Most Christians would agree that God is Sovereign. In fact, He is described that way in the bible on numerous occasions. I think where you will find discrepancies in different denominations and flavors of the Christian world is what that actually means.
There are thoughts about sovereignty all across the board. Some would have you believe that means that God knows the future but can't or won't interrupt it, some believe that He doesn't know what the future holds but He knows the millions of potential future scenarios with every decision that's made but doesn't know which of those will come to pass. Some believe that God controls everything that happens and that humans have no ability to choose anything, and some believe this to the degree that evangelism is wasted and missions is fruitless because God is Sovereign and our actions irrelevant to any of His plans and purposes.
There is not time nor space to dive into this topic in a single blog in any depth, nor am I a qualified person to speak too much to this subject, but my aim today is just to identify some of the beliefs or world views we may hold that affect our ability to clearly and objectively navigate this subject.
We tend to believe....
That we have the ability to ultimately decide things without interference or influence...
That any/all of our choices are devoid of external influence...
That we can see the world clearly enough to make ultimately free choices...
That for a choice to be "real" it must be free of influence from God...
That for us to be morally responsible for our choices, God cannot ordain that they be...
That God is unaware of the colossal suffering and pain in the world...
That God unjustly allows or ordains the colossal suffering and pain in the world...
That we have a better measure of fairness and justice than God...
That we have the right to call God to the witness stand and demand justification for his actions or inaction that resulted in suffering and pain...
That we could continue existing if God chose to release his "preservation" of the world...
That we can see the big picture objectively enough to sit in judgment of God's actions or inaction...
That things are true because we believe them...
That things are true because we feel them...
So often our judgment as to whether or not God is right, wrong, or just is based on our experience of pain. If all is right in our world, God is not guilty, whenever there is pain, suffering, or death, God why did you let this happen?
We demand that God, the Bible, and beliefs about these two be seen through the eyes of the world, through the paradigms of the secular, political, or universalist.
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