God, Open Theism, and the Stone-Campbell Movement

Given our common Arminian roots, the case for open theism, condemned by many in current discussion, deserves careful evaluation by those in the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. John Sanders, whose widely-cited book, The God Who Risks, is one of the most significant from the openness ranks, offers some positive insights for our view of God, but overall, presents arguments that are biblically and theologically problematic. Sanders’s volume should prod Restorationists and other evangelicals to an understanding of God that strikes a needed balance between the “risk-free” deity of Reformed thought and the highly vulnerable divine being of openness. Furthermore, the historic stance of the Stone-Campbell heritage to let the Bible speak without the fear of confessional censure provides the needed forum for constructive discussion of theological challenges such as open theism, an irenic environment largely missing in the scholarly circles of evangelicalism.