UWA Logo What's On at UWA
   UWA HomeProspective Students  | Current Students  | Staff  | Alumni  | Visitors  | About  |     Search UWA    for      
 

LECTURE: Lecture

* Login to add events... *
Today's date is Friday, March 29, 2024
Lecture : Divine providence and human freedom: an age old conundrum revisited Other events...
This lecture is part of a series of lectures organised jointly by UWA (Religion and Globalisation Initiative), Murdoch University and the University of Notre Dame Australia

Throughout the ages the question of human freedom and divine providence has cause heated debate. If humans are free in their decisions, then there is no space left for divine providence in any meaningful way. And, conversely, if we take seriously divine providence and God’s sovereignty, then there appears not to be much space left for human freedom. Methodists and Process theology are usually seen as proponents of the first attitude, traditional Lutherans and Calvinists of the second, and Roman Catholics somewhere in the middle. However, a look at the history of the problem reveals that the very question is essentially modern. So if we revisit the treatment of the question before the rise of the modern world view, we may discover interesting ways in which the question can be reframed. In particular Thomas Aquinas and Maximus Confessor have interesting things to say in this context. So, in the end, if we question the modern presuppositions regarding the nature of human and divine will, we may find that God’s will and human will are not in competition with one another after all. So, correctly understood, divine providence and human freedom can coexist and even reinforce each other.

Dr. Alex Jensen is lecturer in Systematic Theology at Murdoch University.

The lecture. commencing at 4pm, will be about 45 minutes duration followed by questions/conversation and supper. The evening will conclude by 6pm
Speaker(s) Dr. Alex Jensen
Location Room 3.024 Education and Humanities Building, Murdoch University
Contact Michael Wood <[email protected]>
Start Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:00
End Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:00
RSVP RSVP is required.
Submitted by Michael Wood <[email protected]>
Last Updated Tue, 13 Mar 2012 10:11
Included in the following Calendars:
Additional Information:
  • Locations of venues on the Crawley and Nedlands campuses are available via the Campus Maps website.
  • Download this event as: Text | iCalendar
  • Mail this event:

Top of Page
© 2001-2010  The University of Western Australia
Questions? Mail [email protected]