1st Edition

Theological Perspectives on Free Will Compatibility, Christology, and Community

Edited By Aku Visala, Olli-Pekka Vainio Copyright 2024
    248 Pages
    by Routledge

    Continue Shopping

    Free will is a perennial theological and philosophical topic. As a central dogmatic locus, it is implicated in discussions around core Christian doctrines such as grace, salvation, sin, providence, evil and predestination. This book offers a state-of-the-art look at recent debates about free will in analytic and philosophical theology. The chapters revolve around three central themes: the debate between theological compatibilists and libertarians, the communal nature of Christian freedom, and the role of free will in Christology. With contributions by leading scholars, the volume provides a valuable overview of current arguments as well as novel openings and ideas for further discussion.

    1 Introduction: Free Will and Philosophical Theology

    Aku Visala

    Part I: Compatibility

    2 Why Christians should be compatibilists?

    Jesse Couenhoven

    3 Weighing Compatibilism and Libertarianism in Analytic Theology

    Kevin Timpe

    4 Can the unfree person have a deep self?

    Leigh Vicens

    5 The semantic case against Open Theism and experimental philosophy

    Ferhat Yoney

    6 Freedom, even if God decrees it

    James Rooney

    Part II: Community

    7 Free Together: On Christian Freedom and Group Ontology

    Andy Everhart

    8 Free will, cognitive biases and theology

    Simon Kittle

    9 Bound choice and eternal punishment

    Aku Visala

    10 Why are Lutherans bound to struggle with free will?

    Olli-Pekka Vainio

    Part III: Christology

    11 Another Look at the Final Temptation of Christ

    David Worsley

    12 The Impeccable Freedom of Christ

    Johannes Grössl

    Biography

    Aku Visala is Research Fellow in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Helsinki, Finland.

    Olli-Pekka Vainio is University Lecturer of Systematic Theology at the University of Helsinki, Finland.