Annotated Bibliography

Compiled by James W. Fogal

Statement of Topic
The research will address whetherprayerschangeGodexaminingthepositionofopentheism.
Bibliography Information for Resource #1
Quarles, Charles L., Was Jesus an Open Theist? A Brief Examination of Greg Boyds Exegesis of
Jesus Prayer in Gethsemane. The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, (2004), 8, no. 3, 102111.
Brief statement regarding the author and his credentials as an authority
The author, Charles L. Quarles, is an Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek at New
Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his Ph.D. from Mid-America Baptist
Theological Seminary.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for the topic
This article examines an open theists (Greg Boyd) interpretation of Jesus in the Garden of
Gethsemane. Boyd argues that Jesus thought there was a chance that the Father might change
His mind about his trial and crucifixion. Quarles argues that Boyd is misinterpreting this text.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic.
This essay demonstrates that even the strongest exegetical arguments of open theists do not bear
up under close scrutiny. Evangelicals should shift their focus from mere philosophical and
theological challenges to open theism and offer a careful exegetical response. They may
discover that opening the Book closes the book on open theism.1
Bibliography Information for Resource #2
Gellman, Jerome I., In Defense of Petitionary Prayer. Midwest Studies in Philosophy, (1997),
21, 83-97.
Brief statement regarding the author and his credentials as an authority
1 Quarles, Charles L., Was Jesus an Open Theist? A Brief Examination of Greg Boyds Exegesis of Jesus Prayer in
Gethsemane. The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology, (2004), 8, no. 3, 111.

The author, Jerome I. Gellman, is professor of philosophy at Ben Gurion University of the
Negev.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for the topic
This article utilizes two arguments from philosopher Eleonore Stump to make the case that a
prayerful request of God can be efficacious in bringing about a prayed-for state of affairs.

Bibliography Information for Resource #3

Basinger, David, Why Petition an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Wholly Good God? Religious
Studies (1983), 19, no. 1, 25-41.
Brief statement regarding the author and his credentials as an authority
The author, David Basinger, is a full Professor of Philosophy at Roberts Wesleyan College in
Rochester, NY.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for the topic
This article examines various philosophical questions regarding praying to the traditional theistic
God. Specifically, Basinger discusses if petitionary prayers can change God, assuming the
attributes of omnipotence, omniscience and goodness.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic.
If God is all knowing it does not seem that he would need to be informed concerning any
problematic situation. In fact, most theists acknowledge that only God has a completely
accurate, comprehensive understanding of any given state of affairs. If God is perfectly good, it
does not seem that he would need to be prompted into action by repeated, emotional requests.
For does not the very idea of a created being attempting to convince God to intervene imply that
God is not all loving? Finally, if God is all powerful, what sense can it make to question whether
God has the capacity to perform a desired action, as long as the desired action is not
incompatible with his goodness?2

2 Basinger, David, Why Petition an Omnipotent, Omniscient, Wholly Good God? Religious Studies (1983), 19, no.
1, 26.

Bibliography Information for Resource #4

Stump, Eleonore, Petitionary Prayer. American Philosophical Quarterly, (1979), 16, no. 2, 8191.
Brief statement regarding the author and her credentials as an authority
The author, Eleonore Stump, is the Robert J. Henle Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis
University, where she has taught since 1992. She has published extensively in philosophy of
religion, contemporary metaphysics, and medieval philosophy. She is past president of the
Society of Christian Philosophers, the American Catholic Philosophical Association, and the
American Philosophical Association, Central Division.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for the topic
This article examines whether prayers are effective and useful to a God who is omniscient,
omnipotent and perfectly good.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic.
If human actions are totally determined by God, then petitionary prayer cannot be considered
efficacious in the sense that it influences divine activity. If human actions are significantly free
and such freedom places restrictions on Gods ability to interact.3

Bibliography Information for Resource #5

Dummett, Michael, Bringing about the past, The Philosophical Review, (1964),73, 345.
Brief statement regarding the author and her credentials as an authority
The author, Sir Michael Anthony Eardley Dummett, was a British philosopher. He was, until
1992, Wykeham Professor of Logic at the University of Oxford.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for the topic
This article questions the need for prayer if one embraces a traditional foreknowledge of God.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic.

3 Stump, Eleonore, Petitionary Prayer. American Philosophical Quarterly, (1979), 16, no. 2, 41.

Either you are going to be killed by a bomb or you are not going to be. If you are, then any
precautions you take will be ineffective. If you are not, all precautions you take are superfluous.
Therefore, it is pointless to take any precautions.4

4 Dummett, Michael, Bringing about the past, The Philosophical Review, (1964),73, 345.