What then? Is there any good to
studying Calvinism and Armenianism? Of
course. If we are to say that both are
true, then the more we know of them, the more we know of the Truth they point
to and describe parts of. What we ought
to stop doing is supposing that one is right and the other is wrong. There is far too much merit to them both.
I would not even say
that people should stop being Calvinists and Armenianists and start being
Paradoxicalists in terms of what they identify as. Paradoxicalism has shed a new light on what
it means to be a Calvinist and what it means to be an Armenianist. Before, if you were a Calvinist, it usually
meant that you thought Calvinism was the right way to think about God, and that
all other ways were either dead wrong or not quite as right. The same went for Armenianism. But now, since we see that Paradoxicalism is
true, it is not quite like that. To be a
Calvinist is now to express a preference – you identify with the side of God
that is in control and that can work everything out for a reason. You interact with God through this lens. When you pray, you are aligning yourself to
his immovable will. When something bad
happens, you know that God will be able to make something good out of it. The same goes for Armenianism – you identify
with the side of God that has given you the freedom and opportunity to reciprocate
his love for you. When you pray, you
honestly plead your case to him. When
something bad happens, you know that God genuinely grieves with you.
It is far different,
in light of Paradoxicalism, to say, “I’m a Calvinist,” or, “I’m an Armenianist”. To say, “I’m a Calvinist” simply means that
you admire the Calvinist parts of God’s character, the way that you admire
certain traits in your friend more than others.
To say, “I’m an Armenianist” means that you admire the Armenianist parts
of God’s character. But of course, in
your admiration for one characteristic, you cannot simply deny the existence of
the other characteristics. They are
still there and just as much a part of God as the other characteristics.
Thus Calvinism and
Armenianism are useful for one to find their preference, and get some clarity
as to how they relate to God.
Paradoxicalism is useful in keeping the two respectful and knowledgeable
of the fact that there are many genuine ways to relate to God, the way that
there are many genuine ways to relate to a friend. It also reminds us of the ultimate depth and
inscrutability of God’s character.
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