| Dozens of books have been published in recent years debating the extent of God’s sovereignty and knowledge of future events. Few of these works, however, examine the far-reaching implications of the views they propose. In The Benefits of Providence philosopher James Spiegel fills in this gap by applying the Augustinian view of providence to several important areas of philosophical and practical theology. |
Distinguishing between high (Augustinian, Simple Divine Foreknowledge, Molinism) and low (Process and Openness Theology) views of providence, Dr. Spiegel begins by explaining the core ideas of each of these positions. He then proceeds to contrast the biblical cases and explanatory power of the Open view with the Augustinian view, arguing that in each case the Augustinian view of providence is on solid ground and the Open view is not. Thus he contends that God has complete sovereignty, exhaustive foreknowledge, does not take risks, and that God’s determination is compatible with the moral responsibility of human beings.
Having laid the foundation for why the Augustinian view is best, Dr. Spiegel applies this high view of providence to several areas in which he sees particular benefits. He begins with looking at the world as divine art, first through the divine conservation of the cosmos. This doctrine, he shows, has important implications for understanding natural laws, miracles, and art. As an explanation of divine art, he puts forward the E-C aesthetic model- “that the cosmos is an expression of divine emotion and a communication of God’s eternal ideas.” (105)
Dr. Spiegel then applies his high view of providence to the practice of science, specifically showing its implications for the problem of induction, the origins debate, and the problem of consciousness. Subsequently, he dives into the issue of divine emotion. While historically those who hold high views of providence tend to believe in God’s impassibility, and conversely those of a low view tend to believe in His passibility, Dr. Spiegel seeks middle ground. He proposes that God is omnipathic, experiencing of all emotions eternally.
The problem of evil and suffering is an important issue in these discussions, and so Dr. Spiegel turns to it next. After explaining why several of the more popular theodicies fail, he makes the case that the “Greater Good Theology” is the most biblically grounded and practical. Essentially this entails that all suffering exists for a purpose. The book concludes with moral and devotional applications, examining the implications for virtues such as faith and humility and for disciplines such as prayer and evangelism.
One sign of a good writer and thinker (in my view) is that
the author anticipates his reader’s questions. This happened several times as I
read this book, particularly in discussing divine omnipathos, and though I
wasn’t always fully satisfied with the answers; I appreciate Dr. Spiegel’s
ability to anticipate possible objections. This is particularly important as
his work sails in several almost uncharted theological waters
The Benefits of Providenceis an important and stimulating inquiry into
philosophical theology. Though some will find its academic rigor challenging,
most will find James Spiegel’s clarity and passion for biblically based
philosophy extraordinary. Though this is a significant work in the debate about
God’s sovereignty, I think it’s more significant for those who hold to the
Augustinian view. Regardless of whether we agree with every point, Dr. Spiegel
has challenged us to apply our theology more widely and deeply.