nuance

Rejection
So far this series has dealt with the rejection side of being post-Reformed; we reject an emphasis on systematic theology and the resultant tendency to shun community with other-minded believers. We reject preaching that takes a side instead of finding the greater truth, the middle way. We reject the idea that right theology is the primary thing about being a good Christian and instead believe that the work of the Spirit is the primary thing. We reject disunity and division among Christians who all believe in Jesus and the biblical story.

These rejections are important, but they are not the only aspect of being post-Reformed. As I mentioned at the very start, before we got into the acronyms RPF and RFF, being post-Reformed is not the same as being anti-Reformed. In fact, based on the rejections above, to be anti-Reformed would be against the very core of being post-Reformed - because being post-Reformed means an acceptance of all biblical Christians, whatever their systematic-theological background (including the Reformed!).

In fact, the first element in being a post-Reformed Christian is that you come, to some extent, from a Reformed theological background. Whether you were a born and bred Calvinist or came to Calvinistic convictions later on (as I did), being post-Reformed entails a progression, a journey forward, out of that theological homeland. And this journeying on does not entail a total rejection, even if there is a partial rejection; it rather is a positive movement, not against, but away from the starting place with fond experiences and lessons learned held firmly in hand.

Holding on to the good
There are a plethora of positive things, treasures even, to be had from the Reformed movement. And these treasures are things that most biblical Christians, regardless of what side of the Calvinistic divide they fall in, would agree heartily upon. I am going to give a list of some of these treasures that I acquired from within the Reformed tradition, and to which I remain happily committed.

1. A high view of Scripture. If nothing else, the Protestant Reformation was a reclaiming of the Christian Scriptures. It was a counter-cultural, subversive movement against an oppressive religious establishment which had held the Bible under lock and key so it could wield its power with seemingly divine authority. But the Reformers said that the Bible, read and understood by all, is the only binding authority, and that all, including cardinals and bishops, are subject to its rule. This idea - that the Bible is the only authoritative rule of faith and practice - brings Christians of all stripes together; and it separates them from false believers and skeptics who have made a mockery of the holy Word. In every question of truth, it brings us back to the unifying biblical story.

2. A love for theology. I know - this seems to be in contradiction to the rejections earlier. But it’s not. Theology is a good thing; the mind is a good thing; thinking about God is a good, necessary, utterly valuable thing. The Reformation was quite literally a love affair with Christian theology which sprang from its love for the Scriptures. It was theology - the deep thinking about God - that drew me to the Reformed tradition. I had never seen anything like it. It opened my eyes to new truths that stirred my heart. But in my experience, theology became an end instead of a means, and thinking began to define my spirituality - and this was bad. I am post-Reformed in that I, like the Reformers, love theology, but have also seen that theology only works as a means to God the Person, to the relationship, to the precious community, to the spiritual experience and the passionate life of following Jesus Christ. And theological particulars diminish in importance when this end is in view.

3. A BIG God. One thing that anti-Calvinists (not non-Calvinists, but really angry anti-Calvinists) often do without really knowing it is diminish God in the attempt to oppose Reformed theology. Because they hate the thought that God would force someone to accept him, they paint a picture of God that seems more limited than the biblical picture. The Old Testament especially gives us an image of a very, very powerful God. He answers to no one. He does what he pleases. He is God, after all. The Reformation wisely called out the Roman Church for picturing God as one who is mediated by a group of powerful bishops and manipulated by the external works of men (like indulgences, penance, pilgrimages, etc.). While Reformed theology has wrongly become obsessed with the sovereignty of God in personal conversion and regeneration, the basic principle of a big God - one who does not answer to us - is a valuable biblical understanding. We must not put God in our boxes - he is too big and wonderful and powerful for that.

4. An infatuation with the cross of Christ. What was it that moved Martin Luther to oppose the absolute power of his day and risk death in the process? It was nothing less than an infatuation with the cross. For Luther, the central human struggle was against the oppressive power of guilt; and the Roman Church had made a mint by guilting the populace into submission to its rule with threats of divine punishment. But what Luther found in Paul’s letters was a message wildly different from Rome’s; a message of perfect atonement through the blood of Christ. And through Luther, light broke into a dark Christian world in the form of grace, grace, perfect and all-saving grace! What could a sinner add to the substitutionary work of Christ, the perfect God-man who bore all our sins and absorbed God’s wrath against them? God is a God of love who spared no expense to save us - and when he did, he left nothing undone. The great Reformation slogan - sola fide, or faith alone - is the corollary to this infatuation with the cross, for if God saved us totally in Christ, then we come to him for forgiveness and salvation by faith alone. No work, no ritual, no ethnic or religious background recommends us to God - it is only the love of Jesus Christ. This is nothing less than good news of the gospel, and all Christians should be ga-ga over it.

5. A covenant structure. Structuring the biblical story is a bit different from systematizing it. Instead of searching through the Bible as if it’s a theological factbook and then organizing the facts (systematic theology), a structural approach looks for the overall progressive nature of the story and gives it a name. Reformed theology has structured the Bible as a story about God’s covenants with man. What is valuable about this is the fact that it lets the Bible be a story and lets us see ourselves in it; it allows for a narrative theology of sorts that has much relevance for us today. We are also a covenant people, in relationship with God through Jesus Christ at this point in history. The covenant structure also allows us to see more continuity in the biblical story than discontinuity - and it makes it easier to understand and apply. The other popular structure - Dispensationalism - is wildly confusing and pits the Bible against itself. And it gives rise to an interesting eschatology. While a post-Reformed Christian is not a Covenant Theology Evangelist, he may appreciate the simplicity and sanity of this theological approach and carry it on charitably.

6. A sane eschatology. Suffice it to say, I appreciate Reformed theology because it gives us a view of the last days that doesn’t include a word-for-word literal interpretation of Revelation (which can be really scary). It lets symbol be symbol and simplifies everything by referring back to the words of Jesus. This is very much against the grain of some high-minded theological types who insist that Revelation can be parsed down to a date, time, and location for the return of Jesus. Reformed eschatologies just say, “He’s coming back someday: look forward to it.” And that’s a lot easier. The Reformed tradition also gave us postmillennialism which is a fancy word for believing that there is still a point to our lives in this world and we should try to make the world better.

7. A mentality of cultural engagement. From Luther to Calvin to the Dutchman Abraham Kuyper, Reformed theologians have long been champions for Christians in culture. This is the unsung hero-doctrine of the Reformation movement. The backdrop is the medieval notion that there is a thick black line between secular occupation and sacred occupation; and the former really has no value compared to the latter. That is, unless you were a priest or monk or something like that, your job as a blacksmith was pretty much seen as stupid. But Luther said that every human occupation that a Christian involves himself in becomes sacred because he does it for the glory of God. Revolutionary! Kuyper’s contribution was quite literally a vision for the renewal of culture itself as Christians purposefully engage with non-Christians in all sorts of secular work. This becomes a means of witness to the unbelieving world as Christians do a better job than anyone at making the world better. We might say that our current ideas about cultural relevance - being in the world to reach the world - and missional life - everyone is a missionary to the unsaved people in their lives - stems from the work of the Reformers against the sacred/secular dichotomy. A post-Reformed person gladly takes this perspective forward and stands against so many modern manifestations of Christianity - Reformed ones included - that seem to ignore the culture and this world and retreat to pious church life.

Taking these things, and rejecting those others, I am moving forward in my journey. I want to follow Jesus wherever he is going, with as many of his followers as possible. This is why I’m post-Reformed.