Keith Ward, an esteemed professor of divinity at Oxford University, explained Sunday that the view of nearly all Christian leaders, writers and theologians from the time of Jesus until the 18th century was that God is timeless and spaceless.
Got it. I've heard that before and, though somewhat unfathomable, I thought I understood the consequences. But then Ward put forth a rather astonishing conclusion that flowed logically from that view.
Because God is timeless, he cannot be, and never has been, changed. That means that on some level, according to "traditional" Christian theology - espoused by the Popes throughout history, Acquinas, Calvin, Luther -- intercessory prayer is impossible. The idea that God hears our prayers and reacts to them is unorthodox, untraditional and modern view of Christianity, he says.
. "You should still pray in the sense that you might benefit from it," Ward said, much as you might benefit from talking to a psychologist. "Prayer is not a waste of time."
Now I suspect Ward has slightly overstated the unanimity of traditional Christian thought on this point. And he did offer this bit of consolation. According to traditional Christian though, all of what has happened or will happen was planned by God..So, you may pray and seem to get a response -- because it was always meant to be. "In a sense it's not wrong to think your prayer will be answered. What's a mistake is to think you've changed God."
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