Blogotional

Rom 12:9b - Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Historians may regard it as a curious thing that the left and the press have been so determined to fit current events into templates based on events that occurred 30 to 40 years ago.

While you are considering that piece, be sure and check out the comments from Dadmanly and especially this from Captain Ed.

"Template" is the key word there. Past experience, whether personal or historical creates templates into which we try to fit things, and often they don't fit. History may repeat itself, but not in the detail and emotion that so many try to force it to.

Speaking of history, I was reading some the other day and it dawned on me that it is quite possible to review the entire history of my denomination, rooted as it is in the Church of Scotland, and never encounter TULIP, or The Institutes.

We tend to think of the Reformation in theological terms, but it was much, much larger than that. It was, of course, eccelesiastical, but from a historical standpoint, it was geo-political. Wars and civil wars were fought, maps were redrawn, potentates dethroned, and in England even the body of democracy unseated.

I wonder, when we claim to be "reformed and always reforming", if we cling a bit too much to the historical template of the reformation instead of just the theological ideas that have become so important. Think about it, were wars really fought over theological ideas? I don't think so. Wars were, and are, fought over political power. Wars, to some extent, are about tribes.

Tribes may be defined by ideas, or race, or any lots of other things. But tribes do not war over what defines them, they war over which tribe is in control. In the the case of tribes defined by ideas, they war is over, not the idea itself, but the ability to press the idea onto those not in the tribe, not sharing the idea. Such is human nature, perhaps a sign of insecurity, such is certainly the nature of sin.

Have you ever thought about the fact that in the grand scheme of things, God spread the good news beyond the Jews and to the gentiles not through politics, but through the power of the ideas and His grace. Why didn't Paul raise an army? I think because the truth is so powerful, far more powerful than any army.

It should be painfully obvious that in the Godblogosphere we have tribes. Because this is an idea place, those tribes are defined by ideas. But that is all we have here, ideas - there is no political power to be won, so why do we have wars? - And we do have wars! I think it is more than just insecurity.

I think it is because we impose on the ideas, and hence the tribes, some of the historical templates of the Reformation and other periods of history. Why, for example, in certain corners of this virtual world is it not sufficient to merely discuss reasonably the errors in Roman Catholic thought? Why must we resort to declarations of satanic status - to dismissal and minimization? Likely because the template tells us that we are in a geo-political struggle with the Catholic Church, something that was really left behind several centuries ago.

But insecurity does play a role because most telling about this approach is that it shows we have no faith in the ideas that define our tribe. If we truly believe that our ideas are truth, should we not be able to rely on that truth to carry the day? Why then must we resort to the perjorative, the accusative. the dismissive?

We should be better than this. We are supposed to be the brightest of the bunch, instead I am struck by how often we are just the tribal juvenile.

I must admit, sometimes I get pretty worked up about this particular issue. In a place that is supposed to be about intellect, and that routinely bashes the left for its small-mindedness, I become a bit incensed when I find similar small-mindedness on my side of the aisle. It's not an excuse, but it's because I believe so much in our side, it pains me deeply to see us shooting ourselves in the foot, and being guilty of the same sin we so often deride.

I ask only that we remember this is an idea place, there are no politics over which to war. Take off the template of history and cling only to that which was good from it. See this place for what it really is. We can accomplish great things, but only if we do so together, and only if we cling to the good, and only the good.

Related Tags: templates, history, tribes, Reformation, war, politics, ideas

# posted by John Schroeder @ 6/19/2006 06:00:00 AM