Frightening Words
September 3, 2007
Justin's blog has seen a lot of comments (good ones, too) in response to Roger Olson's comments about the Calvinistic God. Olson was recoiling against John Piper's take on God's sovereignty in light of the Minneapolis bridge collapse. Olson made two incredible comments that shows just how dangerous the Arminianism of the Open Theists can be.
First, Olson wrote, "The God of Calvinism scares me." Well, that's the point, isn't it. The God of Calvinism is the true God, who man does well to fear. He is not, as CS Lewis put it, "a tame lion." What does it say about the state of post-conservative theology that one of its leaders has the gumption to publicly complain about a kind of God who is frightening?
Second, Olson continued, "I'm not sure how to distinguish him from the devil." It is hard to imagine more damning words than these. When the Pharisees followed this particular logic in their repugnance over Jesus, our Lord spoke of it as the sin that cannot be forgiven.
So here we have it, from the keyboard of one of the most prominent postconservative thinkers today: He objects that the biblical God is frightening (as if a more preferable God would not be frightening) and he cannot tell the biblical God from the devil. Things really are much worse than we thought out there in post-evangelical land. It argues to me that Reformed theologians must be more bold and aggressive in our biblical portrayal of the true God. And we must take up this more aggressive stance not merely to win the debate with our postconservative fellows, but for the sake of their souls.
First, Olson wrote, "The God of Calvinism scares me." Well, that's the point, isn't it. The God of Calvinism is the true God, who man does well to fear. He is not, as CS Lewis put it, "a tame lion." What does it say about the state of post-conservative theology that one of its leaders has the gumption to publicly complain about a kind of God who is frightening?
Second, Olson continued, "I'm not sure how to distinguish him from the devil." It is hard to imagine more damning words than these. When the Pharisees followed this particular logic in their repugnance over Jesus, our Lord spoke of it as the sin that cannot be forgiven.
So here we have it, from the keyboard of one of the most prominent postconservative thinkers today: He objects that the biblical God is frightening (as if a more preferable God would not be frightening) and he cannot tell the biblical God from the devil. Things really are much worse than we thought out there in post-evangelical land. It argues to me that Reformed theologians must be more bold and aggressive in our biblical portrayal of the true God. And we must take up this more aggressive stance not merely to win the debate with our postconservative fellows, but for the sake of their souls.
