Theology

So lately I had given some thought to the Calvinist / Arminian debate. There were a couple of points on the Calvinist Tulip theology that I had strong objections to, across a couple of levels, intellectually and emotionally. The debate between Calvanism and the Arminian school of thought is a difficult digest. The intersection of free will and predestination having spawned a vast catalogue of intellectual chess matches over the centuries. 

Obviously, if God predestines some for heaven and some for hell, the question can then be asked - of what consequence, value, or application is free will? Regarding Calvanism and Arminianism, it kinds of leads to me to think .. as fascinating and important as these theological arguments are .. God looks at the heart. 

Charles Spurgeon had a quote from one of his sermons that was interesting:

"The fact is, that the great questions about man's responsibility, free-will, and predestination, have been fought over, and over, and over again, and have been answered in ten thousand different ways; and the result has been, that we know just as much about the matter as when we first began. The combatants have thrown dust into each other's eyes, and have hindered each other from seeing; and then they have concluded, that because they put other people's eyes out, they could therefore see." 

Questions

Long days at work that roll into hot nights.

I had written a two page paper on the word deserve a month or two ago and shared it with some local pastors. Now that is really funny. I actually sat down and wrote a two page paper on the word deserve. Deserve pointing to merit, and qualification, and ultimately worth.

Tricky philosophical topic. And after it was all said and done, the see-saw of deconstructing the etymology, the implication, and so forth, there was still something gnawing at me. I think part of what had driven me to write the paper was a meditation on fear. Probably won't post that paper here, but let's just say this, so often when its used in the pulpit, the word that's more relevant, and seemingly more suited to the message - should be entitled.

And so then, after I had written the paper, I started to chew some more on it. Part of the impetus behind the paper was the question of what we are worth to God. And then at some point, perhaps it was driving through Columbus and passing Ohio State University .. the questions rearranged themselves, and a new question came out. Maybe I had the questions that had driven me to write a two page paper - backward.

Instead of asking the question of what we are worth to God, the real question I should have been asking myself all along is what God is worth to us. 

Consent

“Of all powers, love is the most powerful and the most powerless. It is the most powerful because it alone can conquer that final and most impregnable stronghold which is the human heart. It is the most powerless because it can do nothing except by consent.”

-Frederich Buechner