Searching for a Reformed Place in Process: Tiptoing Through the TULIP of Calvinism.
Searching for a Reformed Place in Process: Tiptoing Through the TULIP of Calvinism
December 9, 2011 by Waco Pastor
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Again, a good, reasoned exploration.
As I have mentioned at other times, you are right on in your analysis. I feel you could go further is connecting these observations on Christian anthropology with biblical imagery. The OT narratives give us a concrete mythos to attach our thoughts to. Narrative is what defines us, not how we think (that sound dogmatic, but we live by the stories we tell ourselves and others tell about us — this is the nature of relationship). The narratives bring us to the world of imagination, which is were our religion (our search for meaning) is rooted and is birthed.
The window through which I crawl to read the Institutes is still the first chapter of Book One (first of the first) where he discusses “knowledge” of God and knowledge of [humanity]. It is never and either/or, but a both/and.
While I’m not sure where process folk go with existentialism. For me their is no pure relationship between two people or persons or group, or groups and groups — you know what I mean. The lack of “purity” is rooted in the here and now. The context sets the possibility and impossibility of relationships. There is no fixed point in “what it means to be human” for there is no fixed context. Process implies progress or even evolution. Existential angst neither affirms or denies process or evolution, it just says we are going to muck about in our relationships and find purpose, meaning, love, peace, hate, longings, desires, emptiness, etc in our encounters. We are not spectators, but only participants, no matter what objectivity we assume or claim.
I’m not sure that sin is accidental as much as an attempt to escape our humanity. Tillich speaks of this as “a-being”, not a fear of death or life, as much as climbing into bed and pulling the blankets over our senses. Beatles have it right — “He’s a real nowhere man in a real nowhere land.” (See Elonore Rigby).
Thanks for making my Monday!