theophiliacs

I was asked to write a five paragraph reflection on whether or not I am a “Calvinist” or an “Arminian.” As is my wont, my answer avoided the question, mostly because I do not care and I am a rubbish Systematic Theologian.

In our increasingly pluralized world, it’s important to step back occasionally and ask just what it is that makes us Christian. Debates over the precise role of God versus the individual in salvation are important and historic but also decidedly, “in-house” matters. They are reflections that most often take place after salvation, by Christians who are attempting to explain “what has happened” rather than, “how to make something happen.” This is not to say that the conversation isn’t important, but it is to recognize that the distinctions between Calvinism or Arminianism no longer function the same way as they did in the centuries following the the Reformation nor even during the previous century.

With that said, I believe prolonged reflection and emphasis on the grace aspect of salvation will and should become a central tenant of any Christian conversation about Soteriology—especially when this discussion involves non-Christians. In some sense this represents a “back to basics” approach but it should not mean that our theological reflection should thus become elementary. Rather, I believe the discussion of Grace—an aspect of Salvation that all Christians can gather around—can serve the Church, not only in ecumenical dialogue but also in the Gospel we hope to represent to the twenty-first century world.

First, in our own context, I believe that authentic Grace is ironically one of the hardest theological concepts for modern Americans to accept. This is not because we have trouble believing in a benevolent God, but because it has been ingrained into our consciousness that anything of value has a cost—often quite expensive—and that as Americans, our primary function is to earn and consume. However, historic Christian teaching tells us that Grace is neither something that can be achieved by “pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps” nor something that can be consumed, improved nor marketed. Grace is a gift—an undeserved one. In a society that often uses so-called “gifts” as a gimmick for selling something else, it can be difficult for us to accept a gift from God without waiting for some strings to be attached. These strings come in many forms—getting all of our doctrinal ducks in a row, practicing impeccable personal moral discipline or perhaps having an appropriately “tolerant” attitude towards this or that group. But the fact is, no matter how right or beneficial these ideas may be, they are not a requirement of salvation. We may look at them as additional gifts if we wish, but they can never stand in for THE gift..the BIG one…Grace.

Second, in an increasingly post-Christian context, Grace is a concept not often associated with Christian history. The reality is that many young people in our country grew up nominally or even anti-Christian and this group stands to increase for the foreseeable future. Rightly or wrongly, the dominant post-colonial interpretation of Western History associates Christianity with much of what is seen as the worst facets of Western culture including materialism, colonialism, patriarchy, fundamentalism and hypocrisy. There are a host of complexities that make this interpretation debatable but the cold fact is that this is the popular perception of the bulk of Christianity. We need only turn on the TV to see this confirmed.

Grace however, can change these attitudes. I believe that a Christian who is fully aware of the Grace that he or she has received lives in a radically different posture that is observable by others. If this person is a Christian, they challenge popular stereotypes in a fashion that is unavoidably admirable. The Gospel steps in when we acknowledge that what is being admired is not human effort but the grace of God. An individual who lives gracefully is an anomaly. A community who lives thus is a curiosity. But a movement that does so is magnetic.