Walls on divine determinism

On Facebook, Arminian philosopher Jerry Walls makes a startling admission (or concession):

Jerry Walls April 28 · Edited

REMARKABLE COINCIDENCE

This past Sunday when I preached in Myrtle Beach, the first person to greet me after the first service was a total surprise, namely, Reid Walker, a former student and good friend who lives in Indiana. Reid and his wife were in town for the weekend, and "just happened" to attend Beach Church. He had no idea at all that I was there or preaching that Sunday. I have no clue how you would gauge the probability of something like that, but the odds seem pretty low to me. He came back after the second service and handed me an Ale-8, a little taste of Kentucky, where we first became friends!

Sandy Mimi Pierce Providence? God's hand? My theology if providence, I admit is sorely lacking. Jerry, how do you define Divine providence so that it does not entail determinism?
April 28 at 2:50pm


Jerry Walls Well, I suspect there are lots of ways God can prompt, even orchestrate things that fall far short of determining. However, I have no problem with God determining certain decisions. The one decision I think he cannot determine is the decision to love; either him or other people.