Book Review: The Benefits of Providence by James Spiegel
March 28, 2006 Posted by Roger Overton
| Dozens of books have been published in recent years debating the extent of God’s sovereignty and knowledge of future events. Few of these works, however, examine the far-reaching implications of the views they propose. In The Benefits of Providence philosopher James Spiegel fills in this gap by applying the Augustinian view of providence to several important areas of philosophical and practical theology. |
Distinguishing between high (Augustinian, Simple Divine
Foreknowledge, Molinism) and low (Process and Openness Theology) views of
providence, Dr. Spiegel begins by explaining the core ideas of each of these
positions. He then proceeds to contrast the biblical cases and explanatory
power of the Open view with the Augustinian view, arguing that in each case the
Augustinian view of providence is on solid ground and the Open view is not.
Thus he contends that God has complete sovereignty, exhaustive foreknowledge,
does not take risks, and that God’s determination is compatible with the moral
responsibility of human beings.
Having laid the foundation for why the Augustinian view is
best, Dr. Spiegel applies this high view of providence to several areas in
which he sees particular benefits. He begins with looking at the world as
divine art, first through the divine conservation of the cosmos. This doctrine,
he shows, has important implications for understanding natural laws, miracles,
and art. As an explanation of divine art, he puts forward the E-C aesthetic
model- “that the cosmos is an expression of divine emotion and a communication
of God’s eternal ideas.” (105)
Dr. Spiegel then applies his high view of providence to the
practice of science, specifically showing its implications for the problem of
induction, the origins debate, and the problem of consciousness. Subsequently,
he dives into the issue of divine emotion. While historically those who hold
high views of providence tend to believe in God’s impassibility, and conversely
those of a low view tend to believe in His passibility, Dr. Spiegel seeks
middle ground. He proposes that God is omnipathic, experiencing of all emotions
eternally.
The problem of evil and suffering is an important issue in
these discussions, and so Dr. Spiegel turns to it next. After explaining why
several of the more popular theodicies fail, he makes the case that the
“Greater Good Theology” is the most biblically grounded and practical.
Essentially this entails that all suffering exists for a purpose. The book
concludes with moral and devotional applications, examining the implications
for virtues such as faith and humility and for disciplines such as prayer and
evangelism.
One sign of a good writer and thinker (in my view) is that
the author anticipates his reader’s questions. This happened several times as I
read this book, particularly in discussing divine omnipathos, and though I
wasn’t always fully satisfied with the answers; I appreciate Dr. Spiegel’s
ability to anticipate possible objections. This is particularly important as
his work sails in several almost uncharted theological waters
The Benefits of Providenceis an important and stimulating inquiry into
philosophical theology. Though some will find its academic rigor challenging,
most will find James Spiegel’s clarity and passion for biblically based
philosophy extraordinary. Though this is a significant work in the debate about
God’s sovereignty, I think it’s more significant for those who hold to the
Augustinian view. Regardless of whether we agree with every point, Dr. Spiegel
has challenged us to apply our theology more widely and deeply.
Related posts:
- Book Review: The Making of an Atheist by James Spiegel
- Book Review: The Love of Wisdom by Steven Cowan and James Spiegel
- ETS 3: James Spiegel on Ethics and Art
- Interview with James Spiegel
- ETS 2006- James Spiegel: The Epistemic Ramifications of Behavior
- ETS 2008 – James Spiegel “Free Will and Soul Making”
Posted in Book Reviews, Main Page, Philosophy, Roger's Posts
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March 28th, 2006 at 6:58 pm
Roger, you are a prolific reader and an excellent reviewer. Though I don't recall learning the terms of classification very well, I do believe I fall onto the Augustinian end of the spectrum. This therefore sounds like an interesting read.
March 29th, 2006 at 7:10 pm
Thanks Bill, I appreciate the compliment. This is definitly an interesting read, and one I'll be returning to often.