The Strange Endless Universe Cosmology of Open Theism | The Institute for Creation Research

 
The Strange Endless Universe Cosmology of Open Theism

Download PDFDownload The Strange Endless Universe Cosmology of Open Theism PDF

In Journal of Dispensational Theology. 27 (75): 167-184.

Abstract

Open theism is a problematic theological paradigm that shares foundational elements with panentheism and process theology. Not only have open theists incorporated secular evolutionary theories into their system of thought, but most open theists have also found it necessary to reject the biblical concept of creation from nothing, or creation ex nihilo. The reason for this rejection is primarily due to the fact that creation ex nihilo fundamentally presupposes an omnipotent Creator who brings to pass whatever he chooses and that his purposes are never frustrated. Open theism, however, believes that God has no exhaustive foreknowledge and that his creation does regularly frustrate his purposes. In place of creation ex nihilo, many open theists propose an endless universe with multiple cycles of big bang creation events in which God is repeatedly making worldly creations from chaos in a strange cyclic steady-state cosmology. In support of the biblical doctrine of creation ex nihilo, this article will demonstrate how it is both scientifically and scripturally valid, and that denial of this doctrine is yet another unorthodox tenant of the open theist community that must be rejected.

See the download link to read the full article text.

The Latest
NEWS
Earth-Sized Lava World ''Circling the Drain''
Astronomers have discovered an earth-sized exoplanet, designated TOI-2431 b, that is so close to its host star that it completes a full orbit in just...

NEWS
Origin of Biofluorescence in Fishes
Biofluorescence is a phenomenon in which creatures—plant or animal—absorb light at a certain wavelength and release or emit it at a different...

NEWS
August 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9 NKJV) ICR's August...

NEWS
Quietly ''Devolving'' Tomatoes?
Apparently, evolution (and natural selection) can do almost anything: If new forms appear, the credit goes to creative natural selection; if old...

CREATION PODCAST
Five Unforgettable Lessons Learned from the Scopes Trial | The...
The Scopes Trial is one of the most famous court cases in American history, and this year marks its one hundredth anniversary....

NEWS
Yet Another Revised Age for the Land-Animal Ancestor
An allegedly vital piece of animal evolution was first discovered in 1984 in Scotland. Conventional scientists suggested the fossil of Westlothiana...

NEWS
Dr. James S. Johnson Goes Home to the Lord
Dr. James S. Johnson, chief academic officer and associate professor of apologetics for ICR’s School of Biblical Apologetics (SOBA), joined his...

NEWS
Pluto’s Largest Moon Looks Young
When the New Horizons space probe captured images of Pluto and its large moon Charon as it flew by in 2015, conventional scientists were surprised by...

NEWS
55-Million-Year-Old Tree Frog…Is Still a Tree Frog
In the 1990s, Australian paleontologists discovered fossil frog bones during a dig in Murgon, Queensland.1 This new species of frog—Litoria...

NEWS
Pastor and Longtime ICR Supporter Dr. John MacArthur Now with...
Faithful ICR supporter and pastor Dr. John MacArthur went home to be with the Lord on Monday, July 14, 2025, completing his 86-year pilgrimage.1...