James K. A. Smith writes a letter to a “young Calvinist” named Jess and touches upon a real issue:
“That’s a common enough temptation, Jess. I understand it. I’ve been there. But step back and think about what you’re saying: it’s as if you’re saying you’re “too Reformed” for any church! How un-Reformed is that?! It seems to me that the Reformed tradition makes us all the more aware of our own personal faults and shortcomings – the myriad ways we fall short of God’s holiness – as well as our utter dependence on the unmerited grace of God. How odd would it be to conclude, then, in the name of being “Reformed,” that no church is “good enough” for us? In the name of Calvinism, you end up spurning the gritty particularity of what John Calvin cared about the most: the church – and not the church as some abstract, ethereal, pure ideal, but the church in Geneva, the congregations he knew and loved.” – Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition
Ha ha! Yeah, if you are so Calvinistic that you have become too Reformed for every church that exists, you need to… *drum roll*… slap yourself.
Luke is a pastor-theologian living in northern California, serving as a co-lead pastor with his life, Dawn, at the Red Bluff Vineyard. Father of five amazing kids, when Luke isn’t hanging with his family, reading or writing theology, he moonlights as a fly fishing guide for Confluence Outfitters. He blogs regularly at LukeGeraty.com and regularly contributes to his YouTube channel.
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