Theodicy, the Restoration of All Things, and an Open but Hopeful Future

A central theme of Open and Relational Theology is the need for a theodicy that explains the confession that God is love and the presence of evil. The response generally suggests that God does not have the power to overcome evil. For some in this movement, these theodicies fall short, thus the need for an eschatological alternative in the form of the restoration of all things (apokastasis). This paper begins with the assumption that the future is largely open, but that God will in time draw all things to a close, restoring all things to their proper order such that God will be all in all. This paper draws on Scripture, early Christian theologians such as Gregory of Nyssa, and modern theologians Jurgen Moltmann and Sergius Bulgakov, to offer an alternative vision.