Surprising God: Recent Episodes
Dan Kent
Dan looks at zoochosis, as discussed in Alan Nobles wonderful book: You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inhuman World.
Episode 53
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan looks at why we cannot prove, or disprove free will—and also offers some thoughts on life and gambling.
Episode 52
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
In his book, The Only WIse God, William Lane Craig defends Molinism against the claim that a God who knows everything everyone will ever do is a fatalistic theology.
Episode 51
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
In his book, The Only WIse God, William Lane Craig ponders the supernatural knowledge of Jesus. But when he gets down to the gritty work of describing that knowledge, he ends up with something rather mundane. Dan argues that true supernatural knowledge looks far greater than what Craig's theology allows. It looks, rather, unfathomable (as Isaiah says in 40:28) and without limit (as the Psalmist says in 147:5). Craig's understanding of God's knowledge is totally limited and easily fathomable.
Episode 50
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
In Bobby Jamieson's excellent book, "Everything is Never Enough," Jamieson argues that humans are not autonomous because they depend on creation. Since people depend on forces outside themselves for survival, and because they did not create themselves and cannot sustain themselves, Jamieson says people are not their own. But the thesis of his book is that life is a gift from God. Are these two claims compatible? Dan says no.
Link to mentioned sermon: Escaping Babylon
Episode 49
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
People will try to make free will compatible with a whole host of things that, on the face of it, seem determined. Folks will try to make free will compatible with philosophical materialism (all that exists are matter and energy), a settled future (Arminianism), and God's meticulous decree (Calvinism). But our concepts have consequences, and in this episode Dan Kent considers a strange consequence of Calvinist forms of compatibilism.
Episode 48
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
William Lane Craig beautifully describes the vertigo experienced when contemplating determinism. Dan Kent asks whether conteplating free will might create an obverse vertigo.
Episode 47
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Timothy Keller argues that the story of Joseph in the Old Testament is about God's control. Dan argues that the story is more about Joseph's control. What do you think?
Episode 46
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Calvin says God does everything, and everything that happens is because God brings it about. God never rests. But Sabbath is to rest, and we are told God rests. How can a God who does everything rest? Dan discusses...
Episode 45
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
The love passage of 1 Corinthians 13 says that love means to trust. Some translations say love "believes all things." Why the different translations? Which is right? What difference does it make? Dan discusses...
Episode 44
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Sermon: Love Trusts
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Grab your favorite brand of spinach and join Dan Kent as he explores 1 Corinthians 15:10, where Paul says that he is what he is because of God's grace. Does this mean everything Paul is and everything Paul does is actually God acting through Paul? Dan discusses.
Episode 43
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan Kent tries to show why grammar might be more interesting than your school teachers led you to believe.
Episode 42
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Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan Kent tries to define Theological Memoir.
Episode 41
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Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan Kent looks at Calvin's claim that the first function of the Law is to convince us of our weakness and sin.
Episode 40
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Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan Kent looks at John 15:5. What does it mean when Jesus tells his disciples: "apart from me you can do nothing"? Does that mean God does everything through us?
Episode 39
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Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan Kent considers RC Sproul's self-loathing and how that might have influenced the development of his theology—including his claim: "What we are saved from, in Biblical terms of salvation, is God Himself."
Episode 38
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Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan Kent breaks down Peter van Inwagen's classic article "When is the Will Free," highlighting how the article exposes common problems with the academic attempt to understand free will—especially the attempt to prove or disprove its reality.
Episode 37
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Andrew Wilson claims that Psalm 139 poses and "enormous challenge" for open theists, as it claims that God knows all the days formed for me, even days that are still to come. Dan shows why this argument poses little challenge at all to open theists.
Episode 36
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
David Ray Griffin casts a prophetic vision for process theism. In the clearing fog of the future, he sees it ascending the throne of contemporary theology—anointed by theologians, robed by scientists, and crowned by the zeitgeist. Is he right? Dan Kent reflects...
Episode 35
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
What does it mean to say that God "works all things according to the purposes of his will"? How can we understand God clocking in for a shift in his sovereign occupation?
Episode 34
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Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan considers Norman Geisler's resignation from the ETS after his failed attempt to oust Greg Boyd, John Sanders, and Clark Pinnock.
Episode 33
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Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
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Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan considers what it might mean for a God who sustains everything... to rest.
Episode 32
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan considers the risks of love.
Episode 31
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan talks about miracles.
Episode 30
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Calvin says the primary role of the Law is to humble our hearts, which are blinded and drunk with pride. Is that right? Dan throws shade.
Episode 29
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Calvin talks about God giving us a new will. Is this possible? Isn't a person, when you get down to it, simply a will in a body?
Episode 28
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
How does Calvin protect the idea of meritorious reward under the thumbs of his all-controlling God?
Episode 27
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
As I build an aggragate argument for open theism in the early church I thought I'd share a couple gems with you here. The first is from The Epistle to Diognetus. The second is from Irenaeus's "Against Heresies." Enjoy!
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 26
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Paul Helseth says that "true courage" is knowing God has your death all planned out and facing every moment knowing nothing depends on you. Is that right? Dan doesn't think so. What do YOU think?
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 25
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Does plausibility and beauty matter in our doctrine of God? Mark Talbot says "no." To him, all that matters is what we find in the Bible. But is this enough? I offer FIVE problems with Talbot's perspective.
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 24
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
This conversation covered a great deal of topics, and the Surprising God Think Tank did not disappoint! From his time as a Calvinist, to his controversy around open theism, to his current mindset about God and free will, Greg gets to the heart of it all!
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 23
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
If love is not love unless it is freely chosen—which is pretty central for many open theists—then how can babies go to heaven?
Dan takes the case.
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 22
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
One model to understand all the perspectives about God's foreknowledge? Alan Rhoda sits down with the Surprising God think tank to discuss his new book on Open Theism (you can check it out HERE: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009349390). You can order Alan Rhoda's new book here: https://a.co/d/egm2gbJ Read more of Alan's thoughts here: http://alanrhoda.net/wordpress/ YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 21
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan looks at another argument in Thomas Jay Oord's new book: The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence. Oord takes the premises: • Power is fundamentally social (it must be exercised on something). • Power does not exist in absolute isolation
and he infers:
• If God once existed without creation, that God had no power. • If that God had no power, that God could not have created anything.
Does this argument work? Dan shares his initial doubts.
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 20
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan looks at an argument in Thomas Jay Oord's new book: The Death of Omnipotence and Birth of Amipotence.
If it's true that "To exist is to exert power," what if we claim that God exerts all power? It seems to lead to the following disjunct:
either (1) we do not exist or (2) we are God.
Dan thinks through some potential problems with this line of thought.
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 19
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan looks at the potential arrogance of open theism in light of the good news of incarnation.
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 18
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
The Surprising God Think Tank welcomes Samuel Tanner to discuss how improv might inform us about how God might perform sovereignly over his living creation.
You can connect with Samuel Tanner at his website: samjtanner.com
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 17
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Surprising God on X: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Dan on X: @thatdankent
Dan wrestles with Ardel Caneday and Michael Horton about what can be known about God.
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 16
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Twitter: @thatdankent
The Surprising God Think Tank welcomes Joshua L. Rasmussen in where we talk about everything from God's being, human consciousness, divine revelation, sin, and SO MUCH MORE! You can learn more about Joshua at JoshuaLRasmussen.com
Pick up Joshua's book How Reason Can Lead to God
YOU can join future Surprising God conversations at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 15
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 14
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 13
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 12
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 11
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 10
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 9
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 8
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 7
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books: Confident Humility The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGodFacebook: SurprisingGod Twitter: @thatdankent
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 5
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
The Surprising God team chats with Paul Eddy about how he converted Greg Boyd from Calvinism, his relationship with John Piper, and his own understanding of God's foreknowledge (and SO much more!).
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 5
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
The Surprising God crack team talk with Kurt Willems about his book Echoing Hope and discuss how our view of God affects how we view our trauma and suffering, and how, therefore, our view of God can facilitate healing.
YOU can join the conversation at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 4
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
Dan looks at the incredible book defending open theism from 1882 by Lorenzo Dow McCabe. Is this the first full book on the subject?
YOU can join at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 3
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
Dan introduces this new podcast and the think-tank community working behind the scenes, which YOU can join at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 2
YouTube Channel: Surprising God
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent
Dan introduces this new podcast and the think-tank community working behind the scenes, which YOU can join at SurprisingGod.com!
Episode 1
Dan's books:
Confident Humility
The Training of KX12
Send Questions To:
Twitter: @SurprisingGod
Facebook: SurprisingGod
Twitter: @thatdankent