Camping/Canoeing this weekend
Posted by Brian September 30, 2005 2 comments so far
I’ll be camping this weekend with my friends from work Chris and Darrell. We’re going to be floating some portion of the Buffalo River.
Should be fun!
Rats! No more homemade ice cream for me.
Posted by Brian September 29, 2005 4 comments so far
The “heat dry” setting on the dishwasher is evil.
Apparently, I accidentally flipped the switch from “air dry” to “heat dry”.
The cover of the ice cream maker is now warped, and won’t fit on the machine.
:(
Neither Calvinist nor Arminian? (a post in which I convince yet more of you that I’m a heretic)
Posted by Brian September 27, 2005 6 comments so far
The content of this post is inspired by a book I just finished reading for the second time: The Inescapable Love Of God, by Thomas Talbott.
The fact that I’m writing about it is inspired by Brent’s first entries in his Episcopal Catechism series, and by Travis‘ comment on Brent’s post. Brent writes that the current Episcopal Church is definitely not Calvinistic (at least officially). And Travis remarks that it is sometimes amazing how much Calivinistic doctrine he hears from supposed Arminians.
Growing up, I was probably an Arminian without realizing it. Most people in the Church of Christ are. But in high school, I began listening to The White Horse Inn radio show, and reading books like The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink. After that, and for many of my college years, I was convinced. Partially, I think I was seduced by the way that all five petals of the TULIP seemed to logically fit together so perfectly.
I’m grateful for the time that I spent in that theological mode, because it convinced me that my salvation (whatever that is) doesn’t depend on me, but comes from God’s grace. This was a great comfort to me during the time when I was first really beginning to come to grips with the fact that I’m gay. The White Horse Inn helped convince me that my salvation didn’t depend on my “straightening” myself out (a task which seemed pretty hopeless).
But it turns out that I’ve rejected Calvinism after all. I just can’t believe, as Calvinists do (even if they try to use prettier language), that Jesus didn’t really die for everyone, and that God doesn’t really love everyone.
So, am I back to being an Arminian? Maybe not.
Talbott asks us to consider the following set of propositions. They are an incompatible set, meaning that at least one of them must be wrong. They can’t all be true:
- God loves everyone and desires (wills) that every sinner be “saved” - that is, God wills that all sinners be reconciled to God.
- God can and does accomplish his will. (God’s purposes cannot ultimately be defeated.)
- Some people will be forever “lost” - forever separated from God.
(The above is just my paraphrase of his propositions, not his exact words).
Readers of the Bible can find some verses which appear to support all three of these propositions. But they can’t all be true. One of them must be rejected.
Calvinists (Talbott calls them Augustinians, since Calvin’s doctrine of election was first articulated by St. Augustine) deny proposition 1. They say that God does not intend to save everyone, but only the elect.
Arminians deny proposition 2. They say that human beings can defeat God’s purpose for them, because God has decided to give them free will. So a person’s free choice could defeat God’s intent for that person.
Talbott and other “universalists” deny proposition 3. The Arminians are right that God wants to save everybody. And the Calvinists are right that God is able to do it. Universalists argue that the biblical support for propositions 1 and 2 is much stronger than any supposed support for proposition 3. Moreover, there are plenty of passages in the Bible which flatly state that God will save all persons (or “the world”) through Christ. (For example, Romans 5:18; Romans 11:32; 1 Cor 15:22; 2 Cor 5:19; 1 John 2:2; Col 1:19-20; 1 Timothy 4:10; and others)
Talbott argues that the biblical support for proposition 1 is simply overwhelming. And the Augustinians have always made a good case that the biblical support for proposition 2 is very strong. One could almost stop there and say that if the Bible clearly teaches both 1 and 2, then 3 must be false. But add to that the fact that the Bible passages cited in support of 3 are mostly in parables or apocalyptic literature. And the passages in Romans which seem to teach universal reconciliation are part of the most systematic theological discussions in the whole Bible.
I think I’m on the verge of being convinced. But I remember my seduction by Calvinism’s seeming logic. And I’m mindful of Jen’s comment that heresy has often come about by “an overemphasis on pushing doctrines to their logical conclusion and arguing from logical necessity.” On the other hand, Talbott doesn’t simply argue from logical necessity, but also from Scripture (and from historical considerations). (See here to read Talbott’s ideas about “heresy” and a quick summary of his position.)
Still, I’m trying to think about it some more. That’s why I’m also reading The One Purpose of God, by Jan Bonda (from the Dutch Reformed tradition) and Universal Salvation?: The Current Debate, in which Talbott summarizes his case, various evangelical authors respond to his arguments, and then Talbott replies to the critics.
I haven’t made up my mind. But I think a good case can be made that even if we can’t be sure that everyone will be reconciled to God, we can at least hope and pray that Christ will “draw all people” to himself.
The orchard, again
Posted by Brian September 27, 2005 2 comments so far
Another trip to the orchard on Saturday.
There wasn’t a lot ripe this week. Two trees full of tiny Golden Delicious apples. And tons of muscadines. Muscadines are gross. They have really thick skins, and have a weird, “gamey” flavor.
I did get a bunch of apples, though. Small, but good. I made a pie out of some of them for a church potluck. They ate it all. (By the way, I thought it would be cool to make a lattice-top crust, so I made another impulsive trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, to buy the little gadget which cuts out strips of pastry with curvy edges.)
Nadab and Abihu
Posted by Brian September 20, 2005 2 comments so far
If you’re not from a Churches of Christ background, then this article might not make much sense to you. But I’d like to encourage those of you who grew up in the Churches of Christ to read this post from Mike Cope about Nadab and Abihu.
I never heard too much about Nadab and Abihu growing up, but I sure did at Harding.
Apparently, I have no impulse control
Posted by Brian September 19, 2005 11 comments so far
Sometimes I like to watch the Food Network channel before church on Sundays.
Yesterday, I was watching “How to Boil Water”, and thought to myself: That meal they’re cooking looks good. I’m going to make it! The problem was, that the cooks on the show used several tools which I didn’t own.
So, after church I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and purchased every tool they used on the show, even though I could have gotten by without some of them.
It’s kind of embarrassing. I wonder why I’m confessing it on the blog?
Then, I proceeded to burn myself on my new cast-iron skillet.
A Plethora of Pictures: National Cathedral
Posted by Brian September 13, 2005 3 comments so far
I’m posting different categories of DC trip pictures in separate posts.
To keep the front page from getting too long, I’m hiding the pictures on the main page. (The pictures are still loading in the background, so my apologies to anyone reading this over dialup. It may take a while.)
To see the pictures, click on the timestamp link of each post (for example, the “7:00″ link at the bottom of this post.) Click on the small versions of the pictures to see a larger version. Hover your pointer over the small versions to read a description or a “witty” comment.
(Okay, so that timestamp is a lie. It isn’t really 7:00 yet. I fiddled with the timestamps so that I could re-order the posts.)
The pictures in this post are of the National Cathedral. Technically, it’s called the Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, and is the Cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. It is a beautiful building, built in the English Gothic style, using English Gothic techniques: no steel girders! It took 83 years to build, and was only finished in 1990. Note the flying buttresses!
Woodrow Wilson and Helen Keller (and about 200 other people) are buried here. Reagan’s funeral was held here.
A Plethora of Pictures: Washington Monument
Posted by Brian September 13, 2005 2 comments so far
The Washington Monument is the most prominent building in Washington, DC.
It’s definitely worth getting (free) tickets to go up to the top.
A Plethora of Pictures: White House and Supreme Court
Posted by Brian September 13, 2005 2 comments so far
We visited the Supreme Court building just a couple of days before Chief Justice Rehnquist died. It was interesting to watch the Senators file past his casket, and to think, “We were just there!” We peered into the actual Supreme Court chamber from the great hall (where the casket later was), but didn’t get to go in.
We didn’t get to tour the White House, but we took pictures with the crowds along the fence, and gawked at the protesters: some anti-nuclear-weapons people (who apparently have been there 24/7 for several years now), some people trying to blame George Bush for Hurricane Katrina, and some blind man who says the CIA is harassing his family.
A Plethora of Pictures: Capitol
Posted by Brian September 13, 2005 4 comments so far
We waited in line for about 1.5 hours to get tickets to enter the Capitol building (we were there before they started handing out the tickets, and once we got the tickets, we pretty much went right in). The public is not allowed in except for with a guided tour.
We didn’t get to see the actual Senate or House galleries. But we saw the Rotunda (under the dome), the old House chamber, and the old Supreme Court chamber.
The tour guide was a little bit annoying. I would have appreciate more specific facts about the capitol instead of a lesson about the three branches of the federal government. However, she did show us the cool acoustic feature of the old House chamber: standing in a certain spot, you can hear what someone across the room is saying, even if they are whispering. It has to do with the curvature of the ceiling. Supposedly John Adams used to pretend to be asleep at his desk so that he could listen to his opponent’s conversations across the room.
Each state is supposed to have statues of two of their prominent residents in the Capitol building. One is missing, but I can’t remember which state it is. The statue below is one of Arkansas’. It is of Uriah M. Rose. I think he may have founded the Rose Law Firm of Whitewater scandal fame.
