The God Who Trusts - by Wm Curtis Holtzen (Paperback)

About the Book

The Bible resounds with affirmations that God is faithful and trustworthy. But might he also exhibit faith and trust? Wm. Curtis Holtzen contends that because God is a being of relational love and exists in relationship with humans, then God is a God who trusts. Holtzen argues that understanding the relationship between divine trust and human faith can give us a fuller, truer picture of who God is and who we are.

Book Synopsis

The Bible resounds with affirmations of the faithfulness and trustworthiness of God. But might God also exhibit faith and trust?

Standing in the tradition of theologians such as John Sanders, who argued that God is one who risks, Wm. Curtis Holtzen contends that God is not merely trustworthy or faithful, but that God is also one who trusts and has faith. According to Holtzen, because God is a being of relational love and exists in relationship with humans, who can freely choose to follow God, then God is a God who trusts.

Such an argument might challenge our notion of who God is, yet Holtzen argues that understanding the relationship between divine trust and human faith can give us a fuller, truer picture of who God is and who we are.

Review Quotes

"According to The God Who Trusts, God's care for creation involves not only sensitivity and risk but a deep longing that it will become everything God hopes for it. With its expansive description of divine faith, Holtzen's portrayal of God enhances and complements those of other open theists, such as The Most Moved Mover (Clark Pinnock) and The God Who Risks (John Sanders). His project also exemplifies theological reflection at its best. He offers an interesting and original thesis, engages the views of others with informed sensitivity, thoughtfully considers pertinent biblical passages, and provides well-developed arguments for his positions--all in clear and accessible language. Students and experienced scholars alike will benefit from this work, and many readers will find it inspiring."

--Richard Rice, professor of religion at Loma Linda University, author of Suffering and the Search for Meaning

"Christian communities emphasize the need to practice faith and hope and to see God as the object of our faith and source of our hope. Yet, Christians do not say much about the faith and hope of God. Seldom are Christians encouraged to imitate the faith and hope of God. Sadly, some Christians do not believe God can be our example of faith and hope. . . . This is a terrific work on what it means for God to have faith, hope, and love. It fills a significant gap in the literature, and it enables Christian communities to better understand what God is like and helps them more fully imitate the God who trusts."

--From the foreword by John Sanders, author of The God Who Risks

"Curtis Holtzen is one of the most courageous and perceptive critics of classical theism. This book is Holtzen at his absolute best. If love always hopes, if it always trusts, he asks, What does it mean for a God who is love? It means that God also hopes, also trusts, and also has faith. Holtzen offers a profound, unsettling theology for unsettling times. It's a theology that asks us to cling to a God who embraces the mess, lives in the mess, and confronts the mess with us."

--Roberto Sirvent, author of Embracing Vulnerablity: Human and Divine

"One mark of a great and rare book is that it demonstrates the central importance of a question nobody else was even asking. This, in a nutshell, is what The God Who Trusts does. I had never before wondered if trust and faith might be attributes of God. When I finished this work, I wondered how I had not thought about that before. In this well-written and hugely insightful book, Curtis Holtzen makes a compelling case that trust is not only an attribute of God, it's an attribute that has significant implications for our understanding of, and relationship with, God. I dare all thoughtful, open-minded Christians to read this book!"

--Greg Boyd, senior pastor, Woodland Hills Church, president, Reknew Ministries, author of God at War

About the Author

Wm. Curtis Holtzen (DTh, University of South Africa) is a professor of philosophy and theology at Hope International University. He is the coeditor of Connecting Faith and Science: Philosophical and Theological Inquiries, In Spirit and In Truth: Philosophical Reflections on Liturgy and Worship, and By Faith and Reason: The Essential Keith Ward.