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1. What is Boyd’s argument against Calvin’s anthropomorphism? Do you agree with Boyd’s assessment?
Anthropomorphism means depicting God in human terms. Boys argued that no part of the Scripture suggests the God changes His mind, is disappointed and surprised, etc. (Boyd et al., 2009). He further argued that no part of the text that we must depict all passages an anthropomorphic (Boyd et al., 2009). I think Boyd is right in his assessment because if the text must be taken in literal sense, i.e., God changes his mind, then it means that God will come to the earth from heaven as well.
2. Given your reading thus far, do you think God can “change his mind?” Why or why not?
God’s promises are unassailable and His purposes are unfailing. It means that God is dependable. We must maintain a strong trust in Him, because we believe that He will not, indeed cannot, change.
3. What is Chrysostom’s basic response to suffering that we experience as believers in this world?
Chrysostom provided the following three terms, i.e., chastisement, retribution, and suffering. He explained that a person could use a sort of spiritual algebra to calculate the pleasure to be rewarded or suffering to be exacted in the afterlife (Han et al., 2001).
4. How would John Calvin evaluate Chrysostom’s view of free will and God’s providence?
Calvin believed that an unbeliever is in total bondage of sin. It means that s/he has to sin willfully, i.e., without any coercion. Therefore, if s/he wants to liberate oneself from the bondage, s/he is totally dependent on God to do so.
5. Summarize the main points of Hall’s Chapter 8 “God Is Wise and Loving Providence.”
This chapter discusses human race. It elaborates the facts that God is a wise Creator and His providence is based on wisdom (Hall, 2009). It further explains that on this planet, the humans go through much turbulence and suffering (Hall, 2009). However, God uses such situations to influence the lives of the human race on earth with the purpose of bringing their attention back to their main purpose of life (Hall, 2009).
References
Boyd, G. A., Hunt, D., Craig, W. L., & Helm, P. (2009). Divine foreknowledge: Four views. InterVarsity Press.
Hall, C. A. (2009). Learning theology with the church fathers. InterVarsity Press.
Han, Y. C., Arrington, F. L., Cross, T. L., Dayton, D. W., Gause, R. H., Macchia, F., Simmons, W (2001). Transforming Powers: Dimensions of the Gospel. Pathway Press
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