Free Will, Moral Responsibility, and Reformed Theology - Analytic ...

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Paul L. Manata © 2011
Thus, one major aim of this introduction to Reformed thought on freedom is to
clarify the issues with the hope that the reader will better be able to sort out the
kinds of confusions seen in section 1.2.1. Another aim of this paper is that the
reader will have a better understanding of the issues and concepts involved in
the topic of free will and moral responsibility.
To accomplish this I will first give a broad overview of the issues, concepts, and
worries that arise from philosophical reflection on free will and moral
responsibility, specifically as they might relate to RT. I will bold important terms
that appear in the literature. Next, I will lay out where Reformed theology is
located in the overview. The position will be that Reformed theology
presupposes a kind of determinism and requires a view of freedom and moral
responsibility that is compatible with that. I will then look at various models of
compatibilism that have either been historically popular with Reformed
theologians, or which could be profitably employed in the service of theology.
Next, I will discuss the most popular view of freedom in Christianity today, what
is known as libertarian freedom. I will then present some of the ways people
have argued against this view. Since my position in this paper is that Reformed
theology is a type of determinism, I will next interact with a dissenting voice
within Reformed theology that denies this. Since this position directly contradicts
my thesis, I will not simply seek to clarify the issues but will argue against this
view.
2. Free Will and Moral Responsibility: An Introduction
2.1 An ordinary case
We can begin our introduction by considering an individual regarded to have free
will and moral responsibility. Let’s call this individual Frieda Wilma Morales, or