Eternal God offers an exposition and philosophical defence of the idea that God is timeless. This is the traditional Christian position, though under widespread contemporary attack on both theological and philosophical grounds. The book begins by considering certain issues of method and exploring the very idea of timeless eternity. The defence of the idea of divine timelessness involves arguing against a number of claims, notably that it is incoherent and incompatible with the idea of personhood and freedom. Both these arguments are rebutted. It is argued that if God is in time ... More

Eternal God offers an exposition and philosophical defence of the idea that God is timeless. This is the traditional Christian position, though under widespread contemporary attack on both theological and philosophical grounds. The book begins by considering certain issues of method and exploring the very idea of timeless eternity. The defence of the idea of divine timelessness involves arguing against a number of claims, notably that it is incoherent and incompatible with the idea of personhood and freedom. Both these arguments are rebutted. It is argued that if God is in time, then by parity of argument this carries the unacceptable consequence that he is in space. The idea of omniscience, the propriety of speaking of an eternal God's foreknowledge, and of God's knowledge of the future are all discussed. It is argued that while divine foreknowledge is compatible only with some form of determinism, such determinism poses no greater threat to human responsibility than does atheistic determinism. The book concludes with an examination of the conditions under which one might make successful reference to such an eternal God.