God and the Nature of Time

Garrett J. DeWeese is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Philosophical Theology, at the Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, La Mirada, California, USA.

'This area is a hot topic in philosophy of religion and this book will meet with significant interest. Garry DeWeese deals with issues in both the history of philosophy and contemporary philosophy of science and philosophy of religion. This is a very thorough treatment; he has clearly identified both the key figures and the key issues which need to be addressed.' William L. Craig, Talbot School of Theology, USA 'In God and the Nature of Time, Garry DeWeese has provided a superb overview of contemporary and classical debates concerning God's relationship to time. What strikes me is the comprehensiveness of his treatment, drawing from Biblical studies, the history of theology, modern science and contemporary philosophy of religion. DeWeese does not just survey the field, but is critical of the major alternatives, presenting at the same time his own hypothesis: that God is "omnitemporal". His critical engagement with other authors is fair and comprehensive. I recommend this book to any scholar or student interested in this topic.' Alan G. Padgett, Luther Seminary, USA '[DeWeese's] book is theologically scholarly and philosophically professional, using the concise symbolisms of modern philosophy to excellent effect wherever they are appropriate... this book provides a wide-ranging and penetrating survey of past and contemporary thought. Furthermore, is is written with all the lucidity which the topic can allow - including the regular use of helpful summary-boxes - yet at the same time, not infrequently, with a winning sensitivity and gracefulness of phrase.' ESSSAT News '... offers a thorough introduction to key issues and figures in historical and contemporary work on the philosophy of time and time in theology, and will provide a stimulating survey of a hot topic...' Themelios 'Given his clarity of exposition and his helpful summaries of the major contributions ot this subject, DeWeese has produced an excellent starting point for anyone wishing to undertake a serious study of God's relationship to time.' Science and Christian Belief 'If I would teach a graduate course on God and time, this would be the book that I would use. It provides an excellent, well-balanced introduction to all the major issues, and the author not merely describes the most important positions, but also indicates very clearly what, according to him, their strengths and weaknesses are. All through the book he provides frames with bullets summarizing the argument. The author may not provide a major new theory of his own, he certainly has written the best introduction to the field.' Ars Disputandi

• Contents: Preface; Introduction; Part I Metaphysics and Physics: The metaphysics of time; Physics and time. Part II Scripture and Tradition: The evidence from scripture; The medieval consensus: God is atemporally eternal; Atemporality: contemporary statements; A medieval dissent: God is temporally everlasting; Temporality: contemporary statements. Part III Omnitemporal God: Omnitemporality; Implications of omnitemporality; Bibliography; Index.