the second widely held position that fretheim challenges is the doctrine of divine omniscience. (chapter 4) fretheim uses solid biblical exegesis to argue compellingly against a view (at least in the old testament) which classifies omniscience as one of god's fundamental characteristics. divine foreknowledge, he believes, is limited because of god's relationship with creation. there is no doubt, he says, that god always knows what he will do in the future, but he does not always know what free moral agents outside of himself will do. for fretheim, the widespread use of words like “perhaps” and “if” in divine speech point to a lack of certainty in god's mind about the future. god's bargain with abraham over sodom is an excellent example of god's mind being open to change depending on the unforeseen actions of human beings. the issue of foreknowledge is not presented as complex or difficult. rather, fretheim quickly lays out his argument and in less than fifteen pages and moves on to the addresses the issue of god's presence in the world. (chapter 5) while acknowledging that god is everywhere at all times in a structural or general presence, fretheim describes what he calls, the “intensification of the divine presence.” this intensity of presence can be affected positively or negatively by human beings. fretheim argues that sin drives away god (as in ezekiel 8:6) and actually results in the intensification of divine presence in the form of god's wrath. conversely, righteousness or “receptiveness” can move god to draw near.