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| No Other God: A Response to Open Theism | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 7 reviews)
Sales Rank: 507519
Category: Book
Author: John M. Frame
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Studio: P & R Publishing
Manufacturer: P & R Publishing
Label: P & R Publishing
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 235
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.7
ISBN: 0875521851
Dewey Decimal Number: 231
EAN: 9780875521855
ASIN: 0875521851
Publication Date: October 1, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The theological movement known as open theism is shaking the church today, challenging the doctrines of God's sovereignty, foreknowledge, and providence. This timely work clearly describes open theism and evaluates it biblically. Frame addresses questions such as How do open theists read the Bible? Is love God's most important attribute? Is God's will the ultimate explanation of everything? Do we have genuine freedom? Is God ever weak or changeable? Does God know everything in advance? Frame not only answers the objections of open theists but sharpens our understanding of the relationship between God's eternal plan and the decisions or events of our lives.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Excellent Critique of Open Theism April 9, 2008
Dr. John Frame has written an excellent reformed critique of Open Deism as espoused by teachers such as Greg Boyd, Clark Pinnock, and Richard Rice. Frame tackles not only the teachings of open theist but he looks to the Scriptures as the final authority for sound doctrine.
While some Arminians (myself included) may find some of Frame's arguements based on his Calvinistic presuppositions, all orthodox Christians will find Frame does wrestle with the Bible for all his answers. His strong view on the authority of the Bible shines forth in his solid critique. While I disagreed with Frame on his view of divine determinism, I found that he answers nearly every major passage that Open Deist often appeal to try to prove that God is open to change based on the decisions, prayers, and actions of men.
Overall this book was a great read. Theological works often can be a bore to read, I found that not to be the case with Frame's book. In fact, reading this book by Frame made me want to purchase his other theological books as well. He is good writer and who keeps the focus on the subject while keeping the reader interested in the teaching at hand. A good read even before you go to bed.
 The Best Critique September 7, 2005
8 out of 10 found this review helpful
This is the best critique of Open Theism on the market today. Frame confronts the idea that God does not know the future exhaustively with a thorough biblical overview on relevant passages pertaining to God's sovereignty. Making his case from the Bible he avoids the pitfalls of name-calling, stereotyping, and alarmism by simply showing the ideas put forth by open theists to be contrary to well established biblical doctrines.
However, the book is different in that it does not deal extensively with issues within the realm of omniscience, but more or less refutes libertarian free will. Thus, it acknowledges at least in practice that the watershed issue in the debate is over free will, not omniscience. John Sanders would at least feel some vindication in this regard.
Nevertheless, the book is accessible and thoughtful and helped convert this reader from open theist to classical Augustinianism.
Predominately Excellent Contribution July 22, 2003
17 out of 22 found this review helpful
When it comes to matters of either theology or philosophy, being in a different camp then John Frame is not fun. Over the last 15 years or so, Frame has published a number of works on various topics that have taken Christian scholarship to a new level of freshness and coherence. This particular book, for the most part, falls into that category.This contribution to the open theism debate, while not perfect, is a solid attempt to take on open theism on a variety of fronts. Unlike other critiques of open theism, Frame engages in an exegetical critique that is vital. But this book is not a purely exegetical critique, for it also engages open theism's presuppositions in the areas of hermeneutics and emotional imperatives that they bring to bear on the text. As a result, this book is one of the better books around in presenting a full orbed critique of open theism. The result is a critique that exposes open theism for what it is - a philosophically and epistemically inconsistent worldview supported by dubious biblical exegesis and hermeneutical principles. Frame is outstanding in comparing the stated principles of open theism with the actual exegesis (to the extent that it can be called that) that actually violates their stated principles. He tends to be relentless not only in dismantling the legitimacy of libertarianism which is the lone guiding principle of the open theist program, but is also relentless in exposing the works of open theists as being AWOL when it comes to dealing with numerous biblical texts that militate against their system. It was refreshing to read a competent appraisal of the holes that tend to be gaping in the scholarship of the chief apologists of open theism. I gave the book 4 stars mainly because while Frame's critique is full orbed and wide reaching, it suffered occasionally in what I felt was its unnecessary brevity. In particular, Frame's last chapter on the various theological ramifications of open theism was far too summary level and came off as an afterthought which was most unfortunate. The same can arguably be said about Frame's treatment of the love of God and how this attribute fits into a responsible attempt at a biblically based theology. Lastly, I would have appreciated a more in-depth critique of the literature that has been produced by open theists. I thought that Frame hit the highlights very well and dismantled many of the most serious errors of the movement as expressed in its writings, but there were many other areas that could have been covered here that weren't. So overall, a very good contribution to this ongoing debate, but in my view, we are still waiting for a truly definitive treatise that systematically and exhaustively dissects open theism across the board in a responsible fashion. This work by Frame gets at least fairly close, but doesn't quite make it in my view.
A Danger From Within March 1, 2002
13 out of 19 found this review helpful
John Frame's response to Open Theism is a scholarly endeavor that exposes the Open view to the litmus of Scripture and Classical Theism. Frame deals with the Open view candidly while maintaining dignity and keeping the discussion focused on the doctrine at stake, God's sovereignty. The Open view carries a compelling argument if one is willing to scripturally and historically mis-define the teaching on the sovereignty of God and John Frame is to be thanked for putting out such a marvelous defense against an idea that is dangerous because it's very sources lie within the framework of evangelicalism.
MELTS THE OPENNESS ICEBERG TO A MUDDY PUDDLE October 28, 2001
8 out of 28 found this review helpful
A convincing biblical corrective to the aberrant heterodoxy of Processistic,Bi-Polar,Neo-Socinian,Rationalistic Open Theory,this book uses balanced and cogent critique as devastating as chemo to the cancer trying to grow within evangelicalism as a result of too much exposure to global warming and ozone depletion among many Christian institutions/followers in recent times.So much is amiss and astray with Openness that this book shows how Scripture in the whole and in the parts most accurately understood melts the hazardous Open iceberg infesting biblically safe shipping lanes into a muddy icecube soon to be an evaporating puddle of lukewarm religious speculation/disaffection The best review of this outstanding defense of Classical Biblical Theism (God retains His Omnipotence,Omniscience,Omnipresence,Transcendent Immanence,Eternity,Infinity,Majesty,Love and Wrath)would be representative selective points from this masterful entry into the funeral rites for the demise and fall of 'Ajarism': *A sad mark of today's theological landscape is historical & biblical ignorance.How else to account for neo-Socinian skeletons dressed up in the latest faddish fashion of modern philosophic/religious/metaphysical/neo-orthodox buzzwords such asIn-Process,Temporal Pole,Presentism,Free-will theism,vulnerable/risk-taking god,user-friendly,relational,etc.) via Whitehead,Hartshorne,Peirce,Heisenberg,Wittgenstein to the sincerely wrong writings of Open Theists Pinnock,Sanders,Boyd & Co. trying desperately and futilely to pass their speculation off as the latest,most contemporary,culturally relevant,updated 'evangelicalism'. Rather it is shamefully exposed as threadbare,moth-eaten pernicious error, a pseudo-evangelical garment ill-fitting the Bible. *Under Openness/Ajarism, with the deity ignorant of future free agency,how can there be Scriptural inspiration of the Biblical authors if the Holy Spirit doesn't even know what Moses,David,Isaiah,Luke,Paul,John are choosing to write beforehand? God knows what He intends to say, but without crude,mechanical,compulsory dictation,where does the voluntary authorship of the human agents fit in to ensure inerrancy,infallibility,accuracy and completeness absent Divine Foreknowledge in the 'theopneustos' equation of:Divine Agency + Human Authorship = Word of God? *We have moved from Biblical orthodoxy to neo-orthodoxy to liberal unorthodoxy now with an offshoot to neo-libertarianism(self-limited,vulnerable,risk-taking,bi-polar,self-emptying deity unable to possess more than 1)a shared power/authority co-arrangement with fallen beings; 2)extensive part-macro definite/most-micro indefinite forecasting of free-agent futures capability; 3)finiteness in the form of temporal-spatial-material divinity to meaningfully relate to the time-space-matter continuum He created; 4)Quasi-omnipresence,no longer every
where-when,everythere-then,everyhere-now omni-past,omni-present,omni-future but pretty much mere 'presentism' only with exhaustive recollection of the past and projection of all future possibilities, none of which are actualized from God's perspective or experience yet.) What next after Ajarism? Wide-Openism? *It is claimed by open theists:"If God is truly omnipotent, then agents have no genuine power or authority over their agency,decisions,destinies nor real responsibility/meaning/worth.
Thus God can't be Omnipotent, but 'Multi-potent', the most powerful among all the powers that be such as Satan,demons,angels and man who have much latitude,free-exercise rights and power of self-determination, which God (not Almighty or El Shaddai any longer) at very rare and reluctant discretion retains the right to override/veto/intervene to keep things on track to accomplish some semblance of progress toward ultimate divine success in the creative enterprise called Earth."
What byzantine,labyrinthine,warped reasoning! By that peculiar logic, one could just as easily claim "If God is truly Omniscient, then agents have no genuine knowledge, but are aware of nothing. If God is truly Omnipresent, then agents don't exist since there's no point-moment of space-time God doesn't exclusively occupy!"Sorry Open Theists (and any Process Theists,neo-Socinians,neo-libertarians listening in). The Bible says God is Omnipotent.Does that mean we are powerless,i.e. Omnimpotent? God is Omniscient. Are we Omnignorant,knowing nothing,nada,zilch?God is Omnipresent. Are we Omni-absent,non-existent?Think about it (but not too hard!) Bracing and Biblical food for thought for those on both sides of this crucial issue affecting the Evangelical Church today.Order multiple copies to share with friends! No Other God throws the gauntlet down/back to Open Theism's challenge to the Classical
view about Who the Real Jesus Christ is: Is there room in the
church for another Christ, the Open Christ? Or should there be
No Other Jesus?
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