theological word of the day: molinism

I am drinking very strong Gevalia coffee right now. A mixture of caf and decaf French roast. I was just reading my Theological Word of the Day on My Yahoo. The word for today is Molinism

According to the article, it is:

Named after Luis de Molina, a 16th century Jesuit theologian, Molinism is a proposed reconciliation of the problems introduced in the tension between human freedom and divine sovereignty. Molinism seeks to retain both a true libertarian freedom without sacrificing divine providence or sovereignty by introducing the idea of “middle knowledge.” In this proposal God knows not only all actual situations, but all possible situations (middle knowledge). These possible situations are known as “possible worlds.” We live in the actual world, but there are countless other possibilities of how things could have turned out. God chose the possible world that allowed for libertarian freedom where people freely chose that which God ordained to occur. Therefore, libertarian freedom and sovereignty are reconciled. Those who object to Molinism do so on the basis that middle knowledge has no metaphysical grounding and because such a philosophical solution is far too extensive. Also, many would argue that the introduction of libertarian freedom is an impossibility since libertarian freedom lacks the grounds for the choices it proposes to preserve.

The Bible says that God knows all. If God knows all, and has a direction we are foreordained to go, that is predestination. If we have free will, it means that we are free to go in the direction we choose. If we have free will, predestination would not be feasible.

How is it we can reconcile our free will with God’s foreknowledge? Does God necessarily know which direction we are going to live our lives? Is there no chance of reversal of direction?

If there is no chance of reversal of direction, what is the use of prayer? If prayer moves God to something different, to what we are praying for, then there is a chance that we can change our direction from what was foreordained.

Does God necessarily know where we are going to go?

Now I do not believe in Process Theology. That says that God does not know what is going to happen and just kind of goes with the flow. If Process Theology were real, God would not be God. So there would be no point in worshiping him as such.

I believe that God is all knowing, omniscient. But, at the same time, his mind can be changed. We see that throughout the Bible. Moses was a master at changing God’s mind. Time and again, God would decide to destroy the Israelites. But Moses would plead with him and even, sometimes, point out how the nations would laugh at the Israelites’ God leaving them.

God would relent and things would not go as he wanted them to go.

Jesus even says that we can talk to God. In Luke 18:1-7, he talks about a woman who is constantly petitioning a judge to avenge her. She does it so much and so constantly that he finally does it to get her off his back. Jesus likens the judge to God. If we ask God enough, will it happen? If not, what was the point of the parable?

If that was possible then, and if God is the same, then it is possible today. If it is possible today, then we can change the outcome of things. There would be “possible worlds” like Molinism says.

I believe that we do have libertarian freedom. If we don’t, we do not truly have freedom of choice and free will.

I may be wrong. I have been before. But it seems that a God who gives us choices, gives us more than just the choices he determines for us.