Divine Predestination and Human Freedom: A Historical and Theological Overview

Free Will and Determinism Track

Don Thorsen, Ph.D., Theology

This session presents Christian views of divine predestination and its relationship to human freedom, starting with what Scripture says about the topic, followed by a discussion of it from historical and theological standpoints. Beginning with the interaction between Augustine and Pelagius in the fifth century, this presentation examines the development of different Christian points of view: Augustinianism, Semi-Augustinianism, Pelagianism, and SemiPelagianism. Thorsen examines these developments in the ancient church, and also how debate about divine predestination and human freedom was rekindled after the Protestant Reformation, including references to Luther, Cranmer, Calvin, Arminius, Wesley, and others. Also addressed is the 20th-century development of open theism as a contemporary alternative. The topic of divine predestination and human freedom is extremely important for how one understands God’s role and people’s role in salvation and living the Christian life.