Episode 298: Christianity 202, Part Five--God's Will and Human Will

One of the more complicated tensions in Christian theology is how we make sense of human responsibility and God's will. Is everything that happens part of God's plan and design?  Are we responsible for our own actions, or just puppets playing out a predetermined script?  Is God guaranteed to "win" in the end, or could human beings keep on refusing God's goodness forever?  And is my hope of salvation dependent on me taking the first step to accept Jesus, or is it something that God accomplishes whether or not I cooperate?  These are the kinds of questions Christians have been wrestling with for centuries, and we've got a whole host of Bible verses that point in different directions on that issue.  So in today's episode of Crazy Faith Talk, it's time for pastors Erica, Sarah, and Steve to do some of that wrestling--we'll explore how different branches of the Christian faith-family have answered the question over time, and how each of us deals with the question personally and pastorally.  Along the way we'll look at the difference between "monkey-hold" theology and "cat-hold" theology, and how an awful lot of Christian theology on this subject is trying to have its cake and eat it, too.  Join us for this week's deep conversation on Crazy Faith Talk.