MolinismMolinism

What is it?What is it?

MolinismMolinism

• Craig’s Presentation on Molinism in Four Views on Divine Providence

HistoryHistory

• Named after: 16th Century Jesuit Theologian Luis de Molina

CounterfactualsCounterfactuals• What might have happened had things

gone differently• Called counterfactuals as often the

situations considered are contrary to what has actually happened– If John Howard had won the 2007 election

then the 2013 Budget would be in surplus.– If I were rich I would buy a Mercedes.– If you were to ask her, she would say yes– If I pull out into traffic now I won’t make it

Possible WorldsPossible Worlds

• The full range of options that worlds could be– e.g. God could have only created 27 people in

one world

• These are only the way things might have been had God made things differently.

• They don’t all exist at once, or keep branching off

Natural KnowledgeNatural Knowledge• God knows what are logically possible

worlds and what are logically possible choices of persons in those worlds– Square Triangle worlds are impossible– No logical impossibility in everyone accepting

God– No logical impossibility in everyone rejecting

God

Middle KnowledgeMiddle Knowledge

• Persons can freely choose in a given situation and hence place limits of feasibility on the worlds the God can create.

• God however can look at all possible worlds and create the one that he chooses.

Natural, Middle & Free Natural, Middle & Free KnowledgeKnowledge

• Natural: God’s knowledge of all logically possible worlds

• Middle : God’s knowledge of what free agents will do in any situation

• Free : God’s knowledge of what will happen in the world that he as chosen to create.

Human FreedomHuman Freedom

• It affords God a means of choosing which world of free creatures to create– People freely choose given certain points of

decision in a world.– God chooses what world is created and hence

what circumstances are present at each decision point.

Uses of Molinism

• Christian Particularism• Perseverance of the saints• Biblical inspiration• Infallibility• Christology• The fall and natural evil• Evolutionary theory

Providence is different to Providence is different to SoteriologySoteriology

• Calvinism and Total Depravity (TD)– Given TD there are no possible circumstances

where people will freely accept salvation.– So middle knowledge worlds contain no

persons who freely accept the give of salvation– Hence God can’t actualise our particular world

where people are saved.