Editing Open theism (section)

===Literary debate===
In the early 18th century, an extended public correspondence flourished around the topic of open theism. The debate was incited by Samuel Fancourt's 1727 publication, ''The Greatness of Divine Love Vindicated''. Over the next decade, four other English writers published polemical works in response. This led Fancourt to defend his views in six other publications. In his 1747 autobiography, in response to some who thought that this controversy had affected his career, Fancourt wrote, "Should it be suggested, that my religious principles were a prejudice unto me—I answer: so are those of every Dissenting Protestant in the [United] Kingdom with some, if he dares to think and to speak what he thinks." Fancourt also names other writers who had supported his views.

In 2005, a "raging debate" among evangelicals about "open or free-will theism" was in place.<ref>{{cite book |first=Tyron |last=Inbody |title=The Faith of the Christian Church: An introduction to theology |publisher=Eerdmans |year=2005 |at=page&nbsp;98, note&nbsp;31}}</ref> This period of controversy began in 1994 with the publication of ''The Openness of God''.{{refn|name=PinnockRiceSanders1994| {{cite book |title=The Openness of God: A Biblical challenge to the traditional understanding of God |first1=Clark H. |last1=Pinnock |first2=Richard |last2=Rice |first3=John |last3=Sanders |publisher=Inter Varsity Press, Academic |date=September 22, 1994 |isbn=978-0830818525}} Note that this later book has the same short title as Rice (1980).<ref name=Rice1980/>}}<ref name=JowersWRS12>{{cite journal |first=Dennis W. |last=Jowers |title=Open Theism: Its nature, history, and limitations |journal=WRS Journal |volume=12 |issue=1 |url=http://www.wrs.edu/resources/wrs-journal/ |access-date=August 8, 2014 |archive-date=April 1, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401033745/http://www.wrs.edu/resources/wrs-journal/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{rp|page=&nbsp;3}} The debate between open and classical theists is illustrated by their books as in the following chart.{{refn|Cited by Jowers:<ref name=JowersWRS12/>{{rp|page=&nbsp;5}} {{cite encyclopedia |first=James |last=Risler |title=Open Theism |encyclopedia=[[The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |url=http://www.iep.utm.edu/o-theism/ |via=www.iep.utm.edu |publisher=University of Tennessee at Martin |issn=2161-0002}}}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Open theism books and comments
! Classical theism books and comments
|-
| 1980
| {{cite book |year=1980 |first=Richard |last=Rice |title=The Openness of God: The relationship of divine foreknowledge and human free will |place=Nashville, Tennessee |publisher=Review & Herald}} – Rice was the "pioneer of contemporary evangelical open theism."<ref name=JowersWRS12/>{{rp|page=&nbsp;5}}
|rowspan=2;| Critical acclaim, but public mostly unaware of open theism; the controversy had not yet begun.<ref name=JowersWRS12/>{{rp|page=&nbsp;5}}
|-
| 1989
| {{cite book |year=1989 |first=William |last=Hasker |title=God, Time, and Knowledge |series=Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion |publisher=Cornell University Press |place=Ithaca, New York}}
|-
| 1994
| {{cite book |year=1994 |first1=Clark |last1=Pinnock |first2=Richard |last2=Rice |first3=John |last3=Sanders |first4=William |last4=Hasker |first5=David |last5=Bassinger |title=The Openness of God |publisher=InterVarsity}} – "ignited a firestorm of controversy".<ref name=JowersWRS12/>{{rp|page=&nbsp;5}}
| "Provoked numerous hostile articles in academic and popular publications."<ref name=JowersWRS12/>{{rp|page=&nbsp;5}} The "conservative backlash" was "quick and fierce".<ref>{{cite book |editor1-first=Timothy |editor1-last=Larsen |editor2-first=Daniel J. |editor2-last=Treier |title=The Cambridge Companion to Evangelical Theology |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2007 |page=25}}</ref>
|-
| 1996
| {{cite book |year=1996 |first=David |last=Basinger |title=The Case for Freewill Theism: A philosophical assessment |publisher=InterVarsity}} – Considers divine omniscience, theodicy, and petitionary prayer in freewill perspective.<ref name=BackCover>Back cover of cited book.</ref>
| {{cite book |year=1996 |first=R. K. |last=McGregor Wright |title=No Place for Sovereignty: What's wrong with freewill theism |publisher=InterVarsity}} – Sees open theism as wrong biblically, theologically, and philosophically.<ref name=BackCover/>
|-
| 1997
| {{cite book |year=1997 |first=Gregory |last=Boyd |title=God at War: The Bible & spiritual conflict |publisher=InterVarsity}} – Made open theism the centerpiece of a theodicy.<ref name=JowersWRS12/>{{rp|page=&nbsp;6}}
| {{cite book |first=Norman |last=Geisler |title=Creating God in the Image of Man? |publisher=Bethany |year=1997}} – Asserts that open theism should be called ''new theism'' or ''neotheism'' because it is so different from classical theism.{{rp|page=&nbsp;78}}
|-
| 1998
| {{cite book |first=John |last=Sanders |title=The God who Risks: A theology of providence |publisher=InterVarsity |year=1998}} – "The most thorough standard presentation and defense of the openness view of God."<ref>{{cite journal |title=Review of ''The God who Risks'' |journal=WRS Journal |volume=12 |issue=1 |date=February 2005 |pages=31–33}}</ref>
| {{cite book |first=Millard |last=Erickson |title=God the Father Almighty: A contemporary exploration of the Divine attributes |publisher=Baker |year=1998}} – Accuses open theists of selective use of Scripture and caricaturing classical theism.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Mike |last=Stallard |title=The open view of God: Does he change? |journal=The Journal of Ministry & Theology |volume=5 |issue=2 |date=Fall 2001 |pages=5–25}}</ref>
|-
| 2000
| {{cite book |first=Clark |last=Pinnock |title=Most Moved Mover: A theology of God's openness |publisher=Baker and Paternoster |year=2000}} – "The most passionate and articulate defense of openness theology to date."<ref>{{cite web |title=Publisher's description |publisher=Baker Academic |url=http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/most-moved-mover/226320 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629073610/http://www.bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/most-moved-mover/226320 |archive-date=June 29, 2017}}</ref><br />{{cite book |first=Gregory |last=Boyd |title=God of the Possible: A Biblical introduction to the open view of God |publisher=Baker |year=2000}} – "A genuinely evangelical portrayal of the biblical God."<ref>On back cover of [[Walter Brueggemann|Brueggemann]]</ref>
| {{cite book |first=Bruce |last=Ware |title=God's Lesser Glory: The diminished God of open theism |publisher=Crossway |year=2000}} – "The most influential critique of open theism."<ref name=JowersWRS12/>{{rp|page=&nbsp;6}}
|-
| 2001
| {{cite book |first=Gregory A. |last=Boyd |title=Satan and the Problem of Evil: Constructing a trinitarian warfare theodicy |publisher=InterVarsity |year=2001}} – "A renewed defense of open theism" and a theodicy grounded in it.<ref>{{cite web |website=dts.edu |type=review |title=Gregory A. Boyd and the problem of evil |url=http://www.dts.edu/reviews/gregory-a-boyd-satan-and-the-problem-of-evil |access-date=August 8, 2014 |archive-date=June 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629222006/http://www.dts.edu/reviews/gregory-a-boyd-satan-and-the-problem-of-evil |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| {{cite book |first=John |last=Frame |title=No Other God: A response to open theism |publisher=P & R |year=2001}} <br />{{cite book |first1=Norman |last1=Geisler |first2=Wayne |last2=House |first3=Max |last3=Herrera |title=The Battle for God: Responding to the challenge of neotheism |publisher=Kregel |year=2001}} – "Debate seemed to turn somewhat in favor of classical theism."<ref name=JowersWRS12/>{{rp|page=&nbsp;6}}
|-
| 2002–2003
| {{cite book |first=Gregory A. |last=Boyd |title=Is God to Blame? Beyond pat answers to the problem of evil |publisher=InterVarsity |year=2003}} – Attacked classical theists as "blueprint theologians" espousing a "blueprint world view".{{rp|pages=&nbsp;47, 200}}
| {{cite book |editor1-first=Douglas |editor1-last=Huffman |editor2-first=Eric |editor2-last=Johnson |title=God under Fire: Modern scholarship reinvents God  |publisher=Zondervan |year=2002}} <br />{{cite book |first=Millard |last=Erickson |title=What does God Know and When does He know it?: The current controversy over divine foreknowledge |publisher=Zondervan |year=2003}} – Attacked "open theism as theologically ruinous, dishonoring to God, belittling to Christ, and pastorally hurtful".{{rp|page=&nbsp;371}} <br />{{cite book |editor1-first=John |editor1-last=Piper |editor2-first=Justin |editor2-last=Taylor |editor3-first=Paul |editor3-last=Helseth |title=Beyond the Bounds: Open theism and the undermining of Biblical Christianity |publisher=Crossway |year=2003}}
|-
| 2004–2012
| {{cite book |first=William |last=Hasker |title=Providence, Evil, and the Openness of God |series=Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion |publisher=Routledge |year=2004}} – Contains appendix titled "Replies to my critics".{{rp|pages=&nbsp;187–230}}
| {{cite journal |editor-first=Craig |editor-last=Branch |title=Open Theism: Making God like us |journal=The Areopagus Journal |volume=4 |issue=1 |publisher=The Apologetics Resource Center |year=2012}} – Book's stated purpose is to "demonstrate the errors of open theism".
|-
| 2013–2014
| {{cite book |first=Garrett |last=Ham |title=The Evangelical and the Open Theist: Can open theism find its place within the evangelical community? |publisher=Kindle |year=2014}} – Argues that proponents of open theism have a right to be called "evangelical".
| {{cite book |first=Luis |last=Scott |title=Frustrating God: How open theism gets God all wrong |publisher=Westbow |year=2013}} – Declares that "open theists get God all wrong".{{rp|page=&nbsp;xviii}}
|-
| present
| The Internet brought open theists and their debate with classical theists into public view.<ref name="eleshacoffman">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2001/february19/3.42.html?paging=off. |title=Open debate in the openness debate |last=Coffman |first=Elesha |magazine=Christianity Today}}</ref> – An internet site supporting open theism is {{cite web |website=reknew.org |date=May 2014 |url=http://reknew.org/2014/05/open-theism-a-basic-introduction |title=Open theism – a basic introduction}}
| The Internet brought classical theists and their debate with open theists into public view.<ref name="eleshacoffman"/> Two internet sites supporting classical theism (from the Calvinist perspective) are: {{cite web |website=desiringgod.org |url=http://www.desiringgod.org/all-resources/by-topic/the-foreknowledge-of-god |title=The foreknowledge of God}} and<br />{{cite web |website=frame-poythress.org |url=http://www.frame-poythress.org/open-theism-and-divine-foreknowledge/ |title=Open theism and divine-foreknowledge|date=June 5, 2012 }}
|}