Doctrine Idols.

To proponents of Calvinism or Arminianism or NPP or the parachurch or Pentecostal theology —

Please remember that your specific doctrinal framework does not say everything there is to say about God. No one doctrine has the monopoly on His nature. We do not differ on loving Jesus and loving people: but we can disagree on just about everything else and still be cool up in here.

When someone disagrees on doctrine, they’re saying, “I disagree with your interpretation based on my understanding.” In other words, my eight lb. brain and your eight lb. brain are seeing an infinite God a little bit differently. God remains God despite our vastly insufficient minds: so it’s no use getting into semantic chatter that leads to a slightly swelled bucket of passive information.

Fellow Calvinists: As a Calvinist, you do know that Reformed Calvinism is a “ghetto” of the Christian subculture, right?  No one cares about Calvinism except Calvinists.  Almost no one else reads The Gospel Coalition except you.  Not even John Calvin cares that much.

A particular Christian stance that is compelled to exclude others is not really any sort of Christian stance at all. To feel like your doctrine gives you “insider knowledge” that no one else has is also indicative of a cult.  Jesus includes and invites.  Any other kind of theology is not theology, but categorical prejudice.

Does your theology care for the poor? Does it speak to your anxiety and insecurity and pride? Does it walk on water and heal the blind? Does it comfort with kindness and rebuke with discipline? Does it repent of your own righteous acts and trust only by faith in a cross? Does it have room to invite atheists, Muslims, homosexuals, and even other Christian persuasions?  Is your faith making you a better human being or worse?

We are so many shades of the body of Christ. Jesus has many rooms in his mansion, and we can love one another even from the hallway.

— J