Apologetics is, by and large, the most interesting branch of the faith that my fellow Christians and I share and love. At least it is to me.  I realize not everyone is blessed with the same set of likes and dislikes.  God has blessed me with a very logical mind and a burden to serve and to reach other logical minds. I believe that means apologetics is my calling, and I know that my loving wife Jody supports me in this endeavor.

Jody wants for this to be our ministry, not my ministry. I want that, too. But apologetics requires a strong stomach, as the apologist tends to encounter some of the worst heresies, doctrinal dishonesties, and even direct attacks against God. Jody doesn’t stand up to that stuff very well, sometimes.  I pray for Jody, that she will be able to stand up in faith against those things and not let them bother her. I value her input, and I honestly want her opinion on the things I blog on.

But I need prayer as well. While I laugh at sightings of the Virgin Mary in gold, choclate, fence posts, hospital windows, church walls, freeway structures, and fire-damaged walls; dotrinal dishonesties, such as prosperity theology, Kingdom Now theology, and many parts of Catholicism itself simply amaze me–how can people with access to the Bible not notice these things contradict the clear teaching of Scripture?

Every once in a while, however, I encounter something in my studies that outright disturbs me. Something that I have to step back, take a deep breath, and look at again because I’m not sure that I saw it correctly. I wonder, “How can people not use the common sense God gave them to see that this is wrong?” One recent example is a very popular video at YouTube entitled “The Halloween Mass.” It depicts a Catholic Mass from California where parishoners were encouraged to wear Halloween costumes. You know, for the kids.

The result, as seen in the video, is a homily that makes light of demons, a witch singing the responsorial psalm, a woman in a devil costume handing out Communion, among other things. Watch for yourself, but remember that it may disturb you:

Click here to watch. WordPress doesn’t let me embed the object directly into the page the way I can at Xanga. Oh well.

You may not have been as disturbed as I was, as some readers may be lacking in a full understanding of what the Catholic Mass symbolizes. Count yourselves lucky.  You don’t have to be Catholic (or former Catholic) to be affected by this video, but if you have some appreciation of the faith you will be just a little bit more bothered by it. This video attracted the attention of some knowledgeable folks: Jimmy Akin posted a response here; and Roman Catholic Blog analyzed Fr. Fred’s apology letter here.

It bothers me how lightly some people take God. Hasn’t anyone fully appreciated what the message of Hebrews conveys? We are in the presense of the Creator of the Universe!!! He wants our attention, our prayers, our devotion. And He wants us to come to Him on our level, not His! He wants a real relationship with us, not for us to follow a hollow set of inconvienant rules. Doesn’t that amaze anyone else? Apparently, it doesn’t amaze, astound, or even impact any of the people in that video. Church is just another appointment in their busy schedules, not a special time to relate to God. How sad is that?

This image is very amusing to me. Regular readers should know that I follow James White, a Reformed Christian apologist and director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, on a regular basis. He had a scheduled debate with Ergun Caner, President of Liberty Theological Seminary, regarding the validity of Calvinism (specifically, weather Limited Atonement is Biblical). It was cancelled at the last minute, and neither side seems to be able to agree on who cancelled the debate and why.

That isn’t what I’m here to discuss.

What I am here to say is that I am finally feeling the irresistable leading of the Lord to discern the truth behind the passage that was the subject of this now defunct debate: Romans 9. The portion that fueled this debate reads thus:

What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory—even us, whom he also called, not only from the Jews but also from the Gentiles? (Rom 9:22-24)

The Calvinists say this teaches predestination. The opposition, according to White, largely ignores this text, or uses a “divide and conquer” scheme for all of Romans 9. Both methods remove, ignore, or otherwise downplay God’s sovereignty in regard to salvation.

I have described myself as 4-point Calvinist, since I don’t believe that the Bible teaches a limited atonement. I do not hold to predestination, either. Nor do I believe that we are following a script God wrote before the foundation of the world; that even as I type these words, I am only echoing what He desired that I type at this moment many millenia ago.

But, if Calvinism is what God intended the Bible to teach and the way the world works, then I want to know that, too. I may not like it, but I desire what any Christian should: that God be glorified in all things. If this is how He is best glorified, then that is how it will be.

Over the next week or two, I will study Romans 9 in detail, and I will blog on my discoveries. Weather this leads to an acceptance of Calvinism or a rejection of it, that is my decision alone and I pray that God will be glorified by it.

Comments, suggestions, or links to study aids from both sides are encouraged. I am trying to approach this study as neutrally as possible. Admittedly, however, I am hoping that I will discover enough evidence to overturn predestination. The clear evidence from Scripture, however, is what will ultimately turn me from one side to the other, or keep me firmly rooted in the non-Calvinist camp.

I’m kind of excited about this, as I have been putting it off for a while. I will get started tomorrow; as I am very tired tonight.