John D. Laing – författare

Most Christians believe God is in control, but they are unsure of how to reconcile that control with their struggles with sin, the command to evangelize, and the immense suffering in the world and their own lives.Laing offers an introduction to the doctrine of providence based on the theory of middle knowledge, first articulated in the sixteenth century. This view describes how creatures have true free will and God has perfect knowledge of what each creature could and would do in any circumstance. Middle knowledge helps answer the most perplexing theological questions: predestination and salvation, the existence of evil, divine and human authorship of Scripture, and science and the Christian faith. Laing provides extensive biblical support as well as practical applications for this theology.

Can military chaplains pray in Jesus'' name? Are they allowed to share their faith openly? Are evangelical Christians persecuted in the military? Does the general prohibition against proselytizing in the military violate soldiers'' Constitutional rights? Are liberalism and/or universalism implicitly endorsed by the military and political leadership as the preferred religion of the United States government? In this timely and important book, John Laing draws upon his knowledge as a professor of theology and philosophy and his experience as an Army chaplain in order to address these questions and more, with a view to answering the larger theological question of whether evangelicals can successfully serve as military chaplains while remaining true to their conservative biblical beliefs and evangelistic commitments. While the book is primarily written for those involved or interested in military chaplaincy, it has a broader appeal, as the issues discussed are relevant to all areas of chaplaincy: healthcare, institutional, public service, campus, and marketplace.

Calvinism and Middle Knowledge is an anthology of essays that moves the discussion of Molinism/middle knowledge out of the philosophical arena, where it has almost exclusively remained, and into the broader theological community. In particular, it sparks a conversation between Calvinists and Molinists regarding the fruitfulness or deficiencies of middle knowledge and the feasibility or infeasibility of Calvinist use of middle knowledge without acceptance of libertarian human freedom. To this end, nine distinguished experts address such topics as the history of the doctrine of middle knowledge, the potential role of Molinism in discussions of evolution and intelligent design, Calvinist concerns with Molinism, and Calvinist appropriation of middle knowledge. This book empowers theologians, historians, biblical scholars, and pastors to join the ongoing conversation and to judge for themselves what explanatory role middle knowledge may or may not play in accounts of providence and practical theology.