When you come out of a fundamentalist background, it is easy to come to the realization that you no longer subscribe to a particular doctrine, teaching, or belief. For me one of the first things to go was the "infallibility" of scripture. Without getting into a drawn-out description of what this means, I'll give you the abridged version.
There are certain denominations in the US that believe that the Bible is perfect. There are debates about what translations, what versions, and what incarnations this perfect scripture takes, but the belief basically comes down to a simple statement: "the Bible says it, so I believe it"
not that I don't believe in the Bible, and not to say that I don't think it is relevant- I just don't believe that the version we carry around is perfect, let alone infallible. I just don't think it is necessary to believe EVERYTHING my Science teacher says in order to understand science.
Along the way, there have been beliefs and fallacies that have fallen by the wayside through the years as I grow in the Christian faith. I personally see it as a sign of maturity that I don't have to take everything I hear some preacher say in order to "stay a christian." In other words, just because some guy (no matter how ancient or respected) doesn't make it right.
One such repsected guy was named John Calvin. For some time, I have taken issue with some of the things that Calvin taught, but it was only recently that I've come to the realization that I disagree with MOST of what he taught. The funny thing is, he has influenced so much of American Protestant theology that in the US, to be a Christian in most denominations basically comes hand-in-hand with what it means to be a Calvinist. He has influenced American theology so much, that some of the big debates are built around two sides of a debate that he initiated. I mean, you either agree with him, or some denominations will question your Christianity.
Over the years, I have come to take issue with many things he taught, but most recently I have come to understand that God may or may not have a specific "time and place" plan for my life. You see, growing up Baptist, or Brethren, Pentecostal or in several other protestant denominations, you spend a great deal of time wondering what God wants you to do. You wonder if the next job, girlfriend, church, college, or new car are "His will" for your life.
There are some pretty high profile preachers that have built a career on "discovering God's will" and telling us that "God has a vision and purpose for your life." It is a pretty good description of why sometimes we don't know what to do, and why sometimes we have that "matrix" feeling that we should be doing something more meaningful and important- but it is Calvin's fault that American Christianity, and society has a tendency to blame our bad decisions and proactive planning shortcomings on the Almighty.
The truth is, that most of the time that the Bible describes God as having a plan for his "people" refer to his people as a whole. A nation, a group, a community- not the individual. Not that God doesn't care- it's just that He's not into micro-managing our lives. It was Calvin who invented this concept, and giving up on this last piece of his theology is the last nail in the coffin for any piece of me that held onto Calvinist theology. I don't care if a person is saved for eternity, and I don't care if I sin (miss the mark) tomorrow, I don't believe the Bible is infallible, and I don't think that God cares whether I'm a heating and AC guy or not. I don't think he has a big board with a map of my life, and I don't think he has mischievous little angels manipulating my timeline to make sure my life is in line with His plan.
God's plan is that we follow His order, participate in His Church, follow His laws, and do what is right- not to spend every waking minute paranoid, worrying about whether we're in "His will" or not. Life shouldn't be that hard.
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Martin Luther had better ideas, with his notion of vocation and "sinning boldly," but alas - you're right about who had a greater influence on American protestantism. Should I dig around for some quotes from Luther on vocation (as opposed to "God has a plan understanding)?
ReplyDeletePB
I hear ya. It's the difference between, "is it God's will that I have two children?", or "is it God's will that I do what I can to parent what children I have with love and raise them to love and be in relationship with Him?".
ReplyDeletePB and Mel. I think my question goes beyond the vocation/avocation debate. I think that if Wyrd, or Fate, or Destiny are left to the pagan gods- then what is there? Is life 100% what we make of it? I mean, can we truly become the master of our own destiny.
ReplyDeleteIf so, then in our increasingly interdependent, globalized world it is upon us- it is our responsibility to make the most of it, to be our collective best, and leave the place in better shape than it was when we got here.
If God is not pulling the strings, moving, and shaping our destinies, then perhaps we need to be more active in the shaping of our (collective) destiny.
Just as we have become the masters of clay, iron, steel, fire, the atom, and the genome- so too must we become the masters of even time and space.
Succeed or fail, there is no standing on a hilltop shaking our fists at the sky screaming "Why God?" and there are no platitudes at crummy award shows thanking my producer, my agent, and God...
I know that sounds corny and lofty- but If God has given us the capacity to control our own destiny and future, then there is no limit to what we can build or destroy, and we have a responsibility to those who come behind us to teach them to think this way.