Author Archives: Johan

Welcome to the table of the Lord!

Debates, Morality, Theology

DISCLAIMER: It was pointed out to me that Thomas Jolly specifically indicated that the scene was meant to represent a pagan celebration featuring Dionysus. I think it would only be fair to give the artist the benefit of the doubt in this regard, and it would imply that the Christian outrage at the scene is mostly misguided. Having said that, I leave this post here as-is, since I still believe that we, as Christians, can and should do better in how we engage with controversial contemporary topics.
See: Did Paris mock Last Supper at Olympics? Why some Christians are angry (usatoday.com)
Opening ceremony choreographer denies ‘Last Supper’ parody at launch of Paris Games (france24.com)

Wow, the French surely know how to create controversy! During the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic games, the camera cuts to the french “love activist” and DJ, Barbara Butch. She is seated at a long table, wearing a blue dress with silver headdress, and as the camera pans out, the scene unfolds to show the rest of the motley crew of drag queens and blue people. 

A scene from the Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony

Of course, the theme of inclusivity was to be expected, but what shocked the world was not those present, but how they were arranged along the long table. This was interpreted as an artistic commentary on the painting called “The Last Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci.

The Last Supper (Leonardo) - Wikipedia

As expected, this scene was met with great outrage by many Christian politicians, churches and laypeople from all over the world. “Satanic!” “Outrageous!” “Disgusting!” and on and on it went. And yet, maybe we were missing the whole point as Christians, because we keep on underestimating God’s absolute brilliance and sense of humor, along with His love for people, and the lengths to which God will go to save us from ourselves. Allow me the opportunity to offer an alternative exposition of the art, created by the Artist Himself.

But is it art?

Firstly, we should understand that art is always meant to have a deeper message, and this artistic expression by the ceremony’s art director, Thomas Jolly, is certainly no exception. Our job, as the beholder of the piece of art, is to discern the meaning behind the art.

In this case, I think it is clear that the intention was to create a scene that clearly contrasts the Biblical comments on moral purity, as personified by Jesus, to that of the modern LGBTQ+ movement that sees itself as a liberation movement, throwing off the chains of oppression brought by the narrow moral prescriptions of the Bible. It says that now, in 2024, it is no longer Jesus sitting at the center of this important table, having been replaced by the enlightenment brought by moral relativism. 

And if this was the end of the artistic story, then of course we as Christians should be upset and offended, but it is not, because the artist of this scene overlooked a very important point, that being the underlying meaning of the original art upon which this latest artistic expression is based on. Welcome, my friends, to the Table of the Lord!

The Table of the Lord

The painting by Leonardo da Vinci, which served as inspiration for this scene at the opening ceremony, is in turn Da Vinci’s imagination of the Lord’s Supper. The Last Supper refers to the very last time when Jesus ate with His disciples, but it was no ordinary meal. This meal would have been the highlight of the Feast of Passover, an intensely symbolic event with various traditions with rich meaning dating all the way back to the Exodus from Egypt. The primary purpose of the event was to remind the Israelites of the fact that they were slaves in Egypt, and how God freed them from this slavery by a mighty hand! Central to the message of the Passover meal, was the remembrance of the lamb that was slaughtered, and the blood that was smeared on the doorposts as a sign that the life first-born from that house has been redeemed by the blood of the lamb which was killed in the stead of the first-born.

At this last supper event, Jesus and His disciples are observing this feast, and when Jesus comes to the part where the third piece of the afikomen (a specific piece of bread in the ceremony) is broken and shared with all around the table, He makes this statement : “Take this and eat it. This is my body”. He then continues, taking the cup of wine after the meal, which is called Cup of Redemption, and He says : “Take this and drink it. This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you. It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven.”

In many ways, these events here at the Last Supper are the culmination of the story that starts all the way back in Genesis, and reaches its highlight in Jesus’ death on the cross the very next day. Here, at this very table of the Last Supper, God extends His offer of salvation and redemption to those sitting around the table, offering to be the Lamb of God that will take the punishment of death for the sins of those around the table, mostly unaware of the significance of what was happening right there on that evening.

For you see, this we tend to forget, that apart from Jesus, every single person around that table on that fateful evening, were sinners, and under the judgment of the law, deserving death. And herein we find the art created by the greatest Artist of them all, those sitting at the table were no more deserving of God’s forgiveness than those sitting around the very same table at the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony. James, John, Peter, DJ Barbara Butch and the naked Smurfie man, none of us can sit at that Last Supper table and claim that we can achieve God’s righteousness by being “good enough” (Isaiah 64:6). 

In a very real sense, the Last Supper table is an invitation for people exactly like those whom art director Thomas Jolly has positioned around that table. The true irony of the scene we saw at the opening ceremony is therein, that this very table is the place where sinners are welcomed, because at this very table the King explains His perfect love to those around the table by taking the judgment that each of us deserve in our stead.

A word to Christians

To conclude this essay, I would like to extend this reminder to Christians. Let us never forget that we, too, were once far removed from Christ, and were once upon a time invited to this table as sinners. Let’s remember how God extended His grace to us when we deserved God’s judgment. Think of the time when you were sitting at this table, and you were first offered salvation instead of death, when Jesus extended the Cup of Redemption also to you. 

If we are to be Jesus’ representatives here on earth, maybe we should show the same grace and love to those who are still lost, because here at the table of the Lord, they can be introduced to Jesus. Let’s leave the judgment to God, and let’s simply point them to Jesus who is the hope of salvation to every sinner. Let’s pray that each person at that table has the opportunity to meet with Jesus, and that He would convict them of their sin and call them to repentance, because that He has promised to do and we just need to go find the lost in the streets and dark alleys, and bring them here to the table of the Lord.

And finally, to DJ Barbara Butch and every other sinner here at the table, welcome to the Table of the Lord, let me tell you about my Jesus…

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Die pad terug na Jesus toe

Afrikaans, Theology

Op 15 Aug 2023 was ek oppad skooltoe om ‘n praatjie te gaan gee vir ‘n spul Gr10 leerders. Ek het daai oggend gery en by myself gedink, ek is nou finaal klaar met die Here en kerk en alles wat daarmee verband hou. Vir meer as ‘n jaar het ek gerou en gehuil en gehoop, maar daardie oggend was ek reg om aan te beweeg eens en vir altyd, sonder Jesus. Ek het al die stappe van rou deurgewerk, en na al die ontkenning, woede, onderhandelinge met God en depressie was ek nou gereed om dit te aanvaar as finaal. Ek kon nie meer die emosionele wipplank aanhou ry nie, vandag klim ek af.

Die middag na skool het ek ‘n koffie afspraak gehad met ‘n vriend (hy sal nie daarvan hou as ek sy naam hier noem nie). Na ons onvermydelike gesprekke oor hoe warm dit vandag is, en hoe gaan dit met die kinders, het ek vir hom genoem dat ek nou juis vandag op ‘n punt is dat ek klaar is met Jesus en kerkdinge, en nie meer myself gaan flous om te hoop dat daar ‘n pad terug is vir my nie.

Ek kan nie regtig onthou hoe die gesprekke daarby uitgekom het nie, maar ek onthou duidelik dat hy vir my begin vertel het van sy eie pad saam met die Here, en op ‘n baie eerlike manier vertel van dinge waarmee hy sukkel. Wat my egter getrek het, was die feit dat die dinge waarvan hy vertel het nie in die publieke oog afspeel nie, en dat hy regtig niemand sou kon beindruk deur dit “reg te kry”, of iemand teleurstel deur dit net eenvoudig te los nie. Hierdie was net tussen hom en Jesus, en dit het regtig vir hom saakgemaak. Daar het ek besef dat daar wel mense daar buite is wat ernstig daaroor is om in Jesus se rigting te stap, selfs in dinge wat regtig iets kos (soos in finansieel) en regtig saakmaak (soos in omgee vir weerloses). Wat hy aan my verkoop het was nie ‘glamorous’ en ‘love’ en ‘joy’ nie, maar dit was verseker “compelling”. Ek reken dis soos wanneer die ander dissipels vir Petrus sien uit die boot uitklim om op die water na Jesus toe te stap, en dan sink hy so bietjie weg in die water. Dis nie elegant nie, maar dit los ‘n indruk op jou wat geen hoeveelheid preke ooit kan doen nie. En ek wou ook hiervan hê…

Die hele situasie het my so bietjie omkant gevang, om eerlik te wees. Daardie oggend was ek uiteindelik reg om heeltemal te breek met alles wat Jesus is, en dan wys die Here vir my dat daar wel nog mense oor is wat ernstig is oor hulle pad saam met Hom, en dat die pad saam met Hom soveel meer kan wees as wat ek tot dusver ervaar het. Daar was egter ‘n probleem, die pad terug na Jesus toe loop nie terug vanwaar af ek kom nie, dit sou behels om uit die boot uit te klim en oor die water te loop tot waar Jesus is.

Ek is daar weg egter met hierdie een vraag in my gemoed: Is dit regtig die moeite werd? Want die realiteit daarvan om op die water na Jesus toe te loop is dat jy regtig kan verdrink as dit nie uitwerk nie. Dis nie asof jy gou kan terugklim in die boot en nou-nou weer probeer nie. As jy uit is, is jy uit, en dan gaan jy moet stap tot daar waar Jesus is, of jy gaan verdrink. ‘n Mens klim dus nie uit hierdie gemaklike bootjie uit tensy daar regtig iets aan die anderkant is wat die moeite werd is nie. 

In my geval het dit gegaan daaroor om ‘n kind aan te neem. Dit is ‘n onderwerp waaroor ek al baie jare met die Here oor worstel, want ek was nog altyd vasberade daaroor dat, as Jesus vir my sou vra om ‘n wild-vreemde kind in my huis in te neem, ek sou moes weier om dit te doen. Die impak en risiko vir ons gesin was net eenvoudig te groot. En dit is hoe ek myself bevind het voor Jesus, net soos daardie ryk jong man wat nie bereid was om sy besittings te verkoop nie, en droewig moes wegstap van Jesus af (dit was een van die redes hoekom ek in die eerste plek weggestap het van Christenskap af). Mens kan nie voorgee om ‘n dissipel van Jesus te wees as jy Hom nie gaan volg nie, dis net eenvoudig nie hoe dit werk nie.

Ek het nie regtig geweet wat om volgende te doen nie, want geen van die regte-lewe feite het eintlik verander nie. Ek was oortuig daarvan dat ‘n aangenome kind in die huis regtig ‘n groot opoffering vir ons gaan wees. Ons kinders was nou op die ouderdom waar ons al so bietjie kon begin droom oor hoe ons weer ‘n motorfiets gaan koop en die land plat toer wanneer hulle uit die huis uit is. As ons nou ‘n kind aanneem, is ons weer vas vir 20+ jaar, begin weer van voor af met doeke, boeke en al die potensieele risikos wat met kinders-grootmaak saamgaan. 

Gelukkig was Emsie al lankal gereed om ‘n kind aan te neem. Goed dan, dan neem ons ‘n kind aan en kyk wat gebeur volgende. Ek het gereken dat as Jesus die moeite gedoen het om my daai dag te onderskep, waar ek gereed was om heeltemal op te gee, dan is dit seker belangrik vir Hom. Ek het dus besluit dat ons ‘n kind kan aanneem, en dan kyk ons wat doen die Here volgende. As die Here die ding vandaar af wou verder vat, wonderlik, en indien ek myself misgis het of as hierdie net my eie emosies was wat my maak hallusineer, dan is ek en een of ander arme kind in vir die teleurstelling van ons lewens…

‘n Nota wat ek kort na hierdie gesprek gemaak het om my eie gedagtes to probeer uitsorteer.

Die Bybel se Goue Draadjie

Rondom hierdie tyd het ek een aand met Emsie gesels, en ek het vir haar vertel hoe ek en my ma tydens my matriekjaar ‘n Bybelkursus bygewoon het waar hulle in ‘n jaar se tyd deur die Bybel gewerk het. Dit was destyds vir my besonders, want dis waar ek besef het dat die Ou Testament besonder is. Dis in die Ou Testament waar mens regtig leer wie God is, hoe Hy regtig is, en hoe die Here van die begin af Sy plan van verlossing bekend gemaak het. Ek het my kommer uitgespreek dat my kinders uitverloor op die Bybel se groter prentjie, omdat hulle dit nie geleer word by die kerk nie. Op daardie stadium het ek nog geweldig baie bitterheid rondgedra teenoor die kerk, en ek het vir haar voorgestel dat ons dalk ‘n klompie jongmense bymekaarkry, dan werk ons saam met hulle deur die Ou Testament om vir hulle die Bybel se sentrale boodskap, die goue draadjie wat regdeur loop, uit te wys. As die kerk te sleg is om my kinders te leer van hoe God regtig is, dan sal ek dit self doen!

En so het dit toe gebeur dat, met die onsuiwerste van motiewe, nog baie ver weg van die Here af, hierdie ou wat nie eers meer ‘n Christen is nie, saam met ‘n groepie mense heel voor begin by Genesis 1 om weer van voor af te leer wie God is. Van waar ek nou staan kyk ek terug na hierdie absurditeit en ek is stomgeslaan dat so iets eers moontlik kon wees. Ek sien egter ook nou dat dit nodig was vir my om weer te gaan leer van eerste beginsels af hoe God is. 

Soos ek elke week my voorbereiding moes doen vir die volgende Woensdag se boodskap, het ek weer die voorreg gehad om eerstehands te leer en te verstaan wie God is, en hoekom ons in die eerste plek hier is. Ek het weer ontdek dat God se oorspronklike plan vir ons as mense nog altyd was om Sy verteenwoordigers op aarde te wees. Die Bybel se hele verhaal draai rondom hierdie goue draadjie, God se plan om ons te verlos van dit wat nie soos Hy lyk nie, juis sodat ons weer vir ‘n stukkende wereld kan wys hoe Hy is. Maar beste van alles, die God wat ek weer van voor af in die Ou Testament raakgeloop het, was ongelooflik “compelling”. Dit wat Hy het om te bied, en die voorreg om Sy verteenwoordiger op aarde te wees resoneer met ons diepste wese en ek het dit met my hele wese gemis. Dit, hierdie God wat ek van lees in die Ou Testament, DIS wat ek wou hê.

Ongelukkig was daar nog iets wat in die pad gestaan het, wat gemaak het dat ek nie sommer net kon terugkom na Hom toe nie, en dit was die kerk. Op die stadium het ek ook die konneksies begin maak tussen dit wat ek hier in die Ou Testament van geleer het, en ‘n baie klein handjie vol mense met wie ek (dikwels tweedehands) te doen gehad het. Hierdie mense se lewens en verhale het vir my geresoneer met die God van die Ou Testament, maar nie een van hulle het lekker gepas in die vorm (“mould”) van kerk soos waarmee ek groot geword het nie. Nie een van hulle, byvoorbeeld, was super-heilig nie. Hulle het nogal heel gewoon gelyk eintlik, ek het hulle nie geken vir hulle ure van gebed, groot preke, of heilige woorde nie. Wat hulle wel almal in gemeen het, is die spreekwoordelike grond onder hulle vingernaels, menende dat hulle besig was om prakties ‘n verskil in die lewens van straatkinders, armes en haweloses te maak. Hulle was prakties betrokke by gesprekke en projekte wat die mure tussen swart en wit in Suid Afrika afbreek, ware vredemakers. Hulle dink ook almal weird oor geldsake… 

Die kerk, soos ek daarmee grootgeword het, was egter niks soos dit nie. Dit was ‘n groot deel van hoekom ek in die eerste plek weggestap het van Jesus af in die eerste plek. Hoe meer ek die Bybel gelees het, en weer van voor af leer het hoe God is, hoe meer duidelik was dit vir my dat die kerk niks het om te bied nie. Dit wat die kerk verkoop het, het nie dieselfde “compelling” trekkrag wat die Ou Testament, en hierdie handjie vol mense met ‘vuil’ vingernael, gehad nie. Daar is niks van daardie resonansie met God se karakter nie. Dit was vir my ‘n redelike krisis, want teen April/Mei 2024 was ek omtrent reg om terug te kom na Jesus toe, maar nie as dit behels om terug te gaan kerk toe nie. My pad terug na Jesus toe het homself doodgeloop teen ‘n muur en ek was bekommerd dat dit die einde van hierdie pad sou wees.

Ek en Jona

Rondom hierdie tyd was ons min of meer klaar met ons reeks oor die Bybel se Goue Draadjie by die selgroep, en het ons begin om deur die kleinprofete te werk. Amos en Hosea het net van voor af weer bevestig dat God regtig baie omgee vir die weerloses, en ons sou na die Junie vakansie verder gaan met die boek verhaal van Jona.

Tydens die vakansie het ek ‘n boek gelees, or eerder die Audiobook geluister, genaamd “God and Money” deur Gregory Baumer en John Cortines. Ek onthou hoe ek iewers in die middel van die boek op ‘n stadium besef het dat hierdie lewenstyl waarvan hierdie twee praat so anders is as wat ek in die kerk ervaar het, en tog het dit my so getrek (“compelling”), want dit het resoneer met die ongelooflike grootheid van God wat ek sien in die Ou Testament, en hoe dit inpas met die mens se skeppingsdoel om Sy verteenwoordigers te wees. 

Terselfte tyd het die verhaal van Jona aan my begin knaag (ons sou na die vakansie by die selgroep bietjie gesels oor Jona), en na aanleiding van Jona en hierdie boek “God and Money” wat ek gelees het, het ek besef dat ek nogsteeds, na alles, God se liefde onderskat het. 

Want jy sien, dit is maklik om lief te wees en genade te gee vir die wat niks aan jou gedoen het nie. Nineve, en die kerk, is egter nie soos dit nie, hulle het baie om voor te verantwoord. Net soos Jona het ek hier bo-op die berg, onder my boompie sit en wag dat die Here Sy ding doen om hulle (Nineve en die kerk) te oordeel en te verwoes vir al hulle sondes, en net soos Jona was ek kwaad en omgekrap wanneer die Here dan besluit om genadig te wees. Wat ek en Jona dikwels vergeet, is dat God se karakter van so aard is, dat Hy nie die onskuldiges en weerloses saam met die sondaars uitwis wanneer Hy oordeel nie, hulle is vir Hom te kosbaar. Daarom sien ons hoe Abraham die Here kan afstry om Sodom en Gemorra te spaar, sou daar so min as 10 regverdiges in die dorp wees. Dieselfde sien ons in Jesus se gelykenis in Matt 13:28-30, dat hy nie wil he dat die arbeiders die bossies moet uittrek wanneer die oes nog jonk is nie, want dalk trek hulle per ongeluk van die kosbare koringare uit. En dan natuurlik weer wanneer die Here vir Jona aanspreek oor die 120 000 in Nineve wat nie links van regs kan onderskei nie (verteenwoordigend van die onskuldiges/weerloses). 

Binne-in die kerk is daar mense wat met suiwer intensies daar opgeindig het. Daar is mense wat eg is daaroor om met die Here ‘n verhouding te hê, en hulle word gruwlooslik in die steek gelaat deur die leiers van kerke wat van beter behoort te weet. Hierdie mense is ongelooflik kosbaar vir die Here, en Hy sal nie Sy regverdige oordeel die kerk vel ten koste van hierdie kosbares nie. Hulle is so belangrik vir die Here dat Hy wil he dat ek my trots en hoogmoed in my sak steek, en teruggaan kerk toe, want as ek hoop om eendag weer Sy verteenwoordiger te wees, dan moet hulle vir my ook belangrik wees.

En met dit het die Here die laaste muur uit die weg geruimwat my weggehou het van Hom af. Ek het vele kere gehuil oor die laaste twee of drie jaar, en vir die eerste keer in ‘n baie lang tyd was dit trane van verligting. Die Here het gedoen wat ek, net ‘n jaar gelede, gereken het heeltemal onmoontlik sou wees. Elke liewe ding wat tussen Hom en my gestaan het, het Hy net eenvoudig een-vir-een afgebreek en weggevat totdat daar niks meer oor was nie. Hy het dit gedoen sonder enige mense se slim woorde, net deur vir my van voor af te laat verstaan wie Hy eintlik is. ‘n Jaar en ‘n half gelede het ek op my webtuiste geskryf dat niemand My hier in die woestyn gaan kom haal nie, ek haal aan : “So yeah. No good shepherd coming to find your lost ass in the wilderness”, en dan skielik staan die Goeie Herder hier by my met die uitnodiging om terug te kom. 

In kort is dit hoe ek my pad terug gevind het, of eerder, hoe die Here my daar in die wildernis kom haal het, want my aandeel hieraan is weglaatbaar klein. Daar is nog baie werk wat gedoen moet word, want ek besef dat hierdie maar net die eerste tree is oppad na waar Jesus wil he ons moet wees, maar ek is opgewonde en so ongelooflik dankbaar om weer die pad aan te kan durf saam met Hom.

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The Strange World of No Longer being a Christian

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Today, exactly a year ago, I officially walked away from Christianity. I first gave my heart to Jesus when I was about 10 years old, and I have taken my faith extremely seriously ever since. My faith has always been a defining part of my life and character. I have been involved in various ministries over the years, led Bible studies for the larger part of my adult life, and then I walked away from it all.

This essay is not about the how and why, however, but rather about what I experienced during this first year as a non-christian.

It is lonely, very, very lonely

The first thing worth mentioning, and probably the most serious of them all, was the realization that I am walking this path utterly alone. I grew up in the church-milieu. Family, friends and pretty much everyone I ever had a deeper than casual relationship with are Christians. It used to be quite easy and straightforward to find like-minded people to share your thoughts, concerns, pain and struggles with, and this whole support structure literally evaporated overnight. It is like moving to a foreign country, where it becomes practically impossible to communicate anything more complex than “how much for a coffee?”.

Walking away from Christianity leaves you in a position where you are dealing with the single most painful and difficult event in your life, and you are doing so completely on your own.

Music

While I was never much of a music aficionado, I really enjoyed listening to gospel music and playing a little keyboard and guitar. So when I left Christianity, I did not expect to find changing my taste in music to be such an unsettling affair. 

Using Spotify, it should be a relatively simple process to explore and find some good alternatives to the gospel music that I’ve listened to thus far, right? Well, this process turned out to be the most surprising and insightful part of the whole experience.

I started off by going through the Country music playlists, as I was already exposed to a limited range of Country music through my wife’s influence. I was shocked at how dark and jarring country music, and later I found pretty much all music genres, could be. Not the music and tunes, but the stories these songs tell.

As an example, there is this song by Reba McEntire called “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia”. It has this really catchy tune, but oh my, what a dark and unfulfilling end. It’s like, surely there must be more, a happy ending? And on and on it went, cheery tunes about really depressing topics.

Taylor Swift in Last Christmas. Let it go from Frozen. The Gambler by Kenny Rogers. Stayin Alive by the BeeGees. 

Then there were the hits that were simply nonsensical lyrics slapped together to make a song that has no meaning whatsoever. Karma Chameleon, The Look (Roxette), Scatman and Kaboemielies to just mention a few.

I soon realized that non-christian music really has very little of substance to sing about. There are love songs (where the guy gets the wife, the house and the dog) and the associated lost-love genres (where the ex-wife gets the house and the dog), and really not much else. Every so often there are some really hardcore country songs about truly sad events, like the one mentioned earlier from Reba McEntire, but other than that it is mostly sex, love and money.

I was shocked by how shallow and meaningless the whole thing is. In fact, non-christian music is, to use a proper Christianese word, quite depraved. I soon realized that the emotional pickup sold by the music industry is very much an attempt to pick yourself up by your own bootstraps.

As a non-christian, I’ve learned this truth : music was made for the primary purpose of worshiping God and telling deep stories. Sure there is a place for some good old fun and silliness (when you are too sexy for your shirt…), but I have not found non-christian music up to the task of filling the big God-shaped hole left in this part of my life. 

Along with this I also realized that I will never be able to play an instrument of any sorts again. Having done so all my life to this point in worship of God, there is really no reason for me to make music anymore.

No-one is coming

In Luke 15 there is this story of a shepherd who has 100 sheep. One day, one of them goes missing. The shepherd then leaves the 99 sheep behind to go look for this one lost sheep, and upon finding it, there is great joy and feasting.

Well, I don’t think anyone who has ever walked away from their faith has not secretly or overtly hoped this would be the case for them as well. That the Good Shepherd would come find us there where we find ourselves, utterly lost. And make no mistake about it, as anyone who has ever gotten lost on their way somewhere can attest, you know very well when you are lost.

Unfortunately, it has become very clear to me that this parable is patently false. No one is coming. No-one is looking for the missing coins. None of that seek and you shall find, knock and for you shall be opened, because I can assure you, no-one walks away from their childhood faith without vehemently knocking and asking and seeking and desperately looking for answers. 

So yeah. No good shepherd coming to find your lost ass in the wilderness.

Jesus, Protector of the Abusers

For the first few months of my journey, most of my anger and frustration was aimed at the church, since this is where all the problems started. I realized soon enough, however, that the overwhelming majority of the people in the church are just as I used to be, honest and well-meaning people trying their best to serve God as best they know how, even if this ends up being quite misguided. I most likely also have played my part in hurting some people along the way, and I have most certainly done my fair share of judging “them”. 

I realized that this problem cannot, and will not, ever be fixed, unless God somehow decides to do so. Super-christians would call this a “revival”, although I very much doubt it will be in the format that they envisage. I suspect such a revival will be less tears-and-prayers and more whip-and-chasing around the temple forecourts. Either way, being angry at the church-people is misguided. The one at fault here, is God, for His simple apathy towards the mess that is His church, His bride.

In the months leading up to my leaving Christianity, I went on a crusade against the church. I was warned by quite a few super-christians that I am looking for trouble criticizing the church, being the bride of Christ and all. Sure enough, a bit of reading up and this seems indeed to be the consensus and supported by Biblical evidence. Call me superstitious if you want, but I was quite sure that this was indeed a warning from God himself.

So this left me with an interesting perspective. While I have certainly been hurt by church people, I would not go as far as calling it abuse. There are many, many stories of people who have suffered real abuse in churches, whether it be emotional, sexual or psychological in nature. Looking for advice on the Internet on how to handle these situations, a theme soon emerged. “Go to church anyway”. “The best place to deal with these issues, is within the church”. Consider, as an example, the recent near-mess in the Baptist Church in the USA, where they are dealing with a scandal of sorts in how they handled sexual abuse cases over the years. Even so, the leadership were fighting hard to limit the scope of the investigation, and handle this internally.

So there you have it. Instead of God pouring out his wrath over sexual predators, abusers and scoundrels in His church, He advises them to repent, and the victims to forgive and return to the church, the very place of their abuse. Jesus, Protector of the Abusers.

And this is how I got to a point where my anger is no longer directed at the church, but rather at the One, the only One, who is capable of fixing this mess which He so diligently protects from outside critique at the expense of those for whom the Bible claims to care so much about. Where is the God of Isaiah 1:17 who insists that His people do good, seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless and plead the widow’s case? 

Conclusion

To conclude this essay, I would like to quote from a song that I’ve been introduced to shortly after leaving Christianity. It would not typically be considered a Christian song, although it is probably the most honest and no-nonsense Jesus-type song that I’ve come across, and one that very much resonates with where I currently find myself, and probably the only song of any substance in my meaningless playlist of non-christians songs.

The song is called Dear God, by Confetti. If you take the time to listen to it, a fair warning that it gets a little explicit at times. I don’t expect you to agree with the basic thesis of the song, but this song very accurately describes the place where myself and many others like myself find ourselves. Listen to it, and really, truly listen to the pain, desperation and frustration that is abundantly clear in the lyrics. Here, crying in the mud, is where you Christians will find us when one day you realize that this game you are playing is truly life or death for some of us.

“Oh dear God, wher’d you go
You haven’t been answering your phone
Not sayin’ I’m mad but, the world is f*cked up
So You should come around more”

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“Is God real?” …is the wrong question

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Most Christians take this question completely for granted.  “Of course God is real, He is the omni-present Creator of all, the God who died for our sins and love us very much”. And yet, there is a subtle assumption hidden in this question that is very dangerous.  In the way this question is stated, the identity of God is assumed.  In other words, you are not asking if there is a God, you are asking if a specific God is real.

To illustrate the problem, and the danger, consider the issue from a Christian perspective.  There are many different versions of Christianity floating around, all of them claiming to follow the “God of the Bible”, and many of them completely and irreconcilably incompatible with each other.  There are the health-wealth-prosperity churches, and those that believe Christians should own nothing.  There are the Catholics and the Protestants.  There are those who believe in baptizing babies, and those who don’t.  There are Calvinists, and those who believe salvation is ours to accept or reject.

And we cannot all be correct.  What is more, God has no obligation to be any of these.  God is who He is, whether you like it or not.  In fact, in reality God is probably not quite what we want Him to be…

Customizing God

We, as humans, have this tendency to make up a God that is to our liking, and then convince ourselves that God really is like this.  We’ve been doing it since the dawn of time, and we are extremely good at fooling ourselves.  Christians, being human and all, are no exception to this rule.  I’ve seen many people making up a version of God that is truly amazing, but obviously unbiblical. 

To understand the danger of this, consider what would happen if you happen to be wrong about some important property of God that you take to be true.  As an example, consider the age-old debate related to Calvinism. Many Christians, including myself, have very strong opinions and emotions on this topic.  Personally I believe Calvinism to be very, very wrong, and the implications of Calvinism paints a picture of a God that I very much dislike. 

BUT, simply because I do not like the idea of a Calvinistic God, does NOT automatically make it false (or true).  God is who He is, whether I like it or not, and making up and believing in a God that is exactly to my liking is tantamount to idolatry.  If God in reality happened to be exactly the way John Calvin explained Him to be, then I could choose to accept Him or reject Him (uhm, you know what I mean…), but I cannot choose to change Him to something else. 

Now what?

Our purpose as humans are to seek God and get to know Him for who He truly is, not what we want Him to be.  In our search for God we must realize that we might not like what we find, and that we should have the humility to accept God as He is, not as we want Him to be. This may have major implications for our daily lives and how we make decisions.  The real God may not be quite so understanding of your porn addiction as you might have hoped, or maybe He really does think you are better off without that job you are so vehemently praying for.  He might really expect of you to submit to your husband, or maybe He actually does disapprove of your sexual preferences.

Whatever the case may be, if there really is a God, you are free to reject Him if you don’t like Him, but you cannot change Him to your liking.  Reality simply does not work that way.  God is who He is, whether you like it or not.

Disclaimer : This essay is written with a Christian audience in mind, and I am starting from the assumption that it has already been shown that there is indeed a God, and that He can be identified as the God of the Bible.  Neither of these are trivial assumptions, nor can or should it be taken as self-evident. I am quite happy to open a discussion with you should you wish to do so on this topic, but for the purpose of this essay, a lengthy discussion proving God to exist will muddle the point I am trying to make here.

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‘Versoening’, maar beter…

Afrikaans, Theology

Laas Sondagoggend het Dr Isak van der Walt met ons gepraat oor ‘n gedeelte uit 1 Joh, en hy het vir ons uitgewys dat daar ‘n woordjie in die gedeelte gebruik word wat nie heeltemal die gedagte oordra soos wat Johannes dit in gedagte gehad het nie.

En Hy is ’n versoening vir ons sondes, en nie alleen vir ons s’n nie, maar ook vir dié van die hele wêreld.  – 1 Joh 2:2

Die woordjie ‘versoening’ in 1 Joh 2:2 vertel van die gedagte dat Jesus die probleem wat tussen ons en God staan, uit die weg geruim het.  Maar die woord ‘versoening’ dra nie heeltemal die gewig van die gedagte so goed as wat dit moet nie.

In die oorspronklike Grieks word die woord ἱλασμός (hilamos) gebruik.  Sommige Englese vertalings gebruik die term ‘atoning sacrifice’, wat heelwat nader kom aan die oorspronklike woord se betekenis.  In Engels is daar ook die gedagte van ‘propitiation‘ wat ons nie regtig ‘n Afrikaanse eweknie voor het nie.  ‘Propitiation’ word as volg gedefinieer.

propitiation

Wat my opgeval het van hierdie woord wat Johannes gebruik, is dat dit ons so klein bietjie van ‘n idee gee van hoe groot die moeilikheid is waarin ons ons bevind het voor God.  Dit is so maklik vir ons om te vergeet dat daar ‘n God in die hemel is wat sonde haat, ‘n God wat regverdig is, en ‘n God wat gesê het dat “die loon van die sonde is die DOOD” (Rom 6:23). Ons verwys dikwels gesamentlik hierna as God se heiligheid, sonder om mooi na te dink oor die implikasies van ‘n heilige God.

Die realiteit van die saak is dat elkeen van ons skuldig is aan sonde (1 Joh 1:10), en hoe goed of sleg ons ook mag dink ons is, maak eintlik nie saak nie.  Die loon van die sonde is die dood, soos in Sodom en Gemora, die aarde wat Korag en sy gesin insluk, of om wreed en uitmekaargeslaan aan ‘n kruis vasgespyker word.  Dood, ‘n wrede dood.

Wat Jesus gedoen het, was om tussen ons en die Heilige God in te tree, en aan te bied om die verhouding te herstel deur self die uitstaande skuld te betaal.  DIT is wat ἱλασμός (hilamos) beteken.  Dit is soos die woord ‘versoening’, maar beter…

Terwyl ek nagedink het oor hierdie woord, het ek besef dat daar ‘n mooi voorbeeld van hierdie beginsel in die fliek ‘The Hunger Games’ voorkom.  In die fliek is daar “The Reaping” waar elkeen van die twaalf distrikte ‘n man en ‘n vrou moet kies om te gaan deelneem aan die “Hunger Games”, basies ‘n geveg tot die dood tot die vermaak van die mense.  Die hoofkarakter, Katniss Everdeen se sussie, Prim Everdeen, se naam word eers uit die hoed getrek as verteenwoordiger vir die distrik.  Wat Katniss dan doen is ‘n mooi voorbeeld wat hierdie woord ‘hilamos’ beteken.

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God is dead, now let’s go shopping!

Debates, Philosophy

The Demoralized Minshoppingd

“Our descent into the Age of Depression seems unstoppable. Three decades ago, the average age for the first onset of depression was 30. Today it is 14.”

So starts a recent thought provoking article by John Schumaker titled “The Demoralized Mind” (https://newint.org/columns/essays/2016/04/01/psycho-spiritual-crisis/)

He further explains that up to 62% of diagnosed depression cases are in fact misdiagnosed cases of demoralization.

Rather than a depressive disorder, demoralization is a type of existential disorder associated with the breakdown of a person’s ‘cognitive map’. It is an overarching psycho-spiritual crisis in which victims feel generally disoriented and unable to locate meaning, purpose or sources of need fulfilment. The world loses its credibility, and former beliefs and convictions dissolve into doubt, uncertainty and loss of direction. Frustration, anger and bitterness are usual accompaniments, as well as an underlying sense of being part of a lost cause or losing battle. The label ‘existential depression’ is not appropriate since, unlike most forms of depression, demoralization is a realistic response to the circumstances impinging on the person’s life.

It turns out that people are getting all the more disillusioned by the failings of our consumer-driven lives, realising that a life-style of “take-me-to-the-store” is empty of true meaning and significance.

Research shows that, in contrast to earlier times, most people today are unable to identify any sort of philosophy of life or set of guiding principles. Without an existential compass, the commercialized mind gravitates toward a ‘philosophy of futility’, as Noam Chomsky calls it, in which people feel naked of power and significance beyond their conditioned role as pliant consumers. Lacking substance and depth, and adrift from others and themselves, the thin and fragile consumer self is easily fragmented and dispirited.

How on earth did we manage to get ourselves into this existential mess, where “most people today are unable to identify any sort of philosophy of life or set of guiding principles”?  In my personal opinion (and here my view diverges from that of Dr Schumaker) the problem started many years ago, as Friedrich Nietzsche prophetically proclaimed:

“God is dead.  God remains dead.  And we have killed him…
…There has never been a greater deed; and whosoever shall be born after us – for the sake of this deed he shall be part of a higher history than all history hitherto.”
– Parable of the Madman

For the past 2000 years people have been living under the moral laws as taught by the Bible.  For 2000 years now it has been considered wrong to sleep with another man’s wife, pay for the service of a prostitute or open the centre-fold all the way.

But now we’ve killed Him.  No longer will we need the morals as taught by the Bible and churches, we shall be making our own morals laws now.  We shall decide for ourselves what is good and right, thank you very much.  So, with the blood of God on our hands, let’s take stock of what our “higher history” of the last 100 years have brought us.

A search for significance

Nietzsche’s words were prophetic in the sense that Atheism and Agnosticism have seen astronomical growth figures over the past 100 years.  In Europe alone, Atheism has grown from about 0 in 1900 to more than 100 000 000 people in 2000.  Many other western cultures have been slow to catch on, but in the Age of the Internet, Atheism is slowly building momentum in all corners of the world.

From what I can see, God’s death has left an emptiness in man’s soul that is truly hard to fill.  Previously man could find significance in having a relationship with the Living God, he could extract meaning from knowing that God has a purpose for having him around.  Consumerism has proven to be a poor substitute for God in bringing significance and meaning to our lives, but all is not yet lost, says Dr Schumaker.

According to anthropologist Raoul Naroll, a ‘moral net’ in the form of a cultural infrastructure is required to ensure the mental well-being of a community.  Schumaker explains.

To avoid this (a community’s mental illness), a society’s moral net must be able to meet the key psycho-social-spiritual needs of its members, including a sense of identity and belonging, co-operative activities that weave people into a community, and shared rituals and beliefs that offer a convincing existential orientation.

Co-operative activities, communities, shared rituals and beliefs that offer a convincing existential orientation…wait, what? Does that not sound very much like those pesky churches that we are trying so hard to get rid of?  Apparently we should build more churches, organise co-operative activities that weave people into communities with shared rituals and beliefs.  Churches, that is, but without God.

The Church, but without God

Sounds silly, doesn’t it?  Not so, says the people of Sunday Assembly (https://www.sundayassembly.com), a church for atheists that meet on Sundays to sing songs, listen to inspirational talks, and create community together.  These people are taking Naroll’s moral net very seriously.

Unfortunately, here too, there is a major problem brewing.  We should ask ourselves WHY consumerism failed to bring significance to our lives in the first place.  In my opinion, Consumerism failed because it is meaningless at its core, an attempt at generating significance from nothingness.  The Demoralised Mind, as Dr Schumaker calls it, is precisely that because people become disillusioned with the empty promises that are being dished up by the consumer culture.  It can give nothing, because it has nothing to give.

Will the Church-without-God not suffer from the same malady?  Is it not also an attempt to generate inherent meaning and significance from a world-view that is intrinsically empty and without inherent significance?  In a universe that created itself by random processes, void of plan or purpose, life is purely accidental and is by definition without meaning or significance.  In fact, Sunday Assembly openly acknowledges this fact in their charter.  The very first item on the list:

Sunday Assembly is 100% celebration of life. We are born from nothing and go to nothing. Let’s enjoy it together.

How then, does one extract meaning and significance from a world view that definitively states that life is meaningless, by definition?  While Sunday Assemblies may make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, eventually the novelty will wear off and the sceptic person will be forced to consider the roots for what they are, utter meaninglessness and void of any significance, bringing us full circle to the very same Demoralised Mind created by the Consumer Culture.

A God, it seems, is necessary after all

Unfortunately this problem is not unique to Atheism, and it would be grossly unfair to blame all the world’s problems on Atheists and Agnostics.  The problem of finding significance in this life will forever remain elusive as long as we try to find it from within ourselves.  At best we can only temporarily fool ourselves into believing that we can create our own meaning.  Without an external agent supplying the reason-for-being, any philosophical system or worldview must inevitably conclude that life is inherently meaningless, and that “All is to no purpose”, as the Preacher said in Ecclesiastes.  It is that hole of emptiness that we find in ourselves that no amount of gadgets or shoes or drugs or feel-happy songs can fill.

If we as a human race are to be cured of our demoralization, a God, it seems, is necessary after all.

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.
(Ecclesiastes 12:13 ESV)

Epilogue: Please note that I am vividly aware that that God is not automatically real, just because we WANT or even NEED a God, nor is it my intention in this essay to make a case for God’s existence.  The point that I hope to convey to the reader is that there is probably no question more important for each of us to answer than this: “Is God REAL”?  Without a very real answer to this question, we will forever be groping in the dark, and a life of significance will be beyond our reach.  Is this not a question worth investigating to its final conclusion?  The answer, either way, will be life changing.  We owe it to ourselves to look past all the emotional dust being kicked up by both sides of the debate and find the truth.

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Scientific Proof of God’s Love for His People

Creation, Fine-tuning, Science, Theology

The year was 1905.  This was to be a very special year for science, and in particular for a young Jewish patent clerk from Bern in Switzerland who went by the name of Albert Einstein.  This phenomenal young man published no less than four scientific papers in this year, one of which was on the topic of Special Relativity.  These four papers were instrumental in starting a golden era in physics.

But this theory, which is one of the most accurately and well tested scientific theories of all times, had some very special theological implications.  For you see, the nation of Israel was about face a new scientific discovery that would turn out to be a massive theological crisis, they were in serious danger of being abandoned by God…at least according to the science and theology of the day.

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The Scientific Accuracy of Genesis 1 – Does it even matter?

Creation, Philosophy, Science, Theology

There are few passages in the Bible that has caused more controversy and debate than that of Genesis 1.  Everyone seems to have an opinion on this passage, and even among Christians, these opinions are hotly debated, often in a very unchristian-like manner.

We should thus ask ourselves what all the fuss is about, and whether it really matters.  Does it really matter whether the creation story given in Genesis 1 is scientifically correct, or verifiable, or literal, or even true?

In this article I would like to reason that the scientific accuracy of Genesis 1 is of utmost importance, even though this was never intended to be the purpose of the passage.  I am not going to attempt to demonstrate its scientific accuracy, but only point out why I think it is important. » Read more

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‘n God wat werd is om te aanbid – My antwoord op Rian van Heerden (11 Mei 2016)

Afrikaans, Debates, Theology

Die tonge klap hierdie week oor Rian van Heerden se uitlating op die The Complimentary Breakfast Show.  Vir ingeval jy onder ‘n klip weggekruip het, hier is wat hy te sê gehad het.

“Any God, I do not care if he has eight arms or is a tree, I do not care who you worship, any God who judges people for how they were born or for who they were born, is not worth serving,”

Wat egter vir my meer interessant was, is hoe die Christene hierop gereageer het, en dit blyk vir my of ‘n video deur Johan Frederik Lee op Facebook min of meer die gevoel van meeste saamgevat het.  In antwoord daarop is daar weer Bybeltekste soos Luk 6:37 gekwoteer wat lui dat ons nie moet oordeel nie.

In al hierdie gesprekke is daar egter een ding wat nooit aangespreek word nie, en dit is die inhoud en meriete, of te kort daaraan, van Rian se stelling.  As ons as Jesus se dissipels regtig ernstig opgeneem wil word, sal ons moet ophou om persoonlik te raak in ons aanvalle op ander en LUISTER wat mense soos Rian te sê het.  Die realiteit is dat Rian se opmerking ‘n geldige uitdaging stel, en of jy nou daarmee saamstem of nie, kan ons die man ten minste genoeg respekteer om sy opmerking eerlik te bespreek sonder om hom as persoon te kruisig.

Dit is dus met hierdie in gedagte dat ek Rian se kommentaar as volg wou antwoord sou ek die kans gegun word.

 

 

Geagte Rian,

Ek hoop jy sal my briefie sien in die gesindheid waarin ek dit geskryf het.  Ek sou beslis nie die eerste klip kon gooi nie, want ek is ook maar net ‘n sondaar. My hoop sou wees dat ek en jy eendag kan saam sit en ‘n koffie drink en gesels oor ‘n God wat die moeite werd is om te aanbid.

‘n Vinnige Internet-search wys vir my daarop dat jy uit die NG-Kerk se geledere kom, en terwyl ek nie voorgee om jou te ken nie, wys dit vir my daarop dat jou uitspraak op ‘n meer spesifieke God gemik is as een met agt arms of wat dalk ‘n boom mag wees.  Ek wil dis van uit die standpunt uitgaan dat ek en jy oor dieselfde God praat, die een van wie ons lees in die Bybel.

Sou ons geheel en al niks anders weet van enige gegewe God nie, sou ek dalk moes saamstem met jou stelling, maar die realiteit is dat ons heelwat meer weet as net dat Hy nie homoseksualiteit goedkeur nie.  Ek dink ook egter dat ons regtig oneerlik met onsself sou wees as ons probeer voorgee dat tekste soos Lev 20:13 anders vertaal of weggeredeneer kon word.

Die realiteit, Rian, is dat ek en jy met ‘n baie soortgelyke probleem sit.  Soos jy gebore is as iemand wat ‘n natuurlike begeerte het na mans, het ek ‘n natuurlike begeerte na vroue.  Jesus het op ‘n geleentheid genoem dat God se standaard van so aard is, dat as ek selfs na ‘n ander vrou sou kyk om haar te begeer, ek reeds in my hart met haar egbreek gepleeg het.  Egbrekers, net ter interessantheid, verdien dieselfde straf as die man wat by ‘n ander man slaap volgens Lev 20.  Ek was nog nooit ontrou teenoor my vrou nie, maar enige man wat voorgee dat hy nog nooit in sy lewe ‘n ander vrou raakgesien het nie, sou ‘n blatante leuenaar wees.

So, hier staan ek en jy ewe skuldig voor dieselfde God en verdien dieselfde straf volgens Lev 20, dit is, ‘n doodstraf.  Jy skuldig aan vers 13, ek skuldig aan vers 10.

Sou dit regverdig wees vir God om ons twee te verdoem vir hoe ons gebore is?  Miskien, miskien nie.  Die vraag wat ons egter vir onsself vra gaan nie oor regverdigheid nie, maar of hierdie God wat hierdie wette laat neerskryf het, werd is om aanbid te word?

Wel, die storie stop nie hier in Levitikus nie.  Hierdie selfde God, wetende dat beide ek en jy geheel en al skuldig is aan die standaard wat Hy gestel het, los ons nie net aan ons eie lot oor om eendag voor Sy regterstoel te staan en veroordeel te word nie.  Hy kom self aarde toe, maak in duidelike terme seker dat ons verstaan wat Sy standaard is (sien Matt 5), en betaal dan die doodstraf wat ek en jy verdien.

Dit, my vriend, is ‘n God wat werd is om te aanbid.  ‘n God wat sonde sterk veroordeel en dan self die vonnis daarvoor betaal, hoe kan jy vir meer vra as dit?

Jy sien, ek en jy hóéf nie onder die God se oordeel te staan nie.  Die oordeel oor ons twee is reeds gevel, ons is skuldig bevind, en hierdie God bied vir ons twee die geleentheid aan om die vonnis vir ons sonde vry te spring juis omdat Hy reeds daarvoor betaal het.  Maar dit bly ons keuse op die ou end.  Hy sê dat, as ons ons sonde bely (soos om skuldig te pleit in die hof), Hy getrou sal wees om ons die sonde te vergewe en ons van alle ongeregtigheid te reinig soos Hy sê in 1 Joh 1:9.

Hier is egter nou ons twee se potensiële probleem.  Ek kan mos nie voorgee om my egbreek te bely het as ek aanhou om al die mooi tienermeisies te bekyk wanneer my vrou anderkant toe kyk nie?  Solank as wat ek gaan aanhou om my sonde voor God te probeer regverdig deur vol te hou dat Hy my so gemaak het, sou my belydenis mos vals wees.  Geen hof in ons land sal dit duld dat ek skuldig pleit en dan verder probeer voorhou dat ek niks verkeerd gedoen het nie.  Ons sou ons verwaand wees om dieselfde te probeer doen teenoor God en dan verwag dat Hy my moet vryspreek van iets waaraan ek voorgee om nie skuldig aan te wees nie.

Óf jy is skuldig aan Sy wette, pleit skuldig en aanvaar die vryspraak waarvoor Hy Sy lewe gegee het, óf jy hou vol dat jy niks verkeerd gedoen het nie en kyk wat gebeur.  Ek glo egter jy het al genoeg flieks gekyk het om te weet hoe dit vir die bad guys uitwerk wanneer hulle ‘n goeie ondersoekspan in die hof aanvat…

Om af te sluit, toe God voor die grondlegging van die aarde na jou gekyk het, kyk Hy nie vas in jou sonde nie.  Hy kyk na jou, dink aan wat dit Hom sou kos om dit reg te kry dat Hy jou nie HOEF te oordeel nie, en sê dan: “You’re worth it“.  Mag jy na Hom kyk en sien dat Hy geen begeerte het om jou te oordeel nie en dat jy bereid sal wees om skuldig te pleit en eendag te besef dat: “He’s worth it“.  Want Hy is…

Groete,

Johan Fuhri.

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A slightly scientific look at Calvinism vs. Arminianism

Debates, Philosophy, Theology

If you are looking for a theological debate that stretches across many generations, look no further than the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate.  Ever since the 1600s, and probably even before that, theologians have been grappling with this problem of predestination vs. free will and the debate still rages on today.

For those who would like to catch up on the debate, just do a Google Search.  Here is a link to a quick comparison between the two points-of-view for those who are lazy or don’t know how to use Google.

http://www.graceonlinelibrary.org/reformed-theology/arminianism/calvinism-vs-arminianism-comparison-chart/

Now it is important to realise that many people may subscribe to one of these two points of view with minor squabbles on some of the details.  For example, many Calvinists would point out that they do in fact believe that Jesus died for everyone, and not only the elect.

Whatever the case may be, this article will not attempt to prove or disprove either of these points of view from a Biblical perspective, there are hundreds of other websites where you can go find strong biblical evidence for both views.  This one is about science!

Well ok, maybe we will mix in a little philosophy as well.

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