Open Theism
When tragedies like the murder of a child or the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center occur Christians turn first to prayer. Next they turn to theology. At least thinking ones do. For in our theology we find answers to the plaguing questions exposed by such tragedies.
Two questions will surface eventually: First we will ask, “Did God know this was going to happen?” Christians usually join the vast majority of all Christians through history in answering, “Yes—God knows ahead of time everything that is going to happen.” Then a second questions arises, “Could God then have stopped it? Again, most all Christians through history have answered, “Yes, He could have—but He didn’t.” These answers are solid orthodox theology for most of history.
However, these two answers lead to a third question. If God knew this tragedy was going to happen, and He could have stopped it from happening, isn’t He at least partially responsible for this tragedy? That is, if a minister were counseling a guy who confessed he planned to kill his wife tonight, and that minister did nothing whatsoever to report this to the police, wouldn’t we all say the minister was at least partially responsible for the woman’s death? Our laws surely would hold him partially responsible. How much more then should God be held responsible for what these terrorists did? A human minister could say he or she thought the fellow was “just talking” or was “just blowing off steam.” The minister might not think the fellow was really serious. God can’t offer that plea—He does know for sure w