Calvinism: Why Do You Follow Some Man?

Those who know me well, and some of those who only know me on the surface know full well that I am unashamed and comfortable with calling myself a Calvinist.  Anyone who looks at my Facebook page will see that most of the groups that I am in are Calvinistic or theological in nature.  Occasionally, I get charged by others outside of the theologically Reformed camp with following some man named John Calvin rather than following Christ!  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Calvinism is just a label I choose to use rather than just relying on the term “Christian” to convey to others what I believe concerning God.  Don’t get me wrong.  When someone asks if I am a Christian I am unapologetic and proud to say, “Yes I am!”  However, I usually caveat my response with “I am also a Calvinist”.

Why do I do this?  It’s really quite simple, but in my opinion, necessary.  Today, the term “Christian” can embody so many different, and often contradicting beliefs.  For instance, both Rob Bell and John Piper would call themselves “Christians”.  However, they have very different views on some important and key doctrines in the Christian Faith.  One believes in a literal hell in the afterlife, and the other denies a literal hell in the afterlife.  One espouses the belief that only those who believe in Jesus Christ will go to heaven, and the other believes that God’s love will save everyone (Love Wins!).  One has biblical foundations to support their doctrines, and the other uses sensationalism and socialism to determine their doctrines.  Therefore, the term “Christian”, as it is used today, does not explicitly state the orthodoxy or unorthodoxy of someones theology.  That is the reason I use the label “Calvinist” for myself.  It helps to set me apart from other “Christians” who hold very opposing doctrines to my own.

Why all the anger?

Anger is a human emotion that (if we are honest with ourselves) we all have experienced from time to time.  It is not only a natural response to things and circumstances that occur in our lives, but it is a God-given emotion.  In fact, scripture tells us to “In your anger do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26).  Even Jesus Christ himself got angry when he saw the stubborn hearts of men (Mark 3:5).  I would go as far as to say that anger is a gift from God: (1) it increases our arousal, that in turn increases our heart rate, pulse rate, and blood pressure making us ready to react; and (2) it is an emotional response that tells us that something is not quite right, and helping us to reveal our feelings to others.  However, anger can be destructive as well: (1) it can hurt the ones we love; (2) and it can hurt us when we hold it in our inner being (in fact, anger that is not dealt with has been positively correlated to poor health physiologically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually).

How can this gift of anger, that is given to us by God, be a bad thing?  Doesn’t the bible say that “every good and perfect gift is from God” (James 1:17) ?  Yes, indeed every good and perfect gift is from God.  There is only one problem; anger, because of our original (inherited) sin it is not perfect.  Just like in so many areas of our lives, sin perverts our emotions, and in particular, anger.  I have struggled for a long time with the image of an Angry God.

I grew up in a conservative, fire-and-brimstone preaching church.  It seemed as though God was always angry, waiting to punish someone every time they slipped up.  I have seen many “conversions” that were based out of the fear of Hell rather than the Grace of God.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  There is a place for the teaching of Hell in the presentation of the Gospel (Christ talked about Hell around 12 times in the Synaptic Gospels).  There cannot be an accurate representation of the Gospel without the mention of Hell and its consequences.  However, there were too many times that I heard preachers and teachers use Hell as a scare tactic to coerce people into making a decision for Christ.  The scriptures say that God draws us with his Kindness (Jeremiah 31:3).  I do not believe that the consequence of unbelief should be swept under the rug (like it is in so many “watered-down” churches).  Edwards sermon Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God was, and is, an influential sermon that was used, and rightly so,  to convict men of their sins.  Albeit, there is in contrast grace in the Gospel message, and to exclude this grace, does a disservice to Christ’s death on the cross.  Every time I hear a preacher say, “If you were to die tonight…”, I shutter.  Not because I am unsure of my eternal destination (I am an adopted son of the Father), but because most of the time (not all the time) it is a statement that elicits our emotion of fear.  Think about it, who would willingly want to spend an eternity in torment! Of course a pastor will stir up an emotional response.  My point is that we are not just emotional beings; we are made of mind, body, and soul. God’s anger towards sin should make us fear the consequences, but his love and kindness should, by the drawing of the Holy Spirit (not the clever words of men), lead us to the process of redemption in Jesus.

A Mother’s Day Reflection

Mother’s Day is just around the corner; tomorrow actually and by the time I post this it may be Mother’s Day.  For the past 3 years, Mother’s Day has been somewhat of a bittersweet experience for me.  It was 3 years ago that my mother died, and consequently, everyday is hard, but Mother’s Day is especially difficult for me.  My wife goes and celebrates the day with her mother and grandmothers.  I, on the other hand, have neither mother nor grandmother to celebrate it with.  My Mother’s Day usually consists of going to my mother’s grave site and putting flowers out for her.

I was driving home from work the other evening, listening to my usual talk radio shows; when the host of one show was doing a show with the topic of “Good advice that your mother told you that still resonate today”.  There were a lot of people that called in telling their stories of when their mothers had given them great advice that they could carry with them through this journey of life.  As I listened, I found myself getting a little upset because as hard as I tried to remember, my mother never gave me any advice about life that I can recall.  Then I decided to pray that God would reveal to me, a time that my mother had given me advice, some cache phrase, or anything that I could draw upon today.  Suddenly, my mind was flooded with all the times I played a musical concert, acted on stage, sang in a chorus, graduated from high school and basic training, and so many other times in my life when my mother was there; supporting and encouraging me every step of the way.  It dawned on me that my mother gave me the greatest advice of all!  She told me about the truth of the gospel in the way she lived; always accepting others and giving without expecting anything in return.  Her life spoke volumes on Jesus’ love for me, the desperate and complete sinner that I was.  Her touch reminded me that God is never too far away, and often times he is closer than we can imagine.  Her voice reassured me that God approved of me as his adopted son in Christ.  Her smile convinced me that God enjoys watching me find enjoyment in him through his creation.  Although I cannot find a specific phrase that my mother always said so that she could engrain some wisdom in me; I have rediscovered how she lived her life in relation to me, filling me with the love of God and the hope of Christ!

My first post!

I guess you can consider me a late bloomer, at least that is what I consider myself.  I have been intending to start a blog for several years, but never have, until now.  I would like to make this a place, first, for theological discussion.  The idea is for this to be a safe haven where we can explore differing opinions of theology together.  I have to confess, I am not a biblical or theological scholar by any stretch of the imagination.  The few things I do know have been accumulated through: one-on-one shepherding, self-study, intense theological reflection, and my education via Liberty University.   participants should keep in mind that “critical thinking” is a God-given (Imago dei) attribute to us as human beings, and we need not to throw our brains in the trash in favor of long-held beliefs that have a more emotional connection than a logical conclusion.

With that being said, I also want to use this blog for a place to discuss family life: marriage, kids, parenting, etc.  Because I am educated in Marriage and Family Therapy, I will occasionally post topics specifically related to the psychosocial aspects of family life.   course, these posts will be done under the umbrella of Christian theology.  Another topic that I will attempt to blog about is music.  Classic rock, indie, pop, punk, metal, classical, all genres are fair game.

P. S.

I may not blog as often as I would like, due to my demanding school, work, and family schedule.   I will make a valiant effort to do so on a somewhat regular basis.  I hope to get something substantial up here soon, so check back soon.
In His Grace,

Andrew