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Predestination, in Christian theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the "paradox of free will", whereby God's omniscience seems incompatible with human free will. In this usage, predestination can be regarded as a form of religious determinism; and usually predeterminism, also known as theological determinism.
Theodicy means vindication of God. It is to answer the question of why a good God permits the manifestation of evil, thus resolving the issue of the problem of evil. Some theodicies also address the evidential problem of evil by attempting "to make the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful and all-good or omnibenevolent God consistent with the existence of evil or suffering in the world." Unlike a defense, which tries to demonstrate that God's existence is logically possible in the light of evil, a theodicy attempts to provide a framework wherein God's existence is also plausible. The German philosopher and mathematician Gottfried Leibniz coined the term "theodicy" in 1710 in his work Théodicée, though various responses to the problem of evil had been previously proposed. The British philosopher John Hick traced the history of moral theodicy in his 1966 work, Evil and the God of Love, identifying three major traditions:
- the Plotinian theodicy, named after Plotinus
- the Augustinian theodicy, which Hick based on the writings of Augustine of Hippo
- the Irenaean theodicy, which Hick developed, based on the thinking of St. Irenaeus
Predestination is a doctrine in Calvinism dealing with the question of the control that God exercises over the world. In the words of the Westminster Confession of Faith, God "freely and unchangeably ordained whatsoever comes to pass." The second use of the word "predestination" applies this to the salvation, and refers to the belief that God appointed the eternal destiny of some to salvation by grace, while leaving the remainder to receive eternal damnation for all their sins, even their original sin. The former is called "unconditional election", and the latter "reprobation". In Calvinism, some people are predestined and effectually called in due time to faith by God.
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Christian views on environmentalism vary among different Christians and Christian denominations.
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Gary William Chartier is an American legal scholar and philosopher who is currently Distinguished Professor of Law and Business Ethics and Associate Dean of the Tom and Vi Zapara School of Business at La Sierra University in Riverside, California.
Christian theology is the theology of Christian belief and practice. Such study concentrates primarily upon the texts of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, as well as on Christian tradition. Christian theologians use biblical exegesis, rational analysis and argument. Theologians may undertake the study of Christian theology for a variety of reasons, such as in order to:
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References
- ↑ "Mark W Elliott". University of St Andrews. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- ↑ "Mark W. ELLIOTT. The Heart of Biblical Theology". catholicbooksreview.org. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- ↑ Wright, Terry J. (4 November 2014). "Mark W. Elliott". Theology. 117 (6): 444–445. doi:10.1177/0040571X14547470l.
- ↑ Carvalho, Corrine (April 2015). "Elliott, Mark W. . Burlington, VT, and Farnham, UK: Ashgate, 2012. 187 pp. £60.00 (cloth)". The Journal of Religion. 95 (2): 255–256. doi:10.1086/681676.
- ↑ Wright, Terry J (October 2017). "Providence Perceived: Divine Action from a Human Point of View. By Mark W. Elliott". The Journal of Theological Studies. 68 (2): 866–868. doi:10.1093/jts/flx136.