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 PrintableVersion The innocence of GodDrifting from sovereigntyTHE INNOCENCE OF GOD The struggle to understand how a good God can be in wilful and sovereign control of a broken world is a real one; an issue with pastoral relevance for suffering Christians and apologetic relevance in a world that increasingly sees atheism as the only intellectually satisfying option. That struggle is the theme of Udo Middelmann’s book. As the title suggests, the author seeks to show how the problem of mankind’s predicament cannot, and should not, be attributed to God. As such, he lays great emphasis throughout the book on the effects of the Fall, reminding us that there is a significant distance between what was, at creation, and what is, in present reality. However, after what is an interesting and engaging opening, the author’s resolution of the problem yields far more ground than many Christians would be comfortable with on the issue of God’s sovereignty. Although he claims to avoid what he sees as the extremes of determinism on the one hand, and ‘openness theology’ on the other, one is left wondering whether God’s sovereignty is really sovereignty, in the fullest sense, after all. In his introduction he criticises theologians who ‘seek ever more detailed justifications for carefully-honed positions’ and, in the process, lose audiences that ‘experience a broken, seemingly absurd reality’. While clearly seeking to avoid this mistake, the author’s own ‘carefully-honed position’ is in danger of undermining the sovereignty of God. Predestination is rejected, or, at least, reinterpreted to refer to general events and to the gospel plan, rather than to the personal calling of the individual. In taking this line the author tackles Romans and Ephesians, but ignores the many smaller references (particularly from Jesus in the gospels) that emphasise, or support, God’s prevenient grace. It is interesting — and consistent with his approach — that ‘regeneration’ is largely ignored. The interplay of God’s sovereignty and human responsibility is, in many respects, beyond the human mind to comprehend. It seems, however, that the biblical approach is to uphold both in their fullest senses, rather than pursuing a logic which will satisfy human curiosity. For all its very stimulating lines of discussion, The Innocence of God often fails to do this. In the end one is left less than certain that all things will undoubtedly work for good for those who love God, or, indeed, that Jesus will lose none of those that the Father has given him. Andrew Wilson,
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