Good day, again.
Today, you get to hear an uneducated man talk about something that he knows little about. There is a reason for it, though. I'm trying to get edumicated, if you get my meaning. I'm trying to approach it with an open mind and open heart, but we'll see.
Ahhh, Calvinism...nothing like this topic to divide churches and communities. It is a worthy area of study, though. I can't stand it when people believe something because the pastor said so or they fail to examine relivancy or they don't think theology is important or...etc., you get my point.
(BTW, if I haven't offended you yet, hold on, I'm getting there. :) Not intentionaly, this is just a tough subject to approach.)
Oh, and all of my Calvinist friends, I'm not trying to put you in the hot seat. Or hold you up to the world for evaluation. I'm just curious. I should also say that some of this comes from talking with Lutherans as well, so what appears on my blog may not be "true" Calvinism, but the commonalities appear to be the same thing for both.
This pros and cons list is not all inclusive. Some of it deals with people, some theology, others with states of mind. It will probably change over time, too.
Pros:
-Dedication to Scripture
-Know what they believe (and WHY!)
-Worship music is based on theology, not popular opinion
-Willing (and able) to explain things someone doesn't know
-Dedication to people
Cons:
-People, as individuals, appear to be devalued
-It appears that the love of God is not biblically portrayed
Now, just to be fair, lets take the Evangelical Movement:
Pros:
-Dedication to people
-Dedication to Scripture, depending on who you talk to
-User Friendly for today's culture
-Sometimes, I repeat sometimes, well-versed in theology
Cons:
-A lot of music has no theological backbone (or is outright heretical)
-where is repentance?
-appropriateness of some worship service activities
-abasing of communion
-nobody seems to know (or care!) what they believe
This is my starting point. I'll try to make time during ALS to do research and give the worksheet I mentioned a good study, but it'll be hard until I'm out. Don't hold your breath about anything, I'm as dumb as a rock and just as hard to move sometimes.
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2 comments:
Your pros and cons are all based on what people have made of a particular theology - not what the theologies historically taught. Most stuff we associate with Calvinism or its opponents are social fads in the church...not the real deal. Churches/people will always end up misrepresenting the past. Base your analysis on what the bible says and how closely you think Calvin or others described it with their theology.
Technically, Calvinism is part of Evangelicalism. Try comparing it to Arminianism or Lutheranism (though not Luther himself who was basically a Calvinist but not entirely Reformed).
Be careful how irritated you get "when people believe something because the pastor said so." Generally this is what you do as well...maybe not because of your pastor but certainly because of someone (i.e. none of your theology is based solely or even mostly on the bible - you rely on people who write books, speakers, translators, what your mama said was true, etc.) We all rely a great degree on what others tell us is true.
Good points...part of why I blogged it. Thanks!
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