Description
Book SynopsisIn Fate and Free Will, Heath White explores and defends a traditional view of God''s relationship to creation that has in recent years fallen out of favor. White argues that theological determinismthe idea that God is directly responsible for every detail of history and existenceis relevant to concepts such as human responsibility, freedom, and justice; the meaning of life; and theodicy. Defending theological determinism from the perspective of traditional orthodox Christianity, White clarifies this view, positions it within scripture, and argues positively for it through considerations about divine attributes and via the idea of an ex nihilo creation.
White addresses objections to theological determinism by presenting nuanced and insightful counterarguments. He asserts that theological determinism does not undermine practices of criminal punishment, destroy human responsibility, render life meaningless, or hinder freedom. While the book does not attempt to answer every
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"Theological determinism has in recent decades not received the attention devoted to various versions of theological libertarianism, and this state of affairs is best corrected. Fate and Free Will promises to be the best current book-length philosophical treatment of theological determinism from a Christian perspective. It is in addition accessible to undergraduates and to the college-educated public." —Derk Pereboom, Susan Linn Sage Professor of Philosophy, Cornell University
"Instead of engaging in the all-too-common and often unilluminating “low road” of argument and counterexample, Heath White primarily takes what he calls the “high road” of explanation. He is always asking “why” and proposing thoughtful and systematic answers. What results is a series of theories: theories of prayer, of punishment, of blame, of free will, even of the meaning of life, all connected to the overarching theologically determinist theory of divine providence. If you want to wrestle with genuinely deep and thorough attempts to get to the bottom of things, I can’t recommend anything on the subject more highly." —Daniel M. Johnson, Shawnee State University
"Contemporary philosophy of religion has been dominated by approaches that assume a very robust libertarianism about free will and have unsurprisingly been accompanied by a diminished view of divine sovereignty. W. Heath White’s Fate and Free Will is a welcome counterweight. Beginning instead with a very robust account of divine sovereignty that precludes libertarianism, White shows how much progress can be made on thorny theological issues without sacrificing a strong conception of God as determiner of all that was, is, and ever will be." —Mark C. Murphy, Robert L. McDevitt, K.S.G., K.C.H.S. and Catherine H. McDevitt L.C.H.S. Chair in Religious Philosophy, Georgetown University
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Divine Action
2. Why Believe Theological Determinism?
3. Does Theological Determinism Undermine Human Justice?
4. Responsibility
5. Does Theological Determinism Undermine Responsibility?
6. Theological Determinism and the Meaning of Life
7. Theological Determinism and Freedom
8. The Problem of Evil I: Its Mere Existence
9. The Problem of Evil II: Beyond Mere Existence
10. The Problem of Hell
11. The Last Word
Notes
Bibliography
Index
