The Intrinsic Error of the Post-modern "Whatever"

I do not claim to be the first person to conceive of this error in post-modern practice. However, I do claim that I came to the realization on my own, and therefore will share it with any reader.

Post-modern philosophy (coming out of France through the likes of Derrida, Lyotard, & Foucault) has led to a cultural mentality of "Whatever." That is, "Whatever you want to do, do it." While at the same time the cultural mentality tells us "Just don't press your beliefs on others. People are free to believe whatever they want to believe. Don't try and convince them otherwise."

Thus it is that the Christian faith has come under quite some fire from the post-modern culture. The Christian faith makes claims such as "Jesus is the only way to salvation," and "Jesus is the only true source of Truth because he is the Truth." Post-modern culture does not like to hear this because it is not a worldview of "Whatever" but rather what the world calls a worldview of exclusiveness. (Which, by the way, makes no sense, since Jesus invited the entire world to come to him. That alone sounds rather inclusive.)

Now, here is where post-modern practical philosophy begins to undermine itself. It is a philosophy of "Whatever" and "Don't press your ideas onto other people," but if Christians begin to press there morals and beliefs (which are Jesus' morals and teachings) upon others, post-modern philosophy turns on Christians and says, "No, you can't do that. You need to believe what we believe, and that is to leave people alone in their individualism."

Thus it is that post-modern philosophy (which professes individual living and thinking) presses itself upon Christians, trying to make Christians part of the post-modern cultural community (which is not individualism at all). So, post-modern philosophy both pushes itself on a group of people and desires them to be part of an inclusive community.

Take that.

Adendum: God's Intended Purpose in Predestination

Since my last posting, I consulted a theological friend of mine. He helped me understand a bit more about Romans 8:28-30: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." The predestining here is for believers to become like Christ--to have Christ send his Spirit upon them and work in them the process of sanctification.

The more I interact with and hear from the high school students I teach, the more I come to realize how desperately we who call ourselves Christians need to understand this idea of being changed into the likeness of Christ (sanctification). I recently finished grading an assignment by one of my students, and in her personal response she asked "Can't the gospel message just be 'Jesus has saved me to be with him in heaven.'? Can't that be the message we bring to the world?"

Yes, it can. But, oh, how that falls short of God's desire for us. (I intentionally use the word "desire" for it is something God craves and wants like a child for ice cream on a hot summer's day.) How very little it is for us to want heaven. As C.S. Lewis once wrote "It is not that we humans desire too much," (insert "streets of gold and life eternal" if you will) "it is that we settle for too little." What does Jesus want for us (not from us)? To be shaped, conformed, molded, seared, carved, broken and rebuilt into his likeness.

Christ did not come to this world to die on the cross simply that I might go to heaven when I die and at the resurrection receive my glorified body. No, Christ came to save me from myself. In Romans 7 Paul says "I find in myself this: that my sinful nature is at work and likes to do what it wants to do." That's me! If I am to be honest, I don't like it when Jesus says "Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you." I want my enemies to receive due justice and penalty, and if it can be with my hands, so much the better. I want to be like the Pharisee, strutting my self-righteous spirit all over and pointing out flaws in other people.

But that is not the spirit that Christ had; that is not the life he lived, though he had every right to do it. No, Christ was a compassionate servant who was obedient, "even to death on a cross." If I don't get help from Christ, I will never live up to the commands he has given to me as His follower.

And so it is that God has predestined His followers to be shaped into the likeness of Christ. Not so that we might be saved, but that here--in this lifetime, among these people, on this earth that is our true home and final destination--we would begin to live like Christ, through the power of the Spirit. Oh, the glorious riches and blessings that we might bring to this cruel world if only we would realize the true calling God has for his children.

Grace and peace to you from God above. Amen!

God's Intended Purpose in Predestination

The issue of predestination is a heated topic in Christian circles. Anytime I cover the Synod of Dort in a Church History class, the students regularly have a difficult time accepting the concept of predestination. (On a side note, I do not fully agree with what most people believe the Synod of Dort was teaching.) Furthermore, when I teach the book of Romans to my high school students, we arrive at Romans 8 and must breach the topic of predestination. Once again, heated debate ensues to determine what God meant by predestination. (Interesting how we try to tell God what He was thinking, no?)

As I was writing a test on the book of Romans just a while ago, the Spirit hit me with a major revelation concerning predestination that I must share with someone, so I thought "Why not share it with the whole world?" or at least those of you who care to read my sporadic blogging.

The issue that I have found to be consistently at the center of the predestination debate is "How could God choose a select few to save, and condemn everybody else." I emphasize "select few" because I believe that is what most people are passionate about. They reason that if God loves the whole world (John 3:16) and is not wanting anyone to parish (2 Peter 3:9), then why is it that so few will be saved? The major error with this thinking is once again that we humans are trying to complain to God about a topic on which we have no clue. Here is what I mean -- Paul explains in Romans 9 (quoting Ex. 33:19) that God chooses who He desire to have mercy upon. End of story. Therefore, whom God chooses to save is the number He has in mind.

But here was my revelation: the number that God has saved, is saving and will save is bigger than we could possibly imagine or ask for (Eph. 3:20). Let me take you through my process of revelation. As stated above, I was working on the test on Romans to give to my students. One question I had was "Who are considered the true descendants of Abraham?" One of the false answers I provided as a choice was "the number of stars and sand". Very quickly the Spirit connected God's promise to Abraham in Genesis 15 & 22 (number of stars and the sand on the seashore, respectively), to Paul's words in Romans 4 when he says that Abraham is the father of all who believe (in God's promise of the gift of righteousness, that is Jesus Christ).

Now, whenever I read about Abraham being the father of those who believe (as opposed to those who are physically circumcised), I immediately reflect on Jesus' words in John 8. Jesus is speaking to the Jews who claim to be children of Abraham. Jesus tells them they are not Abraham's children because they do not do what Abraham did, that is believe the Word of God. Jesus then calls them children of the devil (which is a lesson that should make us all check ourselves). So, even Jesus confirms that the children of Abraham are those who believe the Word of God.

Jump back to God's promise to Abraham in Genesis. Did God have in mind the entire nation of ancient Israel when He made that promise. Yes, He had to. Or else His other promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ("Your descendants will inherit this land.") does not hold up. However, the more I read the Bible, the more I realize just how far reaching (in my eyes) God's vision is. (Of course, since he exists outside of time, he sees the whole picture.) So, yes, He meant the nation of Old Testament Israel, but He meant so much more than that (which our finite brains have a general problem comprehending most of the time).

I give you John the Revelator's vision in Revelation 7 - "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb." And who are these people of the great multitude? Well, there is little doubt that it is the saints who have been saved by the Name that is above all names; those children of Abraham who have believed and it was credited to them as righteousness. And what does John declare -- "no one could count them." What does the Lord say unto Abraham in Genesis 15 -- "Count the stars, if you can. So shall your descendants be." This great multitude standing before the Lamb their Savior are the number of the stars, the sands of the seashore, the descendants of Abraham.

So we come back to the debate of predestination. The question I hear most often is "So God will save some and condemn the rest. What's the deal with that?" I think we need to revisit the promises of God and stop telling Him what He has planned. Will God save "some"? If by "some" you mean a number to much to count, then yes, God Almighty will save "some". But I think the question we rather need to ask is "If I see that person in heaven who I loathe more than any other person, how would I react?" God is in the business of salvation. He invites us to be apart of His plan to save the great multitude. He calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, not simply because God is love and our neighbor carries the image of God, but because we may stand right next to that person when we don the white robe and join the great multitude.

Take that, and live it.