Some more spoilers...

The introductory chapter to my forthcoming book on free will

[Below is the introduction to my forthcoming book on free will. My current title is The Freed Will: Reforming Our Understanding of Free Will. The rough draft of my manuscript is complete and in the editing phase, so all that you read may be subject to change and further edits. I pray you enjoy this preview and that it stirs you up to read the full treatment when it is released! Any feedback is welcome as I desire this book to be the best it can be.]¹

Introduction

If you ask just about anyone on the street–regardless of age, social status, or ethnicity–whether humans have free will, odds are, all five will respond with a resounding, “Of course!” So why even ask the question? Is it that important to revisit the topic of free will? Unfortunately, the concept of free will continues to be misrepresented and misconstrued. It’s time we reclaim and reform our understanding of it and resist the doctrinal winds that blow directly in our faces. Frankly, what Christians often mean by “free will” and what the culture means often present a distorted picture.

In the early 2000s, the children’s soccer film, Kicking and Screaming, depicted the (hilarious) rivalry between two coaches who just so happened to be father and son. The not-so-athletic son sought to live up to his competitive father’s expectations but always fell short. At the beginning of the movie, the son begins narrating the story of his life: “I was born a baby–a blank slate, thinking I was in control of my own destiny. And then, I met my father…” The underlying frustration of some Christians is embodied by this quote. We naturally assume that I am in control of my own destiny, but there’s someone in the way–God the Father. Our felt experience convinces us that our choices are autonomous, independent of any internal or external influence, but then we bump our heads up against the Bible’s teachings about an all-sovereign God.

Swimming in the ocean of man-centeredness pervading our culture, Christians could be led to approach the Scriptures with the assumption that God’s will and man’s will are competing for space. Some give that space to God’s will at the expense of man’s will, and some give that space to man’s will at the expense of God’s will. But sadly, the idea of unqualified, unhindered free will is winning the day.

Of course, most, if not all, true believers in Jesus will confess that God is in charge. They won’t deny God’s sovereignty as a reality or treat it as a problem, but at the same time, many merely give it a nod while preserving as much autonomy as possible. It’s probably because our experience doesn’t lie: You chose what toothpaste to use, you chose your shoes today, you chose to pick up this book. But what’s more, you “chose” to believe in Christ. Majoring on this can sometimes allow our experience to dictate how we read the Scriptures or view God Himself. How many of us have heard the classic statements, “God never forces Himself on us, God is always a gentleman, God never violates our free will, etc.”?

Therefore, some have sought to reconcile these things in a variety of ways and this has given rise to a debate that has gone on for centuries–from the apostle Paul and his readers to Augustine and Pelagius, to Luther and Erasmus, to Whitefield and Wesley, to Olson and Horton, to Geisler and White. These debates were the seedbed for the spectrum of interpretations Christians have held. Here’s a brief overview of this spectrum: