Mapping free will

Here’s a neat idea, passed on to me by John Peck from one Donald Bailey. We are often told that we can only have one of these possibilities – either we are free to make choices or God is in charge of the Universe. Now, I’ve said quite a few times on this blog and elsewhere that I believe this to be a false choice, that in fact the Bible tells us that both of these things are true.

The neat idea is this – consider theology as akin to mapmaking. Now, when we make a map of the world, we are faced with a problem: how do we reduce the three-dimensional shape of the Earth (a sphere) onto a flat two-dimensional piece of paper? Inevitably, when we make the map, we lose part of the reality. The most famous style of world map is the Mercator projection. This maintains the directions between any two places on Earth (useful for navigation) but at the expense of seriously distorting the areas of the countries (it makes Africa look far smaller than it really it, and all northern and southern countries appear far larger – this is why it’s been accused of allowing the rich northern nations feel more globally significant than they ought). By contrast, the Peters projection allows all regions to have the correct relative areas, but at the expense of sacrificing the constant direction. Looking at either form of map tells us true things about the world – and both are good methods, as good as it is possible for them to be. But neither is true to the exclusion of the other. Both are true and accurate, but limited, representations of the true nature of the world. So, then, both free will and divine sovereignty are true and accurate – but not to the exclusion of the other.

pax et bonum

Article posted at 9:51pm on 09 October 2006
Category: Faith, Musing