“The perennial debate over free will and divine sovereignty often gets off on the wrong foot. More popular treatments can verge on caricature, while more serious treatments are often inaccessible to the average believer. This book is different. Careful in description and argument, it is also eminently readable. Scott Christensen doesn’t take anything for granted, but defines the major terms as he goes. Most important of all, it breathes a spirit of wonder and gratitude before the face of a God who is not only all-powerful but good.”
“Many think that free will is the silver-bullet answer to some of theology’s most difficult questions. But do we have a free will? Short answer: It depends on what you mean by free. Long answer: Read this book.”
“Scott Christensen has made an important contribution to the perennial conversation in Christian theology about God’s sovereignty and free will. He pushes beyond the mutual stereotypes that so often derail this important conversation, charitably engaging the major objections raised against Calvinism. Scott fuses clearheaded philosophy with helpful everyday life examples and significant insights for Christian living, all under the final authority of Scripture. What about Free Will? is an important work for anyone who seeks to champion God’s awesome sovereignty over the full scope of reality without reducing humanity to the level of meaningless robots.”
“Compatibilism is not a word with which most Christians are familiar, but it represents a truth apart from which neither the Bible nor the Christian life can be properly understood. Can God be sovereign and man still be free? Can God foreknow our choices without undermining our accountability to him? These sorts of questions have troubled souls for centuries. Scott Christensen’s treatment of compatibilism, the notion that divine determinism and human freedom are harmonious, speaks to this issue with biblical clarity and practical wisdom. I am thoroughly persuaded that God knew infallibly from eternity past that I would freely and without reservation endorse this excellent book!”
“Scott Christensen has done a splendid job of explaining what’s at stake in the debate over free will and presenting a compelling biblical case for a compatibilist view of human freedom that honors God’s absolute sovereignty over his creation. One particular virtue of the book is that while it recognizes the value of philosophical analysis, Scripture is given the first and the last word.”
“This concise little volume is a clear, intelligent, immensely helpful overview of one of the most confusing conundrums in all of theology: the perennial debate over divine sovereignty and human free will. While avoiding the dense philosophical prose found in most works on this subject, Scott Christensen doesn’t sidestep the hard questions. The answers he gives are thoughtful, biblical, satisfying, and refreshingly coherent. Lay readers and seasoned theologians alike will treasure this work.”
“Scott Christensen has performed a valuable service in writing a clear and accurate book on the question of free will. He presents intelligent and intelligible definitions of such key terms as libertarianism and compatibilism, and answers clearly from Scripture the questions that we all ask about them. The reader emerges with a good understanding of these terms and the impact of this doctrine on the Christian life. I do hope that the book gets a wide distribution and readership.”
“Just as there seems to be no end of books (so the Preacher in Ecclesiastes), so there seems to be no end to the discussion about human free will and divine sovereignty. Pelagius and Augustine, Erasmus and Luther, Wesley and Whitefield—the discussion is certainly not a new one. But this simply means that every generation needs to wrestle afresh with what Scripture teaches on this subject. This new popular work by Scott Christensen helpfully lays out the major positions and seeks to show what Scripture teaches on this enormously important subject. A good primer!”
“Christensen very practically and persuasively develops a case for compatibilism. But whether you want to call it compatibilism, Calvinism, or something else, Christensen shows that it is just biblical Christianity. This book is an excellent resource, therefore, for those trying to make sense of divine sovereignty and human freedom from a biblical perspective.”
“Christensen has provided an admirably clear and succinct defense of the compatibilist view of human freedom and divine sovereignty. Scholars and laypersons alike will benefit from this well-researched and carefully argued book. I recommend it highly!”
“The issues of praise and blame, human freedom and divine determinism, culpability and responsibility have long been discussed in the church. What we have in Scott Christensen’s compact volume is a discussion of these issues from the perspective of the maintenance and prioritization of divine sovereignty without minimizing or reconfiguring the biblical witness to divine determinism. It is quite well written, deals equitably with opponents, and presents a balanced argument. It is a handy tool for an introduction to the issues. In this regard, I found it a wonderful addition to the conversation from a practical and informative perspective, with a forthright presentation of the argument for Christensen’s point of view while showing the weakness of opposite opinions. I can recommend it highly as a worthy presentation of the argument that neither culpability nor human freedom need be surrendered to embrace praise, blame, and sovereignty.”
