Can God be free?

By William L. Rowe

Book Description

Can an all-perfect God truly act with freedom, or does divine perfection itself create an impossible paradox? William L. Rowe tackles one of theology's most challenging questions in this thoughtful exploration of divine nature and human understanding.

At the heart of Western religious tradition lies a fundamental tension. If God possesses perfect goodness, infinite knowledge, and unlimited power, then logic suggests God must always choose the best possible action. But this creates a troubling dilemma: if God can only act in one perfect way, creating the best possible world, then divine actions become matters of necessity rather than free choice. This raises profound questions about whether we should feel gratitude toward a God who had no alternative but to create us as part of the optimal world.

The implications extend further into difficult territory. If this world represents the best an infinitely good and powerful being could create, how do we reconcile this belief with the existence of profound suffering, including tragedies like the Holocaust and countless other evils that mark human experience?

Rowe examines this theological puzzle through both historical and contemporary lenses, drawing insights from major thinkers including Leibniz, Aquinas, Clarke, and Edwards. Rather than offering easy answers, he demonstrates how this problem challenges fundamental assumptions about God's nature in ways that may require significant reconsideration of traditional theological concepts.

This scholarly yet accessible work invites readers to grapple with questions that sit at the intersection of faith, philosophy, and human experience.