God and Time: Four Views, Edited by Gregory E. Ganssle

God and Time

Four Views

Spectrum Multiview Book Series

Edited by Gregory E. Ganssle
Contributions by Paul Helm, Alan G. Padgett, William Lane Craig, and Nicholas Wolterstorff

God and Time
paperback
  • Length: 247 pages
  • Dimensions: 6 × 9 in
  • Published: September 28, 2001
  • Imprint: IVP Academic
  • Item Code: 1551
  • ISBN: 9780830815517

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The eternal God has created the universe. And that universe is time-bound. How can we best understand God's relationship with our time-bound universe? For example, does God experience each moment of time in succession or are all times present to God?

How we think of God and time has implications for our understanding of the nature of time, the creation of the universe, God's knowledge of the future, God's interaction with his creation and the fullness of God's life.

In this Spectrum Multiview volume, four notable philosophers skillfully take on this difficult topic--all writing from within a Christian framework yet contending for different views. Paul Helm argues that divine eternity should be construed as a state of absolute timelessness. Alan G. Padgett maintains that God's eternity is more plausibly to be understood as relative timelessness. William Lane Craig presents a hybrid view that combines timelessness with omnitemporality. And Nicholas Wolterstorff advocates a doctrine of unqualified divine temporality.

Each essay is followed by responses from the other three contributors and a final counter-response from the original essayist, making for a lively exchange of ideas. Editor Gregory E. Ganssle provides a helpful introduction to the debate and its significance. Together these five scholars conduct readers on a stimulating and mind-stretching journey into one of the most controversial and challenging areas of theology today.

Spectrum Multiview Books offer a range of viewpoints on contested topics within Christianity, giving contributors the opportunity to present their position and also respond to others in this dynamic publishing format.

CONTENTS

1. Introduction: Thinking About God and Time - Gregory E. Ganssle

2. Divine Timeless Eternity - Paul Helm
Response to Paul Helm - Alan G. Padgett
Response to Paul Helm - William Lane Craig
Response to Paul Helm - Nicholas Wolterstorff
Response to Critics - Paul Helm

3. Eternity as Relative Timelessness - Alan G. Padgett
Response to Alan G. Padgett - Paul Helm
Response to Alan G. Padgett - William Lane Craig
Response to Alan G. Padgett - Nicholas Wolterstorff
Response to Critics - Alan G. Padgett

4. Timelessness Omnitemporality - William Lane Craig
Response to William Lane Craig - Paul Helm
Response to William Lane Craig - Alan G. Padgett
Response to William Lane Craig - Nicholas Wolterstorff
Response to Critics - William Lane Craig

5. Unqualified Divine Temporality - Nicholas Wolterstorff
Response to Nicholas Wolterstorff - Paul Helm
Response to Nicholas Wolterstorff - Alan G. Padgett
Response to Nicholas Wolterstorff - William Lane Craig
Response to Critics - Nicholas Wolterstorff

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Contributors

Name Index

Subject Index

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Gregory E. Ganssle

Greg Ganssle (PhD, Syracuse) is professor of philosophy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University. He is the author of several books, including A Reasonable God: Engaging the New Face of Atheism and Thinking About God, and he is the editor of God and Time.