God, evil, and, human learning : a critique and revision of the free will defense in theodicy / Fred Berthold, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Berthold, Fred, 1922-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Free will and determinism--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Free will and determinism.

Theodicy.

Good and evil--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Good and evil.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (118 p.)

Place of Publication:

Albany, NY : State University of New York Press, c2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

God, Evil, and Human Learning explores the age-old question: How is it possible to believe in the God of the Christian faith when the world contains so many grievous evils? Author Fred Berthold Jr. examines the most influential argument used by Christian theologians to answer that question, the "free will defense," which holds that God is not responsible for the evil in the world, but that evil arises from the human misuse of free will. He points out the weaknesses of this defense and provides a more adequate concept of free will. Berthold argues that free will is a complex of abilities which are acquired—if acquired—through human learning in the context of experiences of actual goods and evils and their consequences. He revises the "free will defense" and offers a new view of the relationship between God and his creatures.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Introduction

The Central Importance of the Free Will Defense

Why Doesn’t God Cause Us to Have a Wholly Virtuous Free Will?

Should the Traditional Free Will Defense Be Revised?

The Concept of a Limited God

The Concept of Free Will

A Revised Free Will Defense

An Ecological Theology

Notes

Bibliography

Index of Names

Index of Subjects

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-103) and indexes.

ISBN:

9780791485309

0791485307

9781423739203

1423739205

OCLC:

62751453