Dogma going to the Dogs

Hi everybody,


I just finished the movie Dogma about an hour ago (I would have written this sooner but I took a detour to OMGpop).  Anyway, this may not sound like much, but this is surprisingly huge for me cause when I first saw my roommate watching this our Freshman year (I'm a Senior now) I was appalled by it with their certain imagery and radical ideas.  Fortunately, I can hopefully say that I've grown a bit since the so I finally sat down to watch.  The main reason why being is that over the years I've been less and less fond of the CRC.


Let's just say that's it's been a while that I've seen a movie that I enjoyed that much and it instantly made it onto my "Want to Own" list.  And yes I do have such a list, it's a spreadsheet that I made on Numbers (That's the Mac equivalent of Exel)  It's a very original movie and it does point out a lot of the issues with today's church.  One of my favorite lines out of that movie was when Serendipity says, "I have issues with anyone who treats God as a burden instead of a blessing. You people don't celebrate your faith; you mourn it."  This line reminds me a lot to the attitude that drove Luther to wanting to reform the church and, in turn, launched the reformation (Hence the name).


With all these beliefs and doctrine flying around has left the church broken and divided, and many wondering whether they were saved or not.  Growing up, one of the things that just drove me to insanity was the doctrine of predestination.  This combined with the church insisting on how so many Christians today are faking the religion, that they say their Christians, but in reality their going to hell.  Because their ACTIONS didn't express what they believed.  Well, I'd hate to say it but that sounds a lot like grace through actions to me, one of the leading arguments against Catholicism.  But if we want to widen this net even more, a belief is something that you do, what you CHOOSE to believe in.  So isn't this, in itself, is again grace through acts?


I'm currently taking History of Calvinism this semester and I think my professor is just brilliant.  Not only is he british born and Australian raised, so everything he says comes in a classy package, but he's totally about the power of grace.  He even went as far to say that he believes that it's also possible for Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and even people who have never heard the name of Christ can go to heaven.  This is something that I've tried to believe for so long, but until recently I've always been told that you have to have all the correct beliefs to be saved.  But that's really underestimating the power of God.  Only he understands what's on peoples hearts so only he knows those who will be able to be saved.  No matter who they are.


I guess that's why I get so frustrated with the CRC or other churches of the Calvinist branch.  Everything we believe in has to make logical sense and can be defined to a "t".  But God and his word are so much more than that.  Of course God is logical, but how can we as fallen creatures even begin to understand his logic.  Why do we always have to try and put him and all that he does in a box?  Is is out of fear that when we are questioned we won't know what to say?  Who cares!  The whole of Christianity isn't going to collapse if some random person caught you with your pants down.  (Pardon my out of no where expression)  God will keep it running.  He won't let his kingdom fail, and when it's really important, he won't let you fail either.

Christians getting in the way of Christ

This isn't really what I expected for my first post, but this has been bugging me for a while.  As none of you know yet, I'm currently living in Sioux Center, IA, a small very dutch, very CRC (Christian Reformed Church) community in North West Iowa.  So far it's been fine, I keep to myself and they leave me alone.  I real quick want to stop myself before I go any further.  I want to say that I too am both Dutch and CRC, but not nearly to the extent that people out here are, anyway.

I've recently moved in with my aunt and uncle for the summer so I can stay here to work, and this past Sunday over dinner, we got into a bit of a discussion as to why I don't attend my college's weekly chapel.  I tried to say that chapels are just not my thing, but the conversation pole-vaulted from there to the worst.

But I'm not writing the blog to complain about my family problems.  My point is that since then I've been thinking about how superficial Christianity has become to some people.  It's a common enough phrase:  "In the world and not of if".  Because of the saying a lot of Christians today recoil into their own little sanctuaries, and I think Sioux Center is a prime example of this, where they only listen to their Christian music, watch their Christian programs, read their Christian books, etc.  It's another saying that we often need to just shut things out, be still, and try and listen of God speak.  A lot of people think that just refers to more "secular things", but I don't know about you, but I'd have a really had time trying to listen to God with all that apparently "good Christian media" around all the time.  It seems to me that sometimes Christians are so busy being Christians that they ignore Christ.

Personally I feel closer to God, the less time I spend among his people.  We just get along a lot better that way.  Now, I understand the need for fellowship, but like everything else, it can't be going 24/7.  What I've noticed if that if all your time is spent on being "Christian", what are you really accomplishing?  You completely cut yourself off from the rest of the world and make it almost impossible for you to relate to anyone else.

It also comes to the point that the basis of the Christian faith is just not good enough any more.  They don't have to worry about defending that to other people, because everyone else agrees with them.  So instead they just sit around and nit-pick and the most pointless topics, like women in the church, gay rights, working on Sundays, infant vs. adult baptism.  ALL OF THAT IS UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND HOW THEY INTERPRET SCRIPTURE!!!  THERE IS NO TRUE 100% ANSWER PEOPLE!!!  That's why the whole denomination battle drives me nuts.  Faith and religion are different things.  Faith is the core truths and what you believe, religion is how you practice those truths are a person created in the image of God.  I'm going to stop now, before I get started up again.  Congratulations if you made it this far into my rant!

Also don't worry.  This kind of thing is going to be a rare deal.  I'm planning for my next blog, I'm going to do a film analysis and finally be able to say what Star Wars films are my favorites.  Till then, cya!