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Well written. Dr.Boyd is an engaging author well-intentioned to get his Open Theism (Synthesis of Classical&Processistic Di-
Polarism)point across to the public: the 'Open'deity is not the cause of evil in the world (despite the Curse of Gen.3 in response to human rebellion);rather,Satan is the enemy that God is combatting, but God is not complicit or involved in planning,
ordaining,using or allowing for evil in any way ever. God attacks evil,never works with it or uses it for 'higher purposes'
Sorry to say Dr.Boyd,this concept is unscriptural. Here are a few Bible texts which lay Open Theism's errant views to rest:

Gen 3:16 "(Eve)I WILL GREATLY MULTIPLY YOUR SORROW in childbirth,
in pain you shall bring forth children.."

Gen 3:17 "CURSED is the ground for your(Adam's) sake..."

Gen 6:7 "I WILL DESTROY MAN whom I have created from the face of the earth,both man and beast.."

Gen 6:17 "I MYSELF AM BRINGING FLOODWATERS ON EARTH TO DESTROY from under heaven ALL FLESH; everything that is on earth shall die.."

Gen 50:20 "You (Joseph's brothers) meant evil against me; but God meant the evil for good in order to bring it about to save many people alive."

2Sam 24:1 "Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel
and HE MOVED David against them to number the people.."

1Chr 21:1 (parallel verse) "Now SATAN stood up against Israel and moved David to number the people.."

Job 1:12 "The LORD said to Satan,'Behold,all Job has is in your power;only do not lay a hand on his person..'"

Job 2:3 "Still Job holds fast to his integrity,although you(Satan)incited Me against him to destroy him without cause.."
v.6 "The LORD said to Satan,'Behold,Job is in your hand, but spare his life.'"
v.10 "'Shall we accept good from God and not accept ADVERSITY from God?'In all this Job did not sin with his lips."

Job 42:11 "Job's family consoled and comforted him for all the
ADVERSITY THE LORD HAD BROUGHT UPON HIM."

Rom 8:20-22 "For the creation was subjected to futility,not willingly (so much for'libertarian freedom'),but because of HIM
WHO SUBJECTED IT in hope because the creation itself also will be delivered from the BONDAGE OF CORRUPTION into the glorious
liberty of the children of God.For we know the WHOLE CREATION GROANS AND LABORS WITH BIRTH PANGS together until now."

Rom 11:32 "For GOD HAS COMMITTED THEM ALL TO DISOBEDIENCE that He
might have MERCY ON ALL."

James 5:11 "You have heard of the perseverence of Job and seen the END INTENDED BY THE LORD."

Rev.6:10-11 "'How long,O Lord,holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on earth?'It was said to them
(beheaded souls under Heaven's altar)they should rest a while longer until the number of their fellow servants/brothers
WHO MUST BE KILLED AS THEY WERE WAS COMPLETED."

Unfortunately, this book did not bother to engage with these texts nor did it adequately wrestle with the Biblical concept of
GOD'S CURSE ON CREATION,WORKING IN/WITH/THROUGH CREATURELY EVIL/
EVILDOERS LIKE SATAN,SINNERS TO ACCOMPLISH HIS ETERNAL,RIGHTEOUS
HEAVENLY,KINGDOM PURPOSES,USING DIABOLICALLY/HUMANLY INITIATED
WICKEDNESS LIKE HOLOCAUSTS,POGROMS,TERRORISM,WARS,CRIME,ETC. TO
ULTIMATELY DELIVER HIS OWN AND PUNISH IMPENITENT SINNERS WHO REJECT HIS SON.

Boyd also modifies/modulates God's Divine Attributes to accomodate his worldview: under Openness,God does not have Exhaustive Divine/Definite Foreknowledge of free-agent decisions,
only 'extensive temporal forecasting'.Since evil and Satan's activities occur (Nazism,Hitler,Stalin,ethnic cleansings,pogroms,
wars,AIDS,terrorism) without God's apparent foreknowledge or consent, He must creatively respond to such horrors as they happen in His present unbeknownst to Him beforehand, making Him
not complicit,abetting or involved in the evil(the Openness'
good deity would never use evil in any of His plans/intentions/
actions, being benevolent, no matter what ends might justify the means toward fulfillment of an eternal divine plan).

This warped,unbiblical reasoning is like saying a battlefield
general cannot/does not take into account military intelligence
about evil intentions of the enemy and by a masterstroke use that intel to thwart the enemy to produce ultimate victory by
making the enemy act or decide in counterproductive or backfiring
ways to carry through with the enemy plans thus defeating the enemy by allowing him to play into the general's plans (see the
Old Testament: Joshua,Gideon,David,Warrior-Kings that God gave
strategic advantage to, knowing enemy evil intentions in advance and leveraging those plans against the enemy's own actions for a greater victory).
That's what God does with evildoers, and what He did with Satan
on the Cross.

In conclusion, this book makes for interesting reading, but leaves the Bible behind with each passing page. It is wholly
inadequate to defend the ultimately indefensible,unbiblical position of blaming all evil on Satan/sinners, when in fact God
Himself initiated the CURSE in punishment for human rebellion.
God Himself does not sin or commit evil, but freely uses what
Satan/Sinners do ( even the most extreme wickedness) to fulfill
Scripture and His eternal,planned purposes of Redemption and
Judgment. Keep trying Dr. Boyd. Perhaps by the next book in the series, you'll get closer to the Biblical truth that 'Satan is
God's devil' like Luther said.
"ARE YOU NOT IN ERROR BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW THE SCRIPTURES OR THE POWER OF GOD?"

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