The Voice Of One Crying Out In Suburbia

Using tragedy to score theological points

In one of the most misguided attacks on Calvinism I have ever read, Dr. Roger Olson, professor of theology at Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary, creates such a caricature of Calvinism that it becomes unrecognizable to it's adherents. In doing so, he exposes his own Arminianism that has led to what can only be described as an "open-theism" view that is misguided at best and heretical at worst. Speaking about Calvinism and John Piper in particular regarding the collapse of the bridge in Minneapolis and the accompanying deaths.

This theology is sweeping up thousands of impressionable young Christians. It provides a seemingly simple answer to the problem of evil. Even what we call evil is planned and rendered certain by God because it is necessary for a greater good.

But wait. What about God's character? Is God, then, the author of evil? Most Calvinists don't want to say it. But logic seems to demand it. If God plans something and renders it certain, how is he not culpable for it? Here is where things get murky.

Some Calvinists will say he's not guilty because he has a good intention for the event -- to bring good out of it, but the Bible expressly forbids doing evil for the sake of good.

Many conservative Christians wince at the idea that God is limited. But what if God limits himself so that much of what happens in the world is due to human finitude and fallenness? What if God is in charge but not in control? What if God wishes that things could be otherwise and someday will make all things perfect?

That seems more like the God of the Bible than the all-determining deity of Calvinism.

I love the line: "This theology is sweeping up thousands of impressionable young Christians. " Poor, impressionable young Christians, being encouraged to place God in His rightful place as Lord of Creation. How tragic that our young people are developing a high opinion of God and reading His Word for what it says!

How in the world is it more comforting to think of God this way? At least if you see God as sovereign, you can rest assured that despite not always understanding everything, you know that God is ultimately in control. In Dr. Olson's world, God is a victim of His own creation, unable or worse, unwilling to exert control over it in fear that in doing so He would somehow impact or diminish man's vaunted "free-will". God has so limited Himself that He is helpless to intervene in the affairs of the world He created for His pleasure or the lives of His creatures made in the express image of Himself. It is Dr. Olson, not John Piper, that has created a idolatrous god of his own imagination that stands directly opposed to the God of the Bible.

Dr. Olson further states:

In this world, because of our ignorance and sinfulness, really bad things sometimes happen and people do really evil and wicked things. Not because God secretly plans and prods them, but because God has said to fallen, sinful people, "OK, not my will then, but thine be done -- for now."

And God says, "Pray because sometimes I can intervene to stop innocent suffering when people pray; that's one of my self-limitations. I don't want to do it all myself; I want your involvement and partnership in making this a better world."

Funny, but I don't recall reading anything like that in the Bible. Oh that's right, that is because the Bible says no such thing! When God "says" something, it appears in His Word. How dare Dr. Olson presume to put his own thoughts out there as God's Word!

No shocker here, a number of Reformed folks have made excellent, well-reasoned responses to these scurrilous charges by Dr. Olson, see Tim Ascol's here and Steve Hays here. What is a shame is that we have to waste time responding to such inane charges, capped off by this statement that exhibits Dr. Olson's utter misunderstanding of Reformed doctrines: The God of Calvinism scares me; I'm not sure how to distinguish him from the devil. I am sure Dr. Olson cannot distinguish Him because he worship a god of his own sinners imagination. Think again of the implication of that statement, as pointed out by the good folks at Monergism.com. Dr. Olson states that he believes that Calvinists worship a being indistinguishable from the devil. We certainly can and should disagree heartily with one another, but that crosses a serious line of discourse that shows how intellectually shallow Dr. Olson is, which should be a source of extreme embarrassment for Baylor Univerisity.