[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

I thought I'd ask OPie if he has any thoughts on this. It the tendency, shown in this argument, which seems to lead almost inexorably toward this line of thinking that makes me so leary of the idea of God as a theoretical thinker and planner.

I'd say that the essential difference between my syllogism on Matthew 11:20-27, and the probability-argumentation of the Open Theists, is that I am arguing that prior to Creation, God in His omnipotence enjoys an infinite number of Creative Potentialities comprehensive, precisely and absolutely Foreknown to Him from Beginning to End, and He has the Divine Freedom to Elect to Actualize (create) that Foreknown Potentiality which He elects to actualize.**

The Open Theist essentially denies God's comprehensive foreknowledge, for He denies that God precisely foreknows exactly what a Free Agent WILL choose; He "only" knows all that a Free Agent can choose, and "plans around" those "posibilities". In other words, to use Open Theist terminology, He is "a god who takes risks".

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** -- incidentally, I appreciate your belief that, prior to Creation, God did not sit around "worrying Himself" about just which Potential creation He was going to Create... "Oh me, oh my, whatever shall I do with My omnipotence??" It's a worthy criticism, and I assure you that neither do I suppose that God sat around worrying Himself about His alternatives -- He has a defined Plan which accords perfectly with His good pleasure, and from the beginning of creation He has inexorably carried it out. I am merely pointing out that, prior to Creation, God enjoyed infinte Creative alternatives equally available to His omnipotent freedom. A simple enough explanation will serve to demonstrate the point:
• God cannot Foreknow the Possibility of Actioning a Course of Action which He cannot do. Example -- God cannot Lie (i.e., it is impossible that His Word should conflict with Reality, for His Word creates Reality in its wake). Ergo, God cannot Foreknow the Possibility of God Lying.
• God Foreknew the Possibility of performing Miracles which would bring Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom to Repentace.
• Ergo, this Creative Possibility was available to His Omnipotence, else He could not Foreknow it.
• However, this Possibility, though Freely Available to His Omnipotence, is not the Potentiality which He Elected to Actualize. He elected to permit Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom to remain in Non-Repentance, instead.

[George W. Bush]

I'd say that the essential difference between my syllogism on Matthew 11:20-27, and the probability-argumentation of the Open Theists, is that I am arguing that prior to Creation, God in His omnipotence enjoys an infinite number of Creative Potentialities comprehensive, precisely and absolutely Foreknown to Him from Beginning to End, and He has the Divine Freedom to Elect to Actualize (create) that Foreknown Potentiality which He elects to actualize.**

Naturally, I was not suggesting that you believed anything so loony as these open theists. I think I'll just stick with my idea of God as possessed of a monolithic and eternal Will with regard to the unfolding of His plan for the human race and for the rest of His creation generally. I observe the relative silence of the Bible on the general topic of how God thinks and don't think that the matter is of any great importance anyway.

Perhaps my prejudice against the whole idea is that it reminds me too much of iterative computer-based problem-solving. Human beings do not naturally reason in this way in a creative endeavor. So, I tend to think that, if we are created in the image of God, that God probably does not think in this way either. I have to admit that my explanation is pretty simplistic.

But, among Baptists, that's never a liability.  ; )