Free Will And Predestination

Faith & Science Conversation
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This topic has been addressed a few times on the forum. So existing threads might be a good place to start in answering your question:

If there is one you really like the look of you can reply there and reopen the conversation.

Or there are these other Biologos resources:

Or the following resources…

For example, DA Carson’s Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspective in Tension is a good place to start for one Calvinists deep dive into the issues around free will and predestination. Or there is Basinger & Basinger’s Predestination & Free Will: Four Views of Divine Sovereignty and Human Freedom it is s a bit dated but helpful for a more broad slice of the options.

If you are interested in more of an overview of the Calvinist take on predestination, then you may wish to read what some Calvinists and Reformed types have to say on the subject of predestination. A good place to start would be RC Sproul’s Chosen By God which is an easy-to-read, relatively short, and a pretty good introduction. Either that or pick up a copy of Bavinck, Berkhof, or Bird’s Systematic theologies for a deep dive.

My own take, I don’t think neuroscience neither confirms nor denies God’s sovereignty since the former is to do with genetics and biology and the latter is to do with divinity and, in my opinion, the Biblical witness.

Lastly, despite what some may imply, I would point out that Calvinism and Reformed Theology are not monolithic in how they view issues like free will and predestination. Some lean more towards Calvin’s take, others towards Augustine’s view, and others towards other theologians still. But one of the questions that lie at the heart of the internal conversations is ‘What do we mean by free will?’.

Hope all that helps. :slight_smile:

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