No Place for Sovereignty

What’s Wrong with Freewill Theism

In recent years an increasing number of evangelical thinkers have called for a reevaluation of our understanding of God, making a case for what has variously been called “freewill theism” or the “open view” of God. R. K. McGregor Wright sees their efforts not as something radically new, but a contemporary reaffirmation of Arminianism. Concerned that evangelicals may soon find no place for sovereignty in their thinking, Wright sets out to show what’s wrong–biblically, theologically and philosophically–with freewill theory in its ancient form. Along the way, he provides a short course in historical theology, making a fresh, powerful case for the Reformed emphasis on God’s sovereign grace. Wright also meets challenges head-on with a discussion of the Arminian position and a chapter on the problem of evil. Finally, he subjects to close scrutiny the recent work of Clark Pinnock, a contemporary advocate of freewill theism. Regardless of where readers’ sympathies lie, they will want to hear, think through and respond for themselves to the arguments Wright makes on behalf of the Reformed understanding of God.