Tag: Middle Knowledge
A Molinist Response to Wayne Grudem
Question Tim, I’m sure you know that Wayne Grudem is no fan of William Lane Craig’s teaching on Molinism. In his popular theology textbook, Grudem mentions middle knowledge dozens of times and in Chapter 16, he gets down to business and presents four reasons why (he thinks) the Molinist position is not tenable. I’m going … Continue reading A Molinist Response to Wayne Grudem
Reformed Theology, God’s Knowledge, and the Possibility of Alternative Possibilities
Question Hey Tim, I hope you are doing well. At the church I pastor, we are going through Ken Keathley’s “Salvation and Sovereignty” book with our leaders. Some lean toward the Reformed view of providence. A question was raised last night that I’m needing help with. I thought you may be able to lend a … Continue reading Reformed Theology, God’s Knowledge, and the Possibility of Alternative Possibilities
Strange Knowledge Defeats Evil (YouTube Script)
Watch the YouTube video here (please like, share, and subscribe)! What’s up Free-Thinkers and True-Believers? I’m Dr. Stratton . . . and today I’m going to be talking about Doctor Strange and the Avengers. Marvel Studios took their time and spent a good decade developing many of my favorite childhood comics into fantastic movies. And … Continue reading Strange Knowledge Defeats Evil (YouTube Script)
Does God Have Middle Knowledge of His Own Actions?
One distinctive feature of Molinism is the idea of Middle Knowledge, whereby God knows what any possible creature would freely do under any possible set of circumstances. Hence, the content of this knowledge is said to include all true Counterfactuals of Creaturely Freedom (CCF). An interesting question arises when we ask ourselves “Does God also … Continue reading Does God Have Middle Knowledge of His Own Actions?
Logical Moments & the Structure of God’s Knowledge
Recently Tim Stratton wrote a response to the following question: “On the framework of Molinism, if there are multiple “logical moments” (not to be confused with chronological moments) prior to God’s creative decree, then would this not imply that God knows and does not know a truth simultaneously? If so, is this not a contradiction … Continue reading Logical Moments & the Structure of God’s Knowledge
Does God Know & Not Know Simultaneously?
Question: Dear Tim, On the framework of Molinism God possesses knowledge in different “logical moments” (natural, middle, and free knowledge) prior to creation. These logical moments are not to me confused with chronological moments. However, if there are multiple “logical moments” of God’s knowledge, then would this not imply that God knows and does not … Continue reading Does God Know & Not Know Simultaneously?
God’s Endgame
As you can tell, we at FreeThinking Ministries are huge superhero fans. Aside from being fun, superhero stories offer great learning opportunities about moral and even theological issues. Case in point, Stratton’s latest article on Avengers: Endgame about the problem of evil. (If you haven’t read it yet, you should go do that before reading … Continue reading God’s Endgame
Avengers: Endgame, Middle Knowledge, & the Destruction of the Problem of Evil
Spoiler Alert! Spoiler Alert!! Spoiler Alert!!! Seriously, if you have not yet seen the movie Avengers: Endgame, stop reading this and go to the movie theater and buy a ticket! Then come back and read this article. Consider yourself warned! One year ago, immediately after watching Avengers: Infinity War on opening night, I came home … Continue reading Avengers: Endgame, Middle Knowledge, & the Destruction of the Problem of Evil
Practical Rationality & Middle Knowledge
In a forthcoming paper entitled Does the Purpose Theory of the Meaning of Life Entail an Irrational God, I defend the Purpose Theory (PT) of the meaning of human life. PT is the position that God’s telic creation of human beings is a necessary condition for human life to be objectively meaningful. My defense of … Continue reading Practical Rationality & Middle Knowledge
Maximal Greatness & Middle Knowledge
Why think that Mere Molinism is true? If this view corresponds to reality, then two other propositions must also be true: (i) Logically prior to God’s decision to create the world, God knew everything that would happen in any possible scenario He could create (entails God’s middle knowledge). (ii) As beings created in God’s image, humans, like God, possess the categorical … Continue reading Maximal Greatness & Middle Knowledge