Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Preface
- 1 What is the problem?
- 2 What is chance?
- 3 Order out of chaos
- 4 Chaos out of order
- 5 What is probability?
- 6 What can very small probabilities tell us?
- 7 Can Intelligent Design be established scientifically?
- 8 Statistical laws
- 9 God's action in the quantum world
- 10 The human use of chance
- 11 God's chance
- 12 The challenge to chance
- 13 Choice and chance
- 14 God and risk
- References
- Further reading
- Index
12 - The challenge to chance
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- Preface
- 1 What is the problem?
- 2 What is chance?
- 3 Order out of chaos
- 4 Chaos out of order
- 5 What is probability?
- 6 What can very small probabilities tell us?
- 7 Can Intelligent Design be established scientifically?
- 8 Statistical laws
- 9 God's action in the quantum world
- 10 The human use of chance
- 11 God's chance
- 12 The challenge to chance
- 13 Choice and chance
- 14 God and risk
- References
- Further reading
- Index
Summary
The fact that God could do things through the medium of chance does not mean, of course, that he actually does so. The view expounded in the last chapter is challenged by those who take a strong view of the sovereignty of God. One of the clearest attacks comes from John Byl, who claims that to introduce ontological chance is scientifically unwarranted, philosophically objectionable and theologically inconsistent with the sovereignty of God. This argument is met by attempting to overturn each contention, and in particular, by arguing that a sovereign God does not need to be directly involved in those matters to whose outcomes he is indifferent.
BACK TO GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY
It is one thing to argue that God could have created the world in a manner which allows chance a real and important role. It is another matter entirely to argue that he did actually do it in that way. There are many things that we can do but there are some which, our friends would argue, we would not have done on the grounds that it would simply be ‘out of character’ for us to behave in that way. Maybe it would also be out of character for God to act as I proposed in the last chapter. After all, there is nothing in what we observe to show that what looks like chance must be chance. In spite of the complexities involved in mimicking chance, it is not impossible to do so.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- God, Chance and PurposeCan God Have It Both Ways?, pp. 196 - 210Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2008