THEOLOGICAL DETERMINISM This volume unites established authors and rising young voices in philosophical theology and philosophy of religion to offer the single most wide-ranging examination of theological determinism-in terms of both authors represented and issues investigated-published to date. Fifteen contributors present discussions about theological (or divine) determinism, the view that God determines everything that occurs in the world. Some authors provide arguments in favor of this posi- tion, while others provide considerations against it. Many contribu- tors investigate the relationship between theological determinism and other philosophical issues (the principle of sufficient reason; the compatibility of determinism and free will; moral luck), theological doctrines (creation ex nihilo; divine forgiveness; the inevitability of sin; the unity of Christ’s will with God’s), or moral attitudes and practices (trusting God; resenting the ill-will of others; resisting evil). This book is essential reading for all those interested in the relation- ship between theological determinism and philosophical thought. Peter Furlong is Professor of Philosophy at Valencia College. He is the author of The Challenges of Divine Determinism: A Philosophical Analysis (Cambridge, 2019). Leigh Vicens is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Augustana University. She is co-author, with Simon Kittle, of God and Human Freedom (Cambridge, 2019), in Cambridge Elements in the Philosophy of Religion. Published online by Cambridge University Press Published online by Cambridge University Press THEOLOGICA L DETER MINISM New Perspectives edited by PETER FURLONG Valencia College LEIGH VICENS Augustana University Published online by Cambridge University Press University Printing House, Cambridge cb2 8bs, United Kingdom One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, New York, ny 10006, usa 477 Williamstown Road, Port Melbourne, vic 3207, Australia 314–321, 3rd Floor, Plot 3, Splendor Forum, Jasola District Centre, New Delhi – 110025, India 103 Penang Road, #05–06/07, Visioncrest Commercial, Singapore 238467 Cambridge University Press is part of the University of Cambridge. It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781009249386 doi:10.1017/9781009249362 © Cambridge University Press 2022 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2022 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library. isbn 978-1-009-24938-6 Hardback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Published online by Cambridge University Press Contents List of Contributors page vii Acknowledgments viii Introduction 1 Peter Furlong and Leigh Vicens 1 Theological Determinism and Creation 15 Heath White 2 Am I Here by Accident? 30 T. J. Mawson 3 You Searched Me and Knew Me: Divine Determinism and the God of Love 47 Jesse Couenhoven 4 Fatalism and Some Varieties of Contrastive Explanation 65 Alexander R. Pruss 5 Divine Transcendence: Is There a Third Way in the Debate over Theological Determinism? 81 W. Matthews Grant 6 The Incompatibility of Universal, Determinate Divine Action with Human Free Will 100 Simon Kittle 7 Natural Compatibilists Should Be Theological Compatibilists 119 Taylor W. Cyr 8 An Argument for Theological Incompatibilism 133 Alicia Finch 9 Human Freedom and the Inevitability of Sin 150 Leigh Vicens v Published online by Cambridge University Press vi Contents 10 Hard Theological Determinism and Divine Forgiveness Are Incompatible 165 Justin Capes 11 Moral Luck, Free Will Theodicies, and Theological Determinism 184 Philip Swenson 12 Divine Determinism and Gratitude for Sins 195 Peter Furlong 13 The Problem of Trust 213 Daniel M. Johnson 14 Toward a Reactive Attitudes Theodicy 231 Garrett Pendergraft 15 Christ in Gethsemane 251 Katherine Sonderegger Bibliography 264 Index 276 Published online by Cambridge University Press Contributors Justin Capes Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Flagler College Jesse Couenhoven Professor of Moral Theology, Villanova University Taylor W. Cyr Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Samford University Alicia Finch  Associate Professor of Philosophy, Northern Illinois University Peter Furlong Professor of Humanities in Philosophy, Valencia College W. Matthews Grant Professor of Philosophy, University of St. Thomas Daniel M. Johnson Associate Professor of Philosophy, Shawnee State University Simon Kittle Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Leeds T. J. Mawson Dean, Edgar Jones Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy, St. Peter’s College, Oxford University Garrett Pendergraft Blanche E. Seaver Professor of Philosophy, Pepperdine University Alexander R. Pruss Professor of Philosophy, Baylor University Katherine Sonderegger  William Meade Chair of Systematic Theology, Virginia Theological Seminary Philip Swenson Assistant Professor of Philosophy, College of William and Mary Leigh Vicens Associate Professor of Philosophy, Augustana University Heath White  Professor of Philosophy, University of North Carolina-Wilmington vii Published online by Cambridge University Press Acknowledgments We are indebted to the many people who made this book possible. First are the thirteen other contributors who wrote and revised their chapters in the midst of a pandemic, managing many commitments (and stressors) while seeing this project through to completion. We would also like to thank Hilary Gaskin at Cambridge University Press and a pair of anony- mous reviewers for their comments and suggestions. Finally, we are grate- ful to our families for helping us find the time to work on this book. viii Published online by Cambridge University Press Introduction Peter Furlong and Leigh Vicens This volume brings together fifteen new essays, some by well-established philosophers and theologians, others by rising young scholars, on the topic of theological (or divine) determinism. But what is theological determin- ism? And who cares if it’s true? In this Introduction to the volume, we begin with a brief overview of the view, before turning to reasons we think it is a subject of importance today. We then summarize some arguments commonly offered in support of theological determinism, as well as some objections to it. Finally, we give a brief overview of each chapter. 0.1 Defining the View Theological (or divine) determinism is the view that God determines every creaturely event. Loosely, we can think of this as the view that God has decreed the world to be exactly as it is, or that God controls every aspect of creation. According to theological determinism, the unfolding of the uni- verse through time occurs exactly as God has arranged, and, given God’s will, it does so infallibly. When we look for more precise definitions, we find matters become a little more complicated.1 It is tempting to define the way in which God determines in causal terms. Derk Pereboom, for example, defines theological determinism as “the position that God is the sufficient active cause of everything in creation, whether directly or by way of secondary causes” (2011, 262). Some, however, might worry that we should not think of God’s activity as causal, since causal language is tied too closely with creaturely causation, with all the limitations this includes.2 Heath White avoids this issue with the definition he provides in his contri- bution to this volume (Chapter 1): 1 For further discussion, see Vicens (2021), Furlong (2019), and White (2019). 2 For discussion of this issue, see Vicens (2021). 1 https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009249362.001 Published online by Cambridge University Press