Quiverful paradox

The post on the Quiverfull movement reminded me of a theoretical theological and practical question I have had for some time that I have never been able to resolve.

This Quiverfull movement is generally strong in Evangelical homes (although certainly devout Catholics and Mormons will frequently end up bearing many children). I will try to lay the paradox as clearly as I can (please forgive the lack of theological precision in my language and laying out of the question):

• Evangelicals are supposed to believe in original sin
• In the doctrine of original sin, all people are born sinners
• According to evangelical thought, sin necessarily separates humans from God
• If a human is not saved from sin, he or she will be damned to an eternity of torment
• In order to be saved from sin, a person must either a. accept Christ freely (Arminian evangelical) or b. be predestined for salvation (Calvinistic evangelical)
• A parent has no ultimate control over the salvation or damnation of his or her children (influence - yes, control - no).
• Therefore, why would evangelical Christians willingly bring many more souls into the world that are sinners in need of salvation? Is there not a reasonable chance some of them will be lost for eternity?
• Corollary: Shouldn't Evangelicals be leading the way in adopting those children who would likely never hear of Jesus apart from their influence? Besides, adoption is a significant New Testament metaphor for how an Evangelical understands his or her relationship with God the Father - that is nobody except Christ is the natural child of God, but all the saved are God's children by adoption.

I am sure that I am not the first person who has wondered about this, but I have personally never sorted out a satisfactory answer.

Memoir on faith lost

William Lobdell, formerly the religion writer the Los Angeles Times, has written a fascinating memoir about his journey into and out of the Christian faith. I won't spoil his story for you by summarizing it, but rather will share one quote. Near the end of the work, entitled Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America - and Found Unexpected Peace (Collins, c. 2009), Mr. Lobdell writes about getting asked a question for which he was unprepared:

I recently spoke about my de-conversion to a group of students at Biola
University, a Christian college in Southern California. At the end of my talk,
one student asked what had taken the place of God in my life. The question
caught me off-guard because I'd felt no vacuum created by God's exit . . . So
what has taken the place of God in my life? A tremendous sense of
gratitude. I sense how fortunate I am to be alive in this thin sliver of time in
the history of the universe. That give me a renewed sense of urgency to live
this short life well. I don't have eternity to fall back on, so my focus on the
present has sharpened. (275, 278)

I greatly appreciated the complete honesty the author shared about his spiritual life. Regardless of whether or not you draw the same conclusion he has, I recommend it as one of the best books I have read so far this year.

Predestination vs. Free Will from the Perspective of Video Game Characters

Free Will:
Deviation
(Video Link)

Predestination: Video-Game Character Wondering Why Heartless God Always Chooses 'Continue'

The Advantages of Stoning False Prophets

Henry Neufeld has a great post up about the dangers of taking prophecy casually, or better put, attributing one's own thoughts to God:

I really don’t suggest we stone false prophets. I simply suggest we should be more careful invoking the name of God. Personally, I’m prepared not to do so, but rather to let others decide if something I say is of that profound a nature, and to live happily in that vast number of times when they are saying, “Not so much.”

Amen. I've written about this subject here, here, and here.

I Got 95 Theses But the Pope Ain't One

A remarkably well-made rap music video about Martin Luther.

[Video Link]

Via Jeremy Smith, who has the lyrics for this rap.

Awake, O Sleeper

Jeremy Smith found this fantastic Brandon McCormick music video entitled "Awake, O Sleeper." You gotta see this to believe how good it is.

[Video Link]

The video's description is "A Hero comes from the wilderness to cry out to the captives, pleading for them to awaken. This short film from Whitestone was in part inspired by "Plato's Cave" and depicts the struggle of freeing the captives, whomever they may be."

Jeremy has theological problems with the last ten seconds of the video, because they seem to suggest retributive violence. I understand the problem, but I don't see the chains that hold the men as necessarily their own sins, but also the oppression of the world. This is Christus Victor and Christ the Liberator. This is the God of Ass Kicking, who promises the poor, the oppressed, and the downtrodden a day of justice at the end of time. And I like that God.

Question of the Day

Who would win a mud wrestling competition between Bishop Joseph Sprague and Bishop Will Willimon?

Is Prosperity Gospel Responsible for the Financial Crisis?

Here's an interesting premise: Prosperity Gospel teaches irresponsible financial decisions, and is therefore a key contributor to the overextension of credit markets in the U.S.

Fascinating.

Martin Luther Rap

[Video Link] HT: Gavin Richardson

Previously on Locusts & Honey: The St. Augustine Rap, The Calvinist Rap, and William Shatner rapping Shakespeare.

Individualism and the Christian Life

Andrew Thompson speculated about the pervasiveness of individualism in American culture and asked:

Is it possible to embrace a robust understanding of individualism without that including narcissism or selfishness as well?

And if not, doesn't that present an enormous problem for the church when it is forced to exist in a consumer culture like the one we've got in America?

My own thoughts are here.

Christian Libertarianism

Here's an interesting article. Halliday argues that not only is libertarianism compatible with Christianity; that libertarianism is the only political philosophy that is compatible with Christianity. His argument appears to be to be a pacifist, as Jesus was, one must necessarily be a libertarian.

It's certainly an intriguing proposal that pacifists must be libertarians. Unfortunately, Halliday wholly ignores the most statist New Testament passages.

My Favorite Episode of The Twilight Zone

My favorite episode of the TV classic The Twilight Zone is "The Shelter". It's long struck me as having substantial homiletical application, as demonstrates the hidden viciousness and depravity of humanity; the brutality and selfishness inside all of us, invisible even to ourselves except when our survival is threatened.

"The Shelter" is the story of a group of families in a suburban neighborhood at the beginning of a nuclear war. Only one family has built a shelter.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Total run time: 25 minutes.

The Logic of the Hypostatic Union

About a year and a half ago, we had discussions at Locusts & Honey about logical consistency in theological formation. One of the principles that I espoused was the Law of Non-Contradiction; that a thing cannot be both what it is and what it is not at the same time.

However, it has occurred to me that the Hypostatic Union of Christ may be a violation of this principle. Although it would not be a violation for an entity to be both human and divine (or any other two natures or components), it would be if the entity would be "fully" both throughout. A cake, for example, is composed of sugar, flour, eggs, and oil, but it is not and could not be fully sugar, fully flour, fully eggs, and fully oil simultaneously.

Which is not to say that I am rejecting the Hypostatic Union -- by no means. But it does appear, at first reading, to be a logical inconsistency.

What do you think?

What Is Your Theological Worldview?

I've retaken the Theological Worldview Test, and these were the results:

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan: 93%
Emergent/Postmodern: 82%
Charismatic/Pentecostal: 68%
Neo orthodox: 64%
Classical Liberal: 61%
Reformed Evangelical: 57%
Fundamentalist: 43%
Roman Catholic: 39%
Modern Liberal: 25%

I take this test every year, and these were my results two years ago:

Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan: 93%
Charismatic/Pentecostal: 71%
Neo orthodox: 68%
Fundamentalist: 61%
Classical Liberal: 54%
Reformed Evangelical: 54%
Emergent/Postmodern: 50%
Roman Catholic: 43%
Modern Liberal: 36%

So the major change over the past two years is that I have become far more Postmodern. I figured that this might happen after writing theology essays for commissioning in the past few weeks. I found that my concept of the Kingdom of God, life in community, and evangelism were heavily derived from Brian McLaren and N.T. Wright.

After more than 2 and 1/2 years in seminary, I recently asked my wife if she had spotted any major changes in my theology. She said, "Many people go to seminary and stop believing in Jesus. I was worried about that when you started school. But you went to seminary and started believing in social justice."

I think that that's true. It's a libertarian vision of social justice, but it's definitely social justice. I'm far less inclined to conceptualize salvation as individualistic and holiness as personal and now more likely to emphasize the transformation of entire societies into the Kingdom of God. I'm also inclined to envision evangelism as incarnational and outreach as central to Christian life.

Much of this change in my thinking can be attributed to two spiritual mentors, Hugo Magallanes and Brian Russell.

Moral Victories

In an excellent post, Allan Bevere writes that Christians should reject the concept of "moral victories":

Moral victory is the consolation prize, if it can be called that. It is another way of saying that it doesn't matter whether we win or lose, it's how we play the game. I cannot remember who said it, but I think it is closer to the truth to state, "It doesn't matter whether we win or lose... until we lose." One of my favorite theologians, Vince Lombardi said, "Show me a guy who believes all that stuff about moral victory, and I'll show you someone who has played too many games without his helmet."

One thing we learn from the Bible is that God is not into winning moral victories; God is into winning real victories. When God comes to Moses in the flames of the burning bush in order to call him to service, God plans to actually free his people from slavery in Egypt. Is it possible to imagine God settling for a moral victory of a well played, but failed attempt of the Israelites to be free from the clutches of Pharaoh? Can one imagine, that as God's people are worshiping the golden calf in the wilderness of Sinai, God in despair says to Moses on the mountain, "Well at least we gave it the old college try. Perhaps it is time to cut our losses and be happy we made it this far."

When one traces the biblical narrative from Genesis through Revelation, it is clear that God is bound and determined to get God's way; that God is going to set the world to rights, and he will settle for nothing less. Moral victory is not in the plan of the Almighty.

Cartoon Theology: Calvin and Hobbes

Via Jollyblogger

Is Christ Inappropriate Content for Preschoolers?

Russell D. Moore writes about a Christian publisher (ironically named "Dare to Disciple") which decided to leave Easter out of its Sunday school curriculum because the crucifixion was "too graphic" and the resurrection "confusing":

The death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is the Gospel. That's the first word. If we cannot speak of that, we would be better off not speaking of Jesus at all, rather than presenting another Christ, one who meditates but does not mediate, who counsels but is not crucified, who is accessible but not triumphant over sin and death.

The apostle Paul told us the word of the cross would be folly to those who are perishing (1 Cor 1:18). He didn't warn us that it would sometimes also be folly to those who are publishing. No matter. It is still the power of God

This Easter, preach the Gospel... to the senior citizens, to the middle-aged, to the young adults, to the teenagers, to the seekers, to the hardened unbelievers, to the whole world. And, yes, preach the Gospel to the preschoolers.

I'm not saying it won't be scary. The Gospel will disturb the children. And, if you understand it, it will disturb you too.

Hat tip to The Corner via Instapundit.

Question of the Day

Matthew 12:30-32:

He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters. Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come

Mark 3:28-30:

Truly I say to you, all sins shall be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they utter; whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin"-- because they were saying, "He has an unclean spirit."

What is the "unforgivable sin"?

lolTheology

Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

Arminian Propaganda Posters

More at Tom In The Box. HT: Thinklings