We Are Not Our Own: A Reflection on John Calvin’s 500th Birthday
John Calvin
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear – John Calvin??”
Wow…you didn’t see that one coming, did you? Why would I be singing the birthday praises of John Calvin? 2009 marks the 500th anniversary of his birth (July 10, to be precise), though you wouldn’t necessarily know it, and I wouldn’t blame you. Unless you troll the multitude of conservative Calvinist blogs on the internet, belong to a conservative Presbyterian or Reformed church (like I used to), or live in Grand Rapids, you probably have not heard anything about the event that’s been the source of celebrations at places as disparate as Princeton Theological Seminary and Calvin College.
I’m no longer a Calvinist, and I don’t trace my theology from the Genevan wing of the Reformation. Though Calvin was trying to chart a via media between the humanism of Ulrich Zwingli and the cautioned traditionalism of Martin Luther, I believe that much of liberal theology can be rooted in his theology and what developed out of it. Therefore, I don’t feel the need to do a Scottish jig in sheer ecstasy, as perhaps my Presbyterian elder ancestors would. However, there is something that, I feel, merits the attention of all Protestants, even all Christians – and especially all conservatives.
Perhaps Calvin’s most famous (and infamous) belief was that of the doctrine of double predestination – that God not only chooses the “elect” for salvation but also designates certain “reprobate” souls for eternal damnation. For Calvin, this was a logical extension from the core doctrine of the sovereignty of God. God, he claimed, is the king and creator of all creation – the “sovereign.” As such, our lives are not our own. Calvin believed that we, in of ourselves, cannot do anything positive for our salvation. God must take the step for us. Man, fundamentally, is fallen.
That teaching is the ultimate foundation of Christianity, as well as conservatism. Liberalism is more or less established on the premise that man is able of achieving some level of perfection – that he is my nature good – and thus radical change is permissible and can lead to good. The rhetoric of President Obama’s 2008 campaign exemplifies this, in which “change” was trumpeted as the yellow brick road that leads to ultimate political salvation.
Calvin and orthodox Christianity in all of its forms reject this presumption – if man is good, why Christ? Why would Christ need to die for our sins if we can achieve salvation based on our good work done in combination with our naturally good will? He wouldn’t. However, Christ did die to redeem our debt with God, and so our lives do not belong to us. Without Him, we can do nothing good. Human beings are dependent upon God. We are not our own.
For recognizing this truth, John Calvin deserves recognition by all conservatives and all Christians. This is especially true for Wabash College, a community built by Presbyterian ministers whose faith was built on the theological foundations set by the Reformer of Geneva. This year, especially as the new academic year commences, maybe it would be best if the Wabash community reflected on our Calvinist heritage, as well as on our fallen nature. Perhaps that would help avoid any more tragedies like the ones that have blotted our college’s recent past. Remembering, as Calvin did, that we are not our own might lead to better decisions, and thereby help preserve the Gentleman’s Rule.
We are not our own.
Happy Birthday, John Calvin.
Related posts:
I think I’d give as much (if not more) credit for recognizing the depravity of man to Augustine.
Also, I think suggesting that the present/future eschatology debate has direct political implications is dead on and, in the end, makes some political debates useless because people are often debating first principles.
Adam writing a blog on religion. Shocker! However, I must say that I was taken back at how relevant it really was. (Or is, rather.) As always a good read. Happy Belated 500th, Calvin!
If man is depraved so are the interpreters of His Law. Predestination and Calvinism has been the excuse of leaders to ignore their subjects. “The poor will always be with us.” Hence the desires and rights of the poor can be ignored except when we wish for their support like during wartime. Calvinism led to the Czars and the French aristocracy being wiped out. The “poor who are always with us” decided the Bourbons and the Romanovs were not ruling in their best interest. When the French and Russian aristocracy begged to differ by force they were eliminated from society. This is what the reactionaries and Calvinists on Wall Street and in Rome have to worry about. The French and Russian revolutions were chaotic and led to despotism but the tyranny they led to was no different than the tyranny they abolished. In America we are lucky to have a democracy to repudiate failed dogmas like free market absolutism (the Great Depression cured us of that) and racial intolerance (the Civil Rights movement cured us of that). These evils were ended due to the work of Lefties and Liberals and there is a lot more work to do considering the State of our Nation (our nation, not the wealthy or the Christian). Considering the religious intolerance, male chauvinism and the defense of Oligarchy by the Conservative movement I doubt we can expect much help from them when it comes to human progress.