Calvinism vs. Arminianism...a few thoughts

Last week saw a heated discussion initiated innocently enough by one of my Facebook friends on the subject of Calvinism. The responses, while not shocking, were still (for the most part) disappointing.

To hear much of the tone of the discussion today about these two distinct theological systems is to generally hear a lot of "sound and fury signifying nothing." This is tragic, because we have much to learn from each other on both sides of the fence.

Let me be clear...I am Reformed in my theological understanding. I believe Scripture is clear on these things when taken across the whole of the pages of the Bible. I also believe I am right. Else, why would I hold the position? I also believe that Arminians believe the same thing...that they have a biblically consistent view and that they are right. Therefore, I would expect them to be able to present a thoughtful, biblically consistent expression of why they hold on to the truths they profess.

I believe there are amazing people on both sides of this discussion. There are people on both sides that are thoughtful and who are challenged and encouraged by what they read in the Bible. I also believe there are Christians on both sides of the discussion...good, solid, Bible believing people...who are doing the best they can to "know and follow hard" after Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, I believe there are non-believers on both sides of the discussion. There are those on both sides who will on the day of judgment stand before Jesus Christ and hear Him say to them, "depart from me. I never knew you."

All those cards being laid on the table, for the life of me I find it absolutely reprehensible that men and women who are generally loving in the way they approach each other and who generally do the best they can to express the grace and mercy of Christ in the living of their lives, find it utterly impossible to have a loving, thoughtful, meaningful conversation about something as important as what the Bible teaches concerning salvation and how redemption is accomplished and applied in the lives of sinners like me...or maybe we somehow don't believe the words of I Peter 3:15-16 apply to us in the midst of this particular conversation?

I wonder how many of these so called defenders of the faith would be shocked to hear that George Whitefield (a staunch Calvinist) and John Wesley (a staunch Arminian) were incredibly good friends? One of my favorite hymns is "And Can It Be?"...written by Charles Wesley...an Arminian.

To hear the tone of much of the current conversation, one would believe it was nearly impossible to like someone on the other side of the theological fence...much less love them with the love of the Lord.

To these I offer a few suggestions...

1) Be quick to listen and slow to speak. Abraham Lincoln once said, "It is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt." We would do well to meditate on the wisdom of that for a while...on both sides of the discussion.

2) Stop being such a fan of hyperbole and gross exaggeration. Address the question at hand. Discuss it meaningfully and give rich, thoughtful illustrations and examples. But for heaven's sake, please stop with the accusations that because a person falls on one side or the other of the theological fence that they are not a believer. Such comments are utterly unhelpful, and often not true...in which case you stand before God as an "accuser of the brethren." I would encourage all of us to be careful and thoughtful with the words we choose and the way in which we use them.

3) Don't use public forums to flame fellow believers. Actually, you shouldn't use ANY type of forum to flame fellow believers...that should be (but apparently too often isn't) obvious. If you have points to make, perhaps the best place to make them is in a phone call...or a face to face conversation...or at least in a private e-mail exchange. Very little gets accomplished when emotionally fuses are short.

4) Pray before you let your fingers do the talking on your keyboard. Is what you're about to type helpful? Is it loving? Is it offering a meaningful contribution to the discussion at hand? Do you have a real biblical point to make? (If so, please give a reference and quote it...and then be open minded enough to hear a meaningful response from the other side). Perhaps most importantly, is God glorified not only in what you say but also in the way in which you're saying it?

5) Remember, the Bible says the world will know we are Christians by the love we show to each other (to the brothers) INSIDE the community of faith. In those public forums, there are non-believers who are reading what you write. Have you contributed a meaningful witness to the grace, mercy, and goodness of Christ in what you've written?

I'm sure there are other points to make as well, but these seem immediately helpful to me. I trust that all of us...on both sides of this issue...will be willing to sit down at the table together, and have thoughtful consideration of these ideas without getting angry and throwing out all sorts of tangential arguments and ridiculous accusations and exaggerations that do nothing to move the conversation in a helpful direction.

One day we'll all be in heaven together...Calvinists AND Arminians...we do well to learn to live civilly and lovingly while we're down here doing the work of the kingdom.