The Untamed God: A Philosophical Exploration of Divine Perfection, Immutability, and Simplicity

by Jay W. Richards

God is sovereign.God is perfect.God is immutable.God created everything.God is triune.The Son of God was incarnate in Jesus Christ.

The essential tenets of classical theism regarding the doctrine of God can be stated fairly easily. However, questions have been raised regarding the coherence of these beliefs taken as a whole. Some have seen fit to abandon classical theism. Others have acknowledged tensions in the traditional concept of God and have...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 083082734X
• ISBN13: 9780830827343
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: InterVarsity Press
• Length: 267 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

God is that than which none greater can be conceived

The essential tenets of classical theism on the doctrine of God can be stated simply. First, God exists. Second, He created the world--meaning, everything other than God--in such a way that the world owes its existence and individual features to him. Thirdly, God created the world freely--that is, nothing external or internal to God compelled him to create this or any other world. Additionally, most theists believe that God is maximally perfect in knowledge, power, goodness, love, freedom, existence, holiness, justice, and the like. As the great medieval theologian Anselm said, "God is that than which none greater can be conceived." Finally, Christian theists also profess that God exists as three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit while still being one God. Many questions have been raised regarding the coherence of these beliefs taken as a whole. Some have seen fit to abandon classical theism. Others, acknowledging tensions in the traditional concept of God, have sought to resolve them by means of making significant concession. Mindful of these issues, Jay Richards uses the tools of analytic philosophy to explore and critically engage the tenets of classical theism. His own carefully crafted proposal upholds the historic Christian doctrine of God while critiquing some of its more stringent formulations that render God's relations with contingent creation problematic. Astutely interfacing with the thought of Karl Barth and Charles Hartshorne, Richards concludes by addressing the related and currently debated matters of divine simplicity and immutability.