A Primer on Free Will

by John H. Gerstner

Explores the idea of free will as it pertains to our choices for or against God--and to our choices in general.

Genres: Theology

28 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1982

About the author

John Henry Gerstner was a Professor of Church History at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary and an authority on the life and theology of Jonathan Edwards.
He earned both a Master of Divinity of degree and a Master of Theology degree from Westminster Theological Seminary. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Harvard University in 1945. He was originally ordained in the United Presbyterian Church of North America, then (due to church unions) with the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and the Presbyterian Church (USA). In 1990, he left the PCUSA for the Presbyterian Church in America.

Gerstner counted among his students, noted author and preacher, R. C. Sproul, founder of Ligonier Ministries, Dr. Arthur Lindsley, Senior Fellow at the C.S. Lewis Institute, and Dr. Walter (Wynn) Kenyon, Professor of Biblical Studies and Philosophy; Chair of the Philosophy Department and Division of Ministry and Human Services at Belhaven University.

In addition to the books Gerstner had written, he also recorded several lengthy audio courses giving a survey of theology, church history, and Christian apologetics, which are distributed through Ligonier Ministries. Gerstner was non-dispensationalist.

In 1976, a Festschrift was published in Gerstner's honor. Soli Deo Gloria: Essays in Reformed Theology included contributions by Cornelius Van Til, J. I. Packer, Philip Edgecumbe Hughes, John Murray, R. C. Sproul, John Warwick Montgomery, and Roger Nicole.

Reviews

[Joey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gerstner builds his argument against the concept of free will on the foundation of motives and an individual's perception of what seems "good" to them, even when such decisions may be objectively wrong. He presents a narrative dialogue between a Christian and an individual familiar with the Bible but not yet truly "Born again." I found this book challenging, recognizing that Gerstner's intellectual rigor surpasses my own by a long shot. However, while I find some of his points compelling, I believe they would face strong criticism from thinkers like Chesterton. I personally believe the dialogue was creative but with Gerstner's intellect and knowledge of doctrine, he could have unpacked this topic further yet to give grace where due, that may not have been his purpose of this book where he may have expounded more on this topic in other books. 


One example of a point I grappled with and where I acknowledge that Gerstner is unable to respond and expand on is in regards to free will and self will. 
He states the following: "We must get rid of that fanciful illusion, haunting so many people, that we have this phony kind of free will, which under examination has no meaning whatsoever."

[Rick Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed a bit odd to me. Gerstner wants to attack the idea of libertarian free will, and good for him. However, he seems to get bogged down in terminology rather than focusing on the ideas. He could have said, for example, "Your will is free in this way [insert Jonthan Edwards' understanding of free will] rather than in this way [insert libertarian view of free will]." I think suggesting this sort of shift in the meaning of free will would have been far more persuasive to most readers than trying to insist on not using the words "free will" at all and replacing them with "free agency" or some other phrase. This short book also ends with one of the most stilted Socratic-type dialogues I've read.

For my part, when asked about free will, I always affirm that I completely believe in free will. We are always free to choose what we most desire in any situation. This does not, however, mean that we are able to alter our fundamental desires. Not only can a sinner not change his desire to sin, he doesn't desire to change his desire to sin.

Overall, I probably agree with 98% of what Gerstner says, but I don't find his rhetoric winsome or compelling.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the minus side of good.

[Jason Walsman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abrasive and not particularly convincing, Gerstner mostly just asserts his own position with some explanation of what his position is.