines everything that comes to pass, then how can there truly be spiritual warfare? Gregory Boyd says in God at War:

. . . divine goodness does not completely control or in any sense will evil; rather good and evil are at war with one another. . . . God must work with, and battle against other created beings (War, 20). … neither Jesus nor his disciples assumed that there had to be a divine purpose behind all events in history. Rather, they understood the cosmos to be populated by a myriad of free agents, some human, some angelic, and many of them evil (Boyd, War, 53).

While it is true that spiritual warfare is very real (see Dan. 10:12-14; Ephesians 6:11-17), it does not mean that the outcome of the battle must be unknown to make it a legitimate battle. Let’s consider prophecy in light of this point. If God could be thwarted by the Devil and His angels then could God really make a prediction as to future events? No. At best, prophecies could only be highly educated guesses. God predicts the future, yet He moves through people to accomplish that future for exactly what He determines. The same is true for spiritual warfare. You and I are called to battle with spiritual forces in heavenly places and experience the grace and power of God as we do. Consider the life of Christ when He entered the arena of humanity. Jesus had to walk on this earth 33 years, die and rise again for the atonement to be successful. It was not easy, as a matter of fact it, it was a battle with the world system, people, and the Devil. The battles Jesus faced were real, but the victory was secure in the power and sovereign will of God (see Acts 2:23; Eph. 1:4; Heb. 10:5-7; Tit. 1:1-3). Before time Christ’s victory was secure, but that does not mean that He did not really do battle with spiritual enemies during His ministry. Jesus confronted the forces of darkness and displayed His power over those forces. In Jesus we see the perfect balance of trust in the Father’s sovereign power and the need to take action! The hope that we have in the sovereign God is not an excuse for inactivity or laziness, but should be a motivation that we can risk everything, even our lives, in the pursuit of God and have no fear of lose or being in any situation that is beyond God’s hand.

Unfortunately, those who ascribe to “Openness” have formed a god through the lens of how we would think or act in order to make sense of life. In the end all they have is a twisted and mangled view of an impotent god needing our help to get his way. In seeking to make God more real, they have recreated Him into a god who cannot really help anyone for sure. In the end the cure is worse than the perceived disease.