Tuesday, May 24, 2022
Your royal laws
cannot be changed. Your reign,
O Lord, is holy forever and ever.
Psalm 93:5
The story begins:
John Calvin and John Wesley walk into a tavern and discover Martin Luther
sitting at the bar. Anyone who’s been to
Sunday School more than twice can take that scenario into an infinite number of
directions, none of which would likely reach a conclusion. (Unless, of course, it were pre-destined.)
All three of historical note, Luther, the priest
who broke with the Roman Catholic Church, Calvin, whose history,
current events, and eschatology are set in immovable type in Heaven’s print
shop, and Wesley, somewhere in the vague middle, shuffling
Scripture, experience, tradition, and reason, to hold together the wildfire of
theological movement; these are a sort of earthly tiumverate of heels, firmly-dug
in theological sand, a monument to stubbornness, passion, and total surrender
to movements, still evoking deep thinking and shallow arguments.
Not wishing to add to the arguments of which of these
theological heavyweights was right, with apprehension I wish to submit that
they were all wrong. And, of course, I’m
not referring to their institutes, general rules, or theses. I am pointing at the manner in which these
were held. If historical portraits of
the battles royale held by those who followed these pipers are correct to any degree,
you can imagine the bloodshed over which group “won” anything worthy of laying
at the feet of Jesus. Therein lurks the
devil of the details of theological heels dug in the sand…the sand gets
torn-up, and the furrows continue, a plowed field of misery.
I recall one seminary class, taught by Dr. Jerry
Breazeale, at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. We were discussing the topic of predestination…that
God has designed and is orchestrating all of history’s events. You could easily sense the argumentative anxiety
of students raised in this denomination or that. It was nearly palpable…is it once-saved-always-so,
or can you drop-off heaven’s roster in a single, sinful act? Is there any wiggle-room…or does God have
everything planned, down to who I’ll marry, and what I’ll have for breakfast?
To his unending credit, and with my undying thanks, Dr.
Breazeale wouldn’t be drawn into the abyss of arguing either side. Instead, he told one of his Louisiana Bayou Cajun
Thibodeau jokes…exceedingly hilarious, and nowhere near the point of
predestination or free will. After the
laughter died-down, one of the more surly students (whom I’m certain didn’t
even get the joke) raised the question to press the professor into declaring
which side he was on. Dr. Breazeale, in
his best bayou Thibodeau affect, drawled, well, y’see, I’m t’inkin ‘bout
dis ting…I prozlabhy gots jus’ enuf Calvin in me t’ know deep down, dat dere ain’t
nuttin God can’t do. An’ He be havin
some kinda plan…enough to keep dat ol’ debel down whar he belong. An’ if God be wantin me to joins Him in dat
fight…God will make me some room right next t’ His-side. Dat’s whut I’m t’inkin.
Class dismissed!
For You Today
Predestination and
Free Will aren’t supposed to hurt your head by getting it all down in forty
pounds of textbooks. These are gifts of
God to bless your life, if you’ll understand that the love which gave it to you
doesn’t need a theological defender…only an open heart of surrender.
If you haven’t got
a Cajun friend to explain these things to you, I suggest you get one.
[1] Images: WikimediaCommons Calvin Wesley Luther Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
