Richard Rice's anticipatory theory of divine foreknowledge : a critical evaluation

Abstract

The purpose of this disserLation is to describe and evaluate Richard Rice's anticipatory theory of divine foreknowledge. It seeks to answer the question whether this theory is acceptable within the theological framework of the Seventh-day Adventist church to which he belongs. Rice, a proponent of free will theism, rejects the concept of absolute divine foreknowledge because it jeopardizes human freedom, deprives God of interaction with his creatures, and makes Him responsible for evil. To avoid these problems Rice proposes that future events, especially those related to free human decisions and actions, must remain open or indefinite until they occur since they are indefinite, they do not exist and thus cannot be objects of divine foreknowledge. God can only anticipate perfectry from present factors. The evaluation of Rice's theory compares Rice's open view of God with the view of God by other Seventh-day Adventist writers. It reveals that the main difference between them is Rice's brelief in a "limited divine foreknowledgie" to which his concept of perfect divine perfection is tied. This limitatlon is rooted in philosophical presuppositions that confuse epistemological and ontological realms and in an inadequate biblical interpretation. Rice's anticipatory theory of divine foreknowledge relies on philosophy to the detriment of reliance upon scripture. It is highly speculative. Since Rice's concept of perfect anticipation is speculative and not biblically based, the study concludes that it is unacceptable within the Adventist theological framework.