Openness theology posits that love is the most important attribute of
God, and God’s love involves being sensitive and responsive to His
creation.[1]Within this open view of God, love is the primary divine
attribute governing God’s activity in both the Old and New Testament.
[2]While the idea of a benevolent and loving God does not sound
inconsistent with the God of the Bible, openness theology diverges sharply
from a biblical God in some of the beliefs that stem from focusing on love.
One such belief is the rejection of God’s immutability in favor of a limited
immutability based on apparent changes in relationship between God,
Israel, and other individuals in the Old Testament. This view within [3]
openness theology seems related to another openness view, which is the
rejection of God’s omniscience. The belief that God cannot know the
unknowable, leads to the idea that God changes in response to man’s
choices and actions as agents of free will.[4]
The author of Malachi wrote, “For I am the Lord, I do not change”
(Mal. 3:6). Likewise, the author of Hebrews wrote, “Jesus Christ is the [5]
same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13:8). If I ground my child and
upon seeing genuine regret and repentance in them, reduce their
grounding or offer an alternative punishment; I did not change as a
parent, I just acted according to my purpose as a parent to teach my child
right from wrong. God altering His course of action based on the actions of
man, does not mean God changed or altered His will toward mankind.
With that said, I do not agree with the notion that God cannot know the
unknowable. I can change my child’s punishment even though I already
anticipated they would be regretful and repenting. Likewise, God can
change in response to man even knowing what man was going to do in
