This letter is to the Arminian God that I grew up knowing. I understand this is not a critique of all “versions” of Arminianism. In fact, this letter could really be to the Pelagianist God but I don’t feel like quibbling about it. Again, this is to the Arminian God I grew up with.
Dear Arminian God,
I know it has been a while since we’ve spoken but I thought I would write you after all these years. If you haven’t yet heard, I wrote to another member of the Divine council last week. You can read my letter to the god of dispensationalism here. From what I have gathered though, that letter did not go over well so I am certain you have caught word of it. Given our history, please hold off on drawing too strong of conclusions about me until you read this letter. Thanks.
First, I must show appreciation for the fact that you are not like the God of Calvinism (Don’t worry; he’ll be receiving a letter very soon). The universe you set up is scary enough, but at minimum, thank you for not predetermining some of your children to be tortured forever while a small portion join the everlasting party in the sky.
That being said—please let me be frank . . .
Why did you even create such a place of calamity and sorrow? Doesn’t the “Bible clearly state” that you are light and in you there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5)? I mean, that is a pretty strong statement so why in the hell (pardon the pun) did you create a place of objective darkness? I know the answer to that is “sin” but really, the creation of everlasting darkness is your answer to those who choose to “remain in their sin”? And if hell isn’t a place of torment but a state of mind, separated from your presence, can you please explain the metaphysics of that because I thought you were omnipresent. As I understand things, either you are present in hell or simply a demiurge.
Regardless, I want to focus the majority of this letter on what we call “free will,” as soteriology seems to hinge on it. I know countless philosophers have debated this concept, drawing conclusions that fall all over the map—libertarian free will, compatibilism, determinism, etc. You know that my philosophical chops are average at best so I won’t be critiquing these stances like those with PhDs do. However, I am having a really difficult time understanding how we have this supposed perfectly free choice vis-à-vis your Son Jesus. And really, do we really want a libertarian choice regarding this? It seems we may accidently pick something really contrary to what would be best for us should our will be that free!
But anyway, let me offer two scenarios to explain where I am going with this.
Scenario 1: Person A grows up in a loving, Christ-following home. Her parents both follow Jesus and model the same love displayed by our Lord. When the “age of accountability” comes, she freely chooses to follow Jesus due to his overwhelming ability to transform lives for the better. Her parents—the body of Christ—have both been good and faithful servants and all is well.
Scenario 2: Person B grows up in a broken home. Around age 3, her father begins to rape her fairly regularly. Before each assault, he makes sure to pray the “Lord’s prayer” so that in his mind, he remains pure and righteous. Perhaps he even justifies his actions with something like Deuteronomy 22:28 – 29, which “clearly” endorses the forced marriage of a rape victim. When she reaches her “age of accountability,” she rejects Jesus.
Now, doctrinally speaking, because person A chose Jesus, she obtains her eternal reward. Because person B rejected Jesus, she obtains her eternal punishment. However, how can we label both of their choices as “free”? It seems absurd to me (and probably most psychologists) to say person B had any semblance of “free will.” Yet, many contend our will is free and that our salvation hinges on such freedom. I can’t seem to square any of this.
This all brings me to two passages from arguably our greatest saint, the Apostle Paul. On two occasions, namely Romans 14:11 and Philippians 2:10, Paul contends that “every knee will bow” at the name of your Son. In Romans 14:11, he even states that “every tongue shall give praise (exomologeó)” to him. Now, will this be a free choice or a coerced one? Since you place such emphasis on our free will, will the praise that we all give in the end be due to being made in your image and finally seeing you as you are, or will you be forcing our tongues just so you can finally get your admission? The former seems to line up with the Spirit of Christ while the latter reminds me of the many tyrant dictators we have seen throughout our history.
Which is it?
I ask these things only so I can have assurance that you have your creation’s best interest in mind. I know broadly speaking that we as humans rarely have you in mind. However, even in spite of that, Jesus was forgiving until the end and he said he only did what he saw you doing. So what gives? When Jesus states: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you ( . . . ) If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:21 – 23) So, if Jesus has forgiven our sins, is it not because that is what you have done? What sins are retained for eternal separation to ensue? I know we do plenty of sinning still today, but again I ask: What sins are retained exactly and who is responsible for such retention? It seems as though only your followers would be responsible based on this passage. So please, don’t blame others—blame us!
I am sorry that we no longer see eye to eye. I just feel as if choosing my eternal destiny is something that I am not prepared to do. I have to trust that salvation is by grace and grace alone. Even belief is a work and I can’t think that any amount of works leads one to salvation. I hope that you understand where I am coming from. I hope that you can have mercy on us when we all finally praise your Son and bow our knees to him. When his murderers spat in his face and ran him through with their swords, he forgave. I hope he has influence on how you react to humanity’s eventual universal acknowledgment that he is king.
Thanks for listening.
Matthew J. Distefano
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