Sovereignty and Freedom in Minnesota
I know this is well after the fact, but, as most people might remember from the news, this past August there was a tragic bridge collapse in Minneapolis, in which several people died.
Minneapolis is also the home of two well known pastor/theologians, Greg Boyd and John Piper. Each had a very different interpretation of the tragedy, and just today I came across their own blog posts about it.
Piper posted first and Boyd responded. Here's the link to Boyd's response, in which he also gives a link to Piper's original post: http://gregboyd.blogspot.com/2007/08/why-35w-bridge-collapsed.html
I don't know if I would agree with everything Boyd has to say on every issue (though I thought his book Letters from a Skeptic was excellent!), I think he's right on target here.
Any thoughts?
posted by Mike Mitchell at 1:49 PM
2 Comments:
Chris Dombrowski writes:
Eh. Though I certainly preferred Gregory Boyd's sermon (what John Piper taught his daughter seems like vicious and perverse brain washing to me), I don't at all understand the business of "sinners deserving death". If God never actually does desire the death of a sinner, as Ezekiel 33 makes quite clear, then what is the significance of affirming the former point? Furthermore, where is this belief even derived from? Is it based on the assumption that the proclamation of the curse of death upon humanity found in the beginning of Genesis was based on the will of God, rather than a simple revelation to humanity? If we are going to question God's association with the murder of the Galileans, then why do we refuse to do the same thing with the curse of death in general? Well...
Blessings of the Holy Trinity be upon you,
Christopher
Chris,
I'm not sure I follow your point about not understanding the idea that "sinners deserve death." Sin is evil, therefore justice demands it be punished. Death is the appropriate punishment for sin. We are sinners and therefore deserve death. It does not follow from this--and I think you and I are in total agreement on this point--that God wants us to die or that he created us to sin, as the extreme Calvinists believe.
And though, as I think Boyd makes clear, John Piper does teach some very irrational things when it comes to God's Sovereignty and people's freedom, I think he is too devoted a Christian to be vicious and perverse, even if some of his teachings might come across that way. As fervently as I disagree with him on many points, I am sure he is a man who loves God.
Mike
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