Models of God's Providence

Christian theologians offer various theories of divine action to account for God’s work in the world. Such theories are often called “theologies of providence.” In this presentation, Thomas Jay Oord explores what he thinks are the seven main models of providence in the Christian tradition. Oord argues that all seven models of providence are essentially compatible with the general theory of evolution, but some models seem more plausible to him in light of evolution, evil, randomness, and the quest for explanatory consistency. Oord lays out the basic positions of each model and explores advantages and disadvantages of each.