God, Doctrine Immutability, unchangeableness, simplicity, Orthodox, evangelical, open theism

Abstract

In recent years the doctrine of the immutability of God has come under attack within Evangelicalism from the adherents of process theology and open theism, who claim that the doctrine of immutability is based on an Aristotelian philosophy concerning God. This article engages a literary investigation to prove that the doctrine of God's immutability as understood within Evangelicalism finds its tradition within Christian orthodoxy. In an endeavour to take the attribute of God's immutability seriously, an investigation from early Church Fathers to later Reformers is undertaken to argue that the Evangelical understanding of the doctrine of immutability is orthodox, namely that God is both independent and self-sufficient and hence immutable in respect of his supreme existence. Therefore, the doctrine of immutability brings hope and comfort to Christians as it did in the past.