Sometimes also referred to by the expressions "free will theism" or the "openness of God," open theism is a rather flawed attempt to explain how it is possible for God to know everything in the future and, at the same time, for humans to have true free will. The argument goes like this: If humans are truly free to act freely, then there is no way to know how he will act. Therefore, it is not possible for God to know everything about the future.
Proponents of open theism find biblical support in the several biblical passages where God changed His mind, or seemed to be surprised, or even those where He asked questions as if He did not know what had happened, e.g.,
Gen 6:6 - "The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled."
Gen 22:12 - "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."
Exo 32:14 - "Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened."
Jon 3:10 -"When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened."
But open theism's attempt to provide a solution to the mystery of God's foreknowledge on this basis is also clearly contradicted by the plain assertion of Scriptures that God clearly knew everything: "Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. . . . Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. (Ps. 139:4 & 16 NIV). Most significant of the problems with open theism is, of course, the question, if God is restricted in His foreknowledge as asserted by its proponents, how can He guarantee our eternal salvation?
We can learn from the proponents of the theology but not from the solution they proposed, i.e., we should not be afraid to ask questions about our faith. Their proposal, however, is flawed and inadequate as an answer.
Further Reading & Resources:
James Risser, "Open Theism," Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
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