There is a lot to discuss concerning the issue of debate when talking about and thinking through Calvinism and Armenianism. I’m not going to discuss the extreme theological differences here… a large theological book would be needed for such a task. We must be clear though – It’s not enough just to say, “I’m an Armenian,” or,” I’m a Calvinist” – You must clearly define your terms. Whether you are a Calvinist or an Armenian, you must know and define by Scripture what you actually believe and mean. Ironically, most people who are at extreme odds with Calvinism actually have no idea what Calvinism is and vice-versa. A professor of mine once said, “If you can’t define both positions clearly then that is simply false and lazy intellectualism.”
Here are 10 things I would encourage you to do when thinking through theological issues:
- Pray and ask God to help you be more disciplined and competent in studying his Word.
- Get a good study Bible. I would recommend the ESV Study Bible.
- Get a few theology books on the issue(s) you are thinking through. Ask your pastor for a few good books on both positions (hopefully he can help you out with this). You might want to start with a good systematic theology book (Wayne Grudem) and maybe a couple perspective or 5 views books.
- Read Scripture carefully… don’t just read theology books or listen to someone tell you that this is “the way it is.”
- Study church history and see how the church and other theologians have biblically thought through a certain doctrine.
- Don’t try and ‘proof’ text something. Think through the biblical theology (from Genesis to Revelation) of a certain topic or doctrine.
- Write out your position to help you clarify it and think through it better.
- Discuss your understanding of a doctrine with a mentor, friend, or pastor to see if it is consistent with Scripture and church history.
- Worship! Any doctrine consistent with Scripture should lead us to worship Jesus.
- Continue to pray and study through your position. God is infinite and eternal so our study of him will never be exhaustive.
I pray these would be helpful for you, as they have been for me, in thinking through big theological issues and studying to know God more and how he has revealed himself to us in his Word.
Step 3- Numinous Awe and Morality collide
Finally, we have come to the third step that Lewis believes every religion experiences at its foundation. We would do well to note that this is the final step according to his calculations that every religion experience, and the fourth step is saved for Christianity alone. To recap, the first step was the innate sense of awe towards a numinous (supernatural) reality that is different and alien to human. The second step was the observation that every people set for themselves a moral standard in which everyone under the standard fail at some point producing guilt. Now, we come to the start of a religion: the collision of steps one and two.
Calvinism or Arminianism? Or a mix of flavors?
As we continue to think through the influence of Calvinism on our generation I think it would be helpful to define Calvinism at this point.
The issue of Calvinism, I think, will always be here as long as King Jesus should remain exalted at the right hand of the Father. As mentioned earlier, when one discusses the being and action of God there is no route to venture down that will not pass you by Calvinism. We will always discuss God’s being and actions, therefore we will continue to venture into Calvinism. As hard as one tries it can’t happen.
It should be noted that the “5 points of Calvinism,” justly called, were developed as responses to a five-point manifesto that was put out by certain “semi-Palagians” in the early seventeenth century. This theology, known as Arminianism, potently stemmed from 2 main philosophical points: 1) divine sovereignty is not compatible with human freedom, nor therefore with human responsibility; and, 2) ability limits obligation.
Step Two- The Presence of Morality and Guilt
The next step in C.S. Lewis’s road to religion is morality. If you remember, Lewis observes that every major religion has three steps at its foundation. Then, Lewis goes on to say that Christianity has a fourth step that sets it apart and gives validity to Christianity that no other can claim.
But let’s get back to this second step. There is no connection between the first step of numinous awe and this second observation of morality. In fact, every people that has lived (religious or not) has possessed some sort of system within their being that is expressed in the sense of “I ought” or “I ought not.” Lewis is not concerned here if the laws among people are similar or different, the important thing is that there is some form of foundational sense of right or wrong that has characterized man from the beginning. Lewis also states that, “Morality, like numinous awe, is a jump [an unexplainable phenomenon in human existence]; in it, man goes beyond anything that can be given [deduced] from human experience.”
The last incredible observance of morality in mankind is that everybody sets the standard too high! We all experience a sense of guilt from failing to do the “I oughts” and accomplishing the acts of “I ought not.” One would think that at least one society would set a standard of morality that would render them guiltless, but they all without exception “prescribe a behavior that their adherents fail to practice.” If it is remarkable that every culture in every time sets a standard of morality, it is even more astonishing that everybody sets a standard that leads to guilt.
So, here we are two steps in. To recap, the fact that people of all time stand in awe of a numinous presence they cannot explain is observation one. The fact that people of all time set a standard of morals in which a characteristic of guilt is present is observation two. In the next step, we will see Lewis not simply make an observation but a connection…
Step One – Numinous Awe
Numinous is a word in which most of us will be unfamiliar. Commonly defined, it is the supernatural and mysterious. When describing a person, it is used as sensing the presence of divinity. Lewis’ practical example of the numinous involves a scenario. Suppose you were told there was a tiger in the next room and believed it. You would feel fear. The tiger is bigger, stronger, and more aggressive than you; fear is only natural. Now suppose you were told that there was a ghost and believed it. What you felt would be radically different because you don’t understand ghosts. You’ve never seen one. You’ve never talked to one. It’s different and strange. The disturbance felt would be profound because you did not quite understand.
Isn’t it a shame that the cultural assumption of America is Christianity is bogus if you take an honest look at the facts? Well, I think it’s a shame even if you don’t want to go there. I think that’s why I love C.S. Lewis. He thought in a different light. After he was drawn by God out of atheism into faith, Lewis began to defend the Christian faith intellectually. Lewis has a similar feel to Aquinas when you read his works. Logical. Step by Step process. But, in the end, he thought it was outrageously foolish not to believe in Christianity because logic and human history pointed towards its truthfulness.
In his classic book, “Problem of Pain,” Lewis seeks to defend the Scriptures revelation of an all knowing, all powerful yet good Creator in a world full of evil. However, his first chapter deals with the beginning of religion. This chapter absolutely captivated me. He claims all religions start through three steps, but only Christianity has a fourth step that makes it impossible to ignore. Lewis follows a train of logical thought that leads one to the realization that you cannot remain indifferent towards Jesus and Christianity; you must either love or hate him. So, in his honor and for our benefit, I will recount his argument that leads our minds to either love or hate Jesus, but God forbid not ignore him.
While I am in between series, I wanted to post something very practical and very open. I wanted to testify to a problem and battle we all have on a daily basis because of the disease of sin in our hearts: how to repent.
I play in a couple of YMCA basketball leagues to remain active and healthy. And let’s be real, I still want to dominate other people in basketball (however it doesn’t happen nearly as often). The other day, I about got beat up by a team of firemen due to my sin. I blew up against another player who I felt intentionally and nastily fouled me. The situation escalated to where a couple of technical fouls were given. To the honest and average observer, nobody was in the right.
The leadership team at The Veritas Network has decided that at the first of every month we will post 3-4 new books into our V: bookstore for our readers to check out. Each member of our leadership team will recommend a book each month that has encouraged them, challenged them, or simply has been enjoyable to read. We want to challenge our generation to begin to love books… here are 3 that our leadership team love.
(Greg) Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches. By Russell D. Moore
This might just be my book of the year. I read this book in 2 sittings, and I was compelled and stirred the entire way through it. Caring for orphans and the needy should be something that Christians are leading the way in. Caring for orphans should be a reflection of the Father in how he cares for his people in sending Jesus to die for sin. With 44,000,000 orphans in the world, in what way are you taking part in caring for the orphan right now?
( Ben) Father, Son, & Holy Spirit: Relationships, Roles, and Relevance. By Bruce Ware
This is an absolutely fantastic study on the Trinity. How does the Trinity work together in unity and diversity to accomplish the Father’s ultimate goal? Holding to a firm complementary view of gender roles, Bruce Ware parallels the Trinity’s roles in community together to the way men and women should work together in the home, church, workplace, etc. I recommend this book to anyone who would like to deepen their knowledge of the Trinity – 1 God manifesting himself in 3 persons.
(Whit) Christ & Culture. By H. Richard Nieburh
Fantastic book that presents five types of people categorized by the way they understand culture in relation to Christianity. It helps the reader to better understand his base assumptions about how individuals should interact in culture while illuminating the reasons for disparate perspectives. In age where culture seems to be ever changing and worldviews seem multi-faceted, a proper understanding of culture and how it relates to Jesus and his mission in a fallen world is crucial. I would recommend this book to anyone who is serious about Jesus and studying culture.
In a word… missionalism. The word missionalism, albeit made up, is meant to refer to a mindset and attitude for every person, church and entity which makes up the Southern Baptist Convention. The Great Commission Resurgence is about putting first Christ’s mandate to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. The tricky part is figuring out how to follow through on that command.
On April 16, 2009, Danny Akin, the president of Southeastern Theological Seminary, delivered a message entitled “Axioms of a Great Commission Resurgence”. Dr. Akin wanted to examine the way that Southern Baptists go about fulfilling the Great Commission and to suggest that we could improve our impact.
The Southern Baptist Convention is one of the largest denominational bodies in the United States of America. It is populated by over 42,000 churches and reports over 16 million members in the United States. It has two mission boards, which each report equipping, supporting, and sending 5,000 full-time missionaries. Through the work of the International Mission Board there were over 200,000 churches started overseas last year with over 500,000 new confessions of faith! If that does not excite you then you may need to refer back to the What is the Gospel tab under the Topic section.
real quick…
1. Louisville peeps – we want to make our readers aware of the Adopting 4 Life Conference that is on the campus of Southern Seminary starting tomorrow afternoon (12/25) at 3:oo pm. This is an awesome opportunity to hear from some of the greatest preachers around (aka David Platt/Russell Moore) and Dan Cruver and Justin Taylor will also be there teaching on adoption. This will be an absolutely fantastic weekend. Come and sign up!
2. Also, if you are in Knoxville tomorrow night or Saturday afternoon, Ben Ward and myself will be at Second Baptist Powell. I (Greg) will be teaching a thematic and Christ-centered approach to understanding the Torah (starting at 7 pm) and Ben will be working through the book of Revelation on Saturday. Come on out… we’d love to see you!
Not to write an online ‘diary’ for the world to see, but I feel compelled to break from my series on Calvinism and Our Generation to reflect for a moment on Christ’s sufficiency.
After hearing David Platt preach in today’s chapel service at Southern Seminary, my heart is compelled and stirred.
Stir my heart O’ LORD.
Walking through my seminary hallway, I over hear lots of interesting conversations. Sometimes I hear conversations about sports or small talk or books, but often times I hear people, if not groups, discuss the issue of Calvinism. I’ve been in small country churches in East Tennessee and have been asked not about my family or wife or my preaching, but about Calvinism. I’ve been in large churches in New York City where I’ve overheard conversations about Calvinism. At a missionary training for the overseas mission board of my denomination, I was grilled by guys going overseas about what I think about Calvinism. I just heard from a friend about her sister, a recent high school graduate, who is thinking through this issue. I have had numberless conversations about Calvinism and have over-heard hundreds of other conversations taking place about this issue… Why are so many young people talking about Calvinism? Why are so many young people excited about Calvinism?
If we want to be honest a lot of people don’t even know what Calvinism is, much less understand the tension that it brings between believers. None-the-less, if you don’t know what Calvinism is then you probably will soon enough. Calvinism (New Calvinism as people often call it) is a big enough deal that Time Magazine has labeled it “the 3rd largest idea that is changing the world right now.” With the setting of John Calvin’s 500th birthday last July, Calvinism seems to be as popular as ever. Though with this widespread popularity there is never the less much tension… tension between friends, families, church members, pastors, etc. We must ask: why the tension?
Yeah, so what. I did it. Five parts in a four part series, I’m just keeping you on your toes.
Really, I just wanted to extend this based on my personal time in the Word of God. I have been reading through Jeremiah and I have trucked along to chapter 34 so far. I have to confess, it’s tough reading. It’s not chronological and I don’t get some of the allusions and word pictures that Jeremiah uses. But I do know this, Israelites were Idolaters. They put marriage, prosperity, and community all above their worship and righteousness to God.
Greg Gibson
Whitney Clayton
Ben Ward