Their God Is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God [Paperback]

Bruce A. Ware (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 12, 2003

Can you trust a "God" who can't know the future?

A new theology is trickling down from the lofty halls ofacademia to the pews of evangelical churches. Called opentheism, this novel view of God denies that he fully knows thefuture and insists that he takes risks by giving humanswide-ranging freedom. This view has disastrous consequences for theeveryday faith of ordinary Christians, consequences you can'tafford to ignore.

Their God Is Too Small explains some of the beliefs ofopen theism and shows their practical implications. Using biblicaltruth and personal anecdotes, Bruce Ware demonstrates how opentheism undermines trust in God for everyday life, particularly inthe midst of suffering. This is no dry academic discourse; if youcare about God's glory and your confidence in him, then this bookis for you because it concerns the everyday issues of faith.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“With unassailable logic, compelling exposition, and captivating real-life implications, Ware convincingly demonstrates the theological barrenness of open theism by exposing its major biblical deficiencies.” --John F. MacArthur, Jr., Pastor-Teacher, Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California “Open theism supports its reducing of God’s sovereignty by denying his full knowledge of the future. If any doubt remains as to whether this falls short of the Bible’s teaching and waters down Christian faith and hope, Bruce Ware’s pastoral reasoning will surely dispel it.” --J. I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College “Their God Is Too Small effectively exposes the diminished God of open theism, and in so doing provides pastors with a powerful tool to foster genuine faith in the sovereign, wise, and trustworthy God of the Bible.” --C. J. Mahaney, Senior Pastor, Covenant Life Church, Gaithersburg, Maryland “Confusion about God inevitably leads to confusion about life. Thankfully, Bruce Ware keeps our heads and hearts on track toward an accurate knowledge of God against the backdrop of prevalent distortions.” --Joseph M. Stowell, President, Moody Bible Institute --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Review

"With unassailable logic, compelling exposition, and captivating real-life implications, Ware convincingly demonstrates the theological barrenness of open theism by exposing its major biblical deficiencies."
—John MacArthur, Pastor, Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California

"Open theism supports its reducing of God's sovereignty by denying his full knowledge of the future. If any doubt remains as to whether this falls short of the Bible's teaching and waters down Christian faith and hope, Bruce Ware's pastoral reasoning will surely dispel it."
—J. I. Packer, Board of Governors' Professor of Theology, Regent College; author, Knowing God

"Their God Is Too Small effectively exposes the diminished God of open theism, and in so doing provides pastors with a powerful tool to foster genuine faith in the sovereign, wise, and trustworthy God of the Bible."
—C. J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

"Confusion about God inevitably leads to confusion about life. Thankfully, Bruce Ware keeps our heads and hearts on track toward an accurate knowledge of God against the backdrop of prevalent distortions."
—Joseph M. Stowell, President, Cornerstone University

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Crossway Books (August 12, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581344813
• ISBN-13: 978-1581344813
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #871,159 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Bruce A. Ware (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has written numerous journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, and has authored God's Lesser Glory, God's Greater Glory, and Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Open Theism is PROCESS THEISM + Bible = finite theism, July 6, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Their God Is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God (Paperback)

This fine entry into the debate has much Scripture, theology and plain common sense to sustain the devastating argument against Open Theism.

Too bad "rew-ind" from Alabama hasn't carefully read Ware's documentation here and elsewhere. Apparently he hasn't read Millard Erickson's masterful 'What Does God Know and When Does He Know It'. Or A.B.Caneday's dismantling of Boydian theory in his review of the sadly innocent-of-biblical-reality God of the Possible.

Suffice to say Open Theism has been relegated to the philosophist
section of extreme arminianism/anti-calvinism/quasi-biblicism. No work by Ware or others is necessary to show Openism for what it is: a misreading of ALL of Scripture in context balancing ALL relevant texts.

But Ware here does a fine job of showing why no respectable exegete would embrace or even tolerate this misguided attempt at redefining God's attributes, enhancing human libertarian latitude at the Sovereign Lord's expense and flirting with Process Theory.

Six stars would be more appropriate.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Biblical Arguments Against Open Theism (For Beginners), December 16, 2004

By 

Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Their God Is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God (Paperback)

Open Theism, once a doctrine known only to Christian academics, is slowly becoming mainstream among evangelicals. While it continues to be a minority position, it is gaining wider acceptance and several popular Christian authors are teaching it or teaching principles derived from it, even while denying their belief in it. This represents one of the battle-lines of the contemporary church and it is important for Christians to know what this doctrine teaches and be prepared to give a defense of the traditional view of God. This short book, written by Bruce Ware, sets out to teach believers the basics of what they need to know to defend the traditional doctrines.

Put simply, open theism is a doctrine that teaches that God does not fully know the future, for he cannot see what humans will do with the free will He gives them. Therefore, God has taken a great risk in giving us freedom. Of course this contrasts with the biblical teaching of God's omniscience - that He sees and knows everything in the past, present and future - as well as God's omnipotence - that He not only knows these things, but controls them as well. More than just a minor difference in doctrine, open theism threatens some of the beliefs Christians hold most dear. How can we have confidence in a God who does not know what will happen minutes, hours or days from now? How can we trust a God who is constantly making errors in judgment as He guides our lives the best He can, using only the information that He is able to see at the time? Why should we pray to a God who values our opinion as highly as our own? This is not the God of the Bible! As the title of the book tells us, the God of open theism is too small, having been created in the image of man.

Their God Is Too Small introduces the main proponents of open theism, explains the basics of their beliefs and shows the implications of this doctrine. The author concludes that open theism undermines the believer's confidence in God as the One who can be trusted to walk with us through pain and suffering; as the one who gives us a hope for the future. The constant theme is that this God is just far too small to be the God we learn of from the Scriptures.

This book, at only 129 pages, serves merely as an introduction to this doctrine, but it serves that purpose well. It is easy to read and understand, even for those who know little about theology. The reader will be left with an accurate depiction of the arguments for and against this doctrine as well as a strong sense of just what is at stake. I am glad to give it my recommendation.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Insightful Book, August 20, 2008

By 

John W. Williams - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Their God Is Too Small: Open Theism and the Undermining of Confidence in God (Paperback)

This was book that did a good job of outlineing some very common preceptions of God. The author also does a good job of outlineing arguments for the Christologocial view. It is light reading and not deeply theological. The underlying message is find out who God is not who we want him to be.