I recently received this request from a friend:

“I have a friend who is a former Presbyterian. He started giving me grief about predestination, asking me if I were destined for heaven or hell. I told him the church had de-emphasized predestination. Instead the only thing I had heard about predestination was in Montreat when a pastor explained that it simply involves ‘God knows.’ Like a loving parent, He’s aware ahead of time of what choices we will make but he still allows us freewill.

“The question is this: Has predestination been addressed in any of the confessions? Or has it just slowly been dropped as a basic concept of the church?”

So, I endeavored to answer:

I should come clean at the very beginning. I am a confirmed predestinarian. I have no doubt that we are completely unable to decide for ourselves, but I don’t subscribe to the double predestination that Calvin argued for. (But I get ahead of myself.)

You ask if the Confessions say anything about predestination, and indeed they do.

The Second Helvetic Confession says in Chapter X, Of the Predestination of God and the Election of the Saints (please overlook the dated, masculine language):

GOD HAS ELECTED US OUT OF GRACE. From eternity God has freely, and of his mere grace, without any respect to men, predestinated or elected the saints whom he wills to save in Christ, according to the saying of the apostle, “God chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:4). And again: “Who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago, and now has manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 1:9 f.).

The chapter goes on to give many biblical references and then comes the question of whether some are saved and some are damned:

WHETHER FEW ARE ELECT. And when the Lord was asked whether there were few that should be saved, he does not answer and tell them that few or many should be saved or damned, but rather he exhorts every man to “strive to enter by the narrow door” (Luke 13:24): as if he should say, It is not for you curiously to inquire about these matters, but rather to endeavor that you may enter into heaven by the straight way.

The Westminster Confession – unfortunately, in my view – also includes this: “By the decree of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are predestinated unto everlasting life, and others fore-ordained to everlasting death.” There is more along this line in Chapter 3.

So, yes, predestination is contained in the confessions. It’s important to remember, however, how we understand and use the confessions. We acknowledge that there are things in the confessions that we do not believe today – e.g. proscription against women ministers, etc. (It’s one of the real problems with G-6.0106b, but I digress.) So, just because there’s language in one the confessions arguing for double predestination, it doesn’t mean that’s a doctrine of the church today.

A helpful document along these lines is the “Report on the Confessional Nature of the Church,” which was prepared in the wake of reunion and the adoption of the Brief Statement of Faith. It says, “The doctrine of ‘double predestination’ in Chapter III of the Westminster Confession is not taught in the doctrine of election in Chapter VIII of the Scots Confession, or in Chapter X of the Second Helvetic Confession. The Heidelberg Catechism has no explicit doctrine of predestination at all.”

This report is in the back of the Book of Confessions and has some helpful discussion of the role and weight we give confessions.

I’d argue that it’s not that the Presbyterian church has de-emphasized the doctrine of predestination, but moved on from it because, really, what’s the point?

I think part of our desire to condemn some to hell is wrapped up in the human tendency to want to be better that someone else – it’s what’s behind bigotry and racism and sexism and all those other -isms.

I said I was a confirmed predestinarian, and here’s why:

I don’t believe that we really have any say in the matter, because if we did, we would be God. Look at it this way: To say I get to choose whether or not I believe, or whether or not I’m “saved,” is the same as saying there are three votes for my soul: God, Satan and me. God gets a vote, Satan gets a vote and I get a vote. Then I’m equal to God. I don’t think so.

Moreover, it’s clear in many places in the Bible that faith is itself a gift. God gives us belief; we don’t choose it for ourselves. How can we? What “flips the switch” in our brains from unbelief to belief? I argue that it’s the Holy Spirit – God.

As to the question of whether some are saved and some are damned, I’ve come to grips with that by being willing to say, “I don’t know, and it’s not my responsibility. That’s God’s job and one day it’ll be clear.”

While I tend towards a universalist approach, I am also willing to say I may well be wrong. But again, my responsibility is my own behavior, not your behavior. “Making a disciple of all nations” does not mean, to my way of thinking, “saving your soul,” but helping you understand the grace of God and the gift you have been given.

I’m fond of saying that the Ten Commandments are not a roadmap to heaven, but a response to grace. Remember, they are introduced with God saying, “Because I have saved you and brought you out of the house of Egypt, …” Unfortunately, too many folks think of the commandments as things we must do (or, realizing that we are imperfect creatures, strive to do) in order to win God’s grace.

We can’t win God’s grace. That’s clear from so many verses.

But what we can do, out of appreciation for what God’s already done for us, i.e. saving us, is behave in certain ways, ergo the Ten Commandments.

And that’s Good News! We don’t have to worry about our future; it’s already been taken care of so we’re free to go about doing good, without beating ourselves up over our inability to do it all the time.

I think it’s part of our total depravity – and that means that all parts of us are contaminated, not that we are by nature wicked, awful creatures – that prevents many from understanding this Good News.

Grace and peace,

JB

A recent study that got a lot of attention suggests Americans are becoming less religious, with 15 percent  now claiming no religious belief, outpacing all denominations except Roman Catholics and Baptists. Here’s the USA Today story on the survey, or you can reread the entire survey for yourself here.

There’s been lots of hand-wringing and finger-pointing as a result of this survey, and I suppose we’ll all put our own spin on it, based on our particular perspective. Some have suggested that this is the result of Christianity losing its way and bowing to the culture.

I would suggest a different, if somewhat related, cause. We Christians have fought among ourselves for so long, displaying such judgmental, “you-gotta-believe-just-like-me” approaches that it’s no wonder people turn away.

In some ways, it reminds me of the situation faced by the Reformers in the 16th Century. Their response to the excesses of the church then was a return to the basics. That seems a proper response in the 21st Century as well.

It’s time we started talking more about what we DO believe — and then behaving as if we actually do believe it, rather than trying to focus on what’s wrong with everybody else.

Let’s talk about grace. Then let’s be graceful.

Let’s talk about love. Then let’s be loving.

Let’s talk about helping others. Then let’s help others.

Let’s quit bashing people over the head with the Bible. Then let’s actually read the WHOLE thing.

We’ll never make the church pure, and indeed that’s not our responsibility or even our charge.

Our charge is to be faithful. There’s a quotation I use on one of my email account signatures that I think describes a lot of the problem. It’s from C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce: “There have been some who were so occupied in spreading Christianity that they never gave a thought to Christ.”

Isn’t it so true? We shouldn’t be surprised when we present a judgmental face to the world, and then get judged by it. We shouldn’t be surprised that those outside the church see our fights inside it and label us as hypocrites. We shouldn’t be surprised when we preach a gospel of love, and then proceed to hate.

And it just keeps getting worse. A recent “Time” magazine story ranked what it called “The New Calvinism” number three on a list of ideas changing the world. “Calvinism is back, … ,” the article said. “John Calvin’s 16th century reply to medieval Catholicism’s buy-your-way-out-of-purgatory excesses is Evangelicalism’s latest success story, complete with an utterly sovereign and micromanaging deity, sinful and puny humanity, and the combination’s logical consequence, predestination: the belief that before time’s dawn, God decided whom he would save (or not), unaffected by any subsequent human action or decision.” Read the entire article here.

This “new Calvinism” Time sees is the old TULIP, hyper-Calvinism that serious Calvin scholars dismiss, but it is what the world sees.

And on a recent edition of Nightline “Face-Off,” the debate was whether Satan existed. Who did the producers choose to tackle this question? Philosopher Deepak Chopra and Bishop Carlton Pearson said “no” while Mark Driscoll of the Mars Hill Church and Annie Lobert, founder of something called “Hookers for Jesus” said “yes.” Where was a mainline, Reformed voice? (For that matter, where was a real scholar?) It wasn’t there because we’ve become invisible in the public arena.

We have abdicated the marketplace of ideas. It’s time we rejoined it. It’s time we reclaimed what it means to be evangelical, and demonstrated that to the world. It’s time we reasserted the concept of grace that Calvin and Luther and the other reformers preached.

It’s time to quit fighting about who’s in and who’s out and just feed and tend Christ’s sheep.

Grace and peace,

John

Folks:

Tired and exhausted, exhilarated and, yes, even changed, our crew of 23 RHINO volunteers — or as some labeled themselves, rhinoceroses — is back at home. And raring to go back to New Orleans.

As I said before, the stories abound, but this particular one is symbolic of the entire week:

One of our group was at a Mardi Gras parade Saturday evening after all our work was done. He had on a West Virginia shirt. As a float stalled in front of him, he tried to get someone to throw him some beads. Then came an exchange that went something like this: “No way,” came the reply. “We played you in football and you beat us. I’m not giving anybody from West Virginia anything. … What are you doing in New Orleans anyway?”

“We’re building Habitat houses.”

“Hold on!” The man ducked down and then loaded our friend down with more beads than he could carry.

Another time, a pizza delivery store came out of its delivery area — yes, it really happened! — because we were building houses. Folks driving through the neighborhood would roll down their car windows and shout “thanks” as they drove past.

Everywhere we went, together or in groups, when folks discovered why we where there, they couldn’t say “Thank You” enough.

But in the end, it was us who were thanking them, especially the folks from St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian Church, for organizing this mission.

And we learned, or perhaps it better to say relearned, a lesson we all know: Mission is the core responsibility of Christians. More than one St. Charles Ave. member said these exact words: “Katrina made us a better church.”

We heard that some of the church’s post-Katrina growth is directly tied to the mission work it is doing — and it’s not all RHINO. Members built — built, not paid to build — a fence around one of the charter schools formed in the storm’s aftermath. The church sponsors mission trips to Cuba. 

It is clear that this is a congregation with many resources, both in influence and finances, but it is also a congregation whose members will get their hands “dirty” in mission. That’s not always been the case, members acknowledged. 

There are lessons there for all of us, and it shouldn’t take a hurricane to remind us.

JB

PS: We’re compiling all the photos taken by our group of shutterbugs and will be posting them to the Presbytery Facebook page soon.

Folks:

And so, after four days of work, spread over five days, the Presbytery of West Virginia’s RHINO team has completed its 2009 Mission Trip. All that’s left is for the 23 of us to return home.

Ferry Place

What a week it has been! When we arrived at the worksite on Tuesday morning, we found two houses with only the first floor framed in. When we left on Saturday afternoon, both second floors were up and only a small section of wall remained. All the first floor had been made ready for the moisture barrier, and even some of it was up. Along the way was a lot of organizing and helping get things in shape for the next group. 

As we closed our time together Saturday afternoon with a brief devotional, as we have each day, there were lots of tears and hugs to go around. Our two leaders, Adam and John, were both sincere, I believe, in their comments about the great fun and enjoyment the week had been for them as well. 

Some in our number said it was the best experience they have ever had. Plans are already being talked about for a third trip next year.

The work is done!

We have seen the connectional church of Jesus Christ at its best. We have been welcomed with open arms by strangers so grateful for our presence.

Even the rain held off, mostly. The forecast had suggested that both Friday and Saturday would not be conducive, butg as it was we missed only an hour Saturday morning (in addition to our half day on Tuesdasy_.

Each of us has a wealth of stories to share: from the funny moments of our continuing banter with John, aka Michigan John, and his surreptitious retaliation on many of our cars — don’t worry, the maize and blue writing comes off easily! — to the still-existing devastation brought on by Katrina and Rita.

Ask us to come tell you those stories — some of you won’t even have to ask.

In one poignant moment today, one of our number was invited by a 7- or 8-year-old resident of one of the houses already on the street to come live there. Many of us left messages on the walls of the houses. 

And on Friday, we were lucky enough to be present for a brief ceremony for one of the houses we were building recognizing the group which had helped sponsor the house. We got to meet the homeowner, who came by to pound a few nails in the morning. Many people were touched to meet this young woman, and her son, who will be living in the house PWV folks helped build.

Our group gives thanks for the support and enouragement of the Presbytery of West Virginia and many of you who have sent along good wishes as well as your prayers. 

Special thanks to Sprague Hazard for sharing his photos. You can see many of them here.

We’ll see you back in West Virginia on Monday.

Grace and peace from us all:

The Group (minus Mark Miller)

Marie Newcomb, Rod Jennings, Craig Liebig, Jeanne and Kenneth Pote;, Michael, Sarah and Matt Wilson; John and Margaret Bolt, Sprague Hazard. Debbe Moredock, Frank and Joan Mansell; John Bowles, Sandy Campbell, Doug Jenkins, Mark Miller, Larry Parrish, Jerry Tephabock, Johnie Nelson, Kathy Mueller, Patti Cunningham.

Folks:

“Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong…”

For a few hours tonight (Thursday, Feb. 12) that place for 23, no make that 24, West Virginians was on the porch of a house on St. Charles Ave. in New Orleans as the 23 of us on the RHINO Mission Trip were the guests of one transplanted West Virginian and his wife — John and Chickie Martin. 

John, a native of Clendenin who has siblings still living in Charleston, was our host for dinner for the evening. It was no surprise, really, that we broke into Country Roads, and West Virginia Hills. It was a wonderful reminder of the impact West Virginia has on its folk — both native and transplanted. John’s been away from the hills of West Virginia for a long time, but the hills haven’t been far from him.

And this special evening came at the end of a long, special day of work on the two houses we’re building. Unlike the previous days, there was no threat of rain and the sun shone brightly on our efforts. The second floor decking was laid in on both houses and some walls came up on one of the houses. But there was lots of little things, too. From as simple as moving trusses from a storage area to a more accessible location, to getting everything ready for work that will happen later, whether for us or someone else.

Each night, we gather for a few minutes of reflection, led by Frank Mansell, and tonight seemed to draw out the community of our group — 23 people, most of whom did not know each other prior to this trip, 23 people who have fromed a bond and a fondness. And 23 people who enjoy giving John, the RHINO Intern, a hard time for the Michigan hat he proudly wears. (He even broke in to Hail to the Victors Valiant! a bit, tonight.) 

Today we also had several expressions of the heart-felt appreciation of the people of New Orleans for the work of groups like ours: the greeting we get each morning from one resident of Ferry Place already in her house, the shouted “thank yous” from the folks who drive by. In the words of John Martin, “If it weren’t for people like you, we’d just be an asterisk of history.” 

And as one of our group noted, one nail leads to one house leads to one neighborhood leads to one city. And we are all part of that process.

I’ll try to post another reflection tomorrow (Friday) evening, but it may not happen as there are plans afoot to take in a Mardi Gras parade. (It’s not all about hammering nails!)

Grace and peace,

JB

Folks:

Katrina stuck on Aug. 29, 2005 — that’s 3 1/2 years ago. Three weeks ago –THREE WEEKS AGO! — the first emergency room reopened in Orleans Parish, the home of New Orleans. That’s not to say there weren’t some ERs in adjacent parishes (counties), but not in the central one.

This morning was devoted to tours of the area, showing both the devastation that remains, and the rebuilding that has begun.

 Almost every neighborhood we toured — whether they were rich or poor — had both; no one was unaffected.

Many things have left an impression: from the commitment of St. Charles Ave. church to the men and women in their 20s and 30s who are here working.

John, 21, is an intern with RHINO. He has been here for several months helping. His internship is unpaid, and he’s not even getting any educational credit for it. He’s just here because he has skills that are needed and he feels called to help.

Adam, our Habitat site manager, is 28 and enjoys talking about Mountaineer football while hammering nails.

Adam, and a house (Photo courtesy of Sprague Hazard)

Jeremy, an Americorps volunteer from Winchester, VA., is also 28 and has a theology degree from Lee University. These are just a few of the examples of people here giving back.

While we were out touring today, we saw other work groups at Musicians’ Village, the Harry Connick/Wynton Marsalis project. Work was also going on at Brad Pitt’s “Make it Right” project.

We also saw abandonment: homes in middle-class and upper-class neighborhoods that were boarded up, homes in various states of reconstruction, and large open spaces where there used to be houses but are no longer.

Even though there’s been years of work done, it was clear that there is still years of work ahead. 

Musicians' Village (Photo courtesy of Sprague Hazard)

After the morning tour, we were back at the Ferry Place worksite, with a renewed appreciation of why we’re here.

Thanks to all of you who have sent prayers and notes.

Tomorrow (Thursday) after two days of half-day construction work, we have a whole day in front of us. This will be interesting.

Grace and peace,

JB

Making it right, Brad Pitt-style

Folks:

Our first day of work almost wasn’t.

The day started — or rather didn’t start — at 8 a.m. with a rain delay. 

We then tried to start at 8:30, and were welcomed by a local Habitat for Humanity person. Then came the requisite safety reminders, but just as they ended, the rain strengthened and fairly heavy rain showers persisted most of the morning so we just chilled out until after lunch, waiting on clear, or at least dry, skies.

The work finally began about 12:30 as various teams put floor joists on the second floor of the two houses on which we’re working. Another team worked on organizing the containers in which supplies are kept. Who knew there were so many varieties of nails?

And did I mention that West Virginians are everywhere? Adam, the Habitat site manager, is from Morgantown!

Tomorrow (Wednesday) members of St. Charles Ave. church will take us on an educational  tour of New Orleans, highlighing the effects of Katrina, then it’s back to work for the afternoon before joining the congregation for its weekly Wednesday night supper.

Some among us were frustrated by the rain, and the slow beginning pace, but we are all reminded that each job, no matter how menial or insignificant, is important. We may not even see the fruits of our work, but down the road other workers will benefit from having organized nail containers. It all works together for the glory of God, doesn’t it?

The weather forecast for the rest of the week is better, although it still includes rain, but we hope it won’t get in the way too much.

‘Til tomorrow.

JB

 

 

They'll know we are West Virginians by our hats!

Folks:

All 23 of us are raring to go Tuesday, our first day of actually getting to work building houses. 

Everyone arrived in New Orleans safely and gathered tonight (Monday) for an orientation and brief devotional. At the end, we are all surprised and pleased when Sandy Campbell pulled out a box with a yellow-and-gold hat for each of us. No mistaking us now!

We’ll start work at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and work some eight hours each day on two houses. The houses are in the very early stages, so we have lots to do. I’ll have pictures for you tomorrow.

We’ve come together from across the presbytery, and indeed across the country as some have joined us from Alabama and Colorado, and many expressed appreciation this evening for the feeling uf support coming from so broad a range of people. 

It’s also gratifying to know that Presbyterians back home — and even in Oregon — are holding us in their prayers for this week. 

Until Tuesday evening…

JB

Folks:

Well, we’re on our way:

Packed and ready to go

It was a good day to travel and the sun broke through and shone down on the 11 of us as we left the Presbytery office Sunday morning (2/09) about 11:30 a.m. We arrived at Rivermont Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, TN about 6:30 p.m., where we were joined by the Sarah, Michael and Matt Wilson who had journeyed separately from Bridgeport.

After a good dinner, we headed back to the church where several of us hit the hay early, and others tried out the various diversions in the Youth Lounge where we were bedding down. Pool or Foosball, anyone?

We figure to arrive in New Orleans late tomorrow afternoon, in time for dinner and orientation (do you detect a food theme here?) before beginning work on Tuesday.

More later.

Grace and peace,

John

Folks:

Just a couple of days before we leave for New Orleans for the RHINO Mission Trip at St. Charles Ave. Presbyterian Church. Most of us will set out from the Presbytery office at 11 a.m. on Sunday, although some are traveling separately. Most will be spending Sunday evening at Rivermont Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, and then we’ll all arrive in New Orleans Monday evening for orientation before we begin work Tuesday.

We suggested to pastors who have members going that it would be appropriate to have a commissioning service during a Sunday morning worship, and I hope most of you experienced that. The four of us from First Charleston were commissioned Sunday and it was a very meaningful and sobering — and connecting — experience.

After my last post, many of you responded with promises to keep our group in your corporate and personal prayers. But also please pray for the people along the Gulf Coast who are still struggling to recover this long after Katrina.

Another of the neat things that has already happened is that there is a West Virginian who is a member at St. Charles Ave., and he has invited our group for dinner one evening. Those West Virginians…they’re just everywhere. Wonder if we’ll sing Country Roads?

During our trip, we will be having daily worship time and the Rev. Frank Mansell has put together a worship resource for our time. In case there’s any interest in being “connected” with us in worship, here is it: RHINO Devotional Journal

Our group is also growing as two more folks are now able to join us: Patti Cunningham, from Gadsden, Alabama (a friend of some of our number and sister to a member at First Charleston) and Kathy Mueller from Charleston. This give us a total now of 23.

I’ll be in touch from the road.

Grace and peace,

John