I believe in predestination.  It occurs.  God predestines.  Scripture says it.  Nowhere does it say that God predestines someone to believe in Jesus Christ.

British Podcast

Several podcasts today feature various evangelical apologists, who deal with evangelism in certain situations, what to say and how to say it.  I was listening to one fed me by youtube, while doing some manual labor yesterday, and it featured a British apologist, who interviewed an atheist lady.  She goes to church and says that she is a sociological Christian.

The woman whom the apologist interviewed was apparently a well-known feminist in the UK.  She is Louise Perry, of whom I’d never heard until the interview.  Something is happening in England at least sociologically related to Christianity.  Even Richard Dawkins will call himself a “cultural Christian,” as many now will, and he’s still an atheist.   This all reminds me of Agrippa though, almost persuaded to be a Christian (Acts 26:28), and yet not a Christian, ala Jordan Peterson.

Struggling to Believe

Perry testifies that she wants to believe and does believe in a Christian lifestyle, but she struggles to believe, not quite believing, the supernatural part.  She said the following points.  Someone told her that if she went to church with genuine Christians, she would have the best opportunity to become one.  That’s what she’s doing.  She says it’s not been hard for her to be around Christians.  (I don’t know who these people are and whether they’re truly Christian).

Because of growing up in a non-Christian home and never hearing the Bible taught or supported, Perry said that she thinks this is a reason she can’t or won’t believe.  She’s trying, she says.  And she and her husband both want their children to grow up where they do have this opportunity.

“Don’t Count Yourself Out”

The apologist said to Perry then, something like, there is still hope for you, or, it’s a good plan, but don’t count yourself out, related to her own belief.  She also called herself a doubtful Christian.  Why is it that she can’t believe?  The apologist was reformed.  He said, don’t count yourself out.  But could he or should he say, “It’s really a matter of whether God predestined you to believe”? Or, “Maybe you can’t believe because it’s not God’s will for you to believe”?  The reformed think that God must decide it first, cause it, or her regeneration precedes her faith.  If God won’t regenerate her, then she can’t or won’t believe.

From Perry’s perspective, if she takes her two children to church and surrounds them with strongly believing Christians (some of how she characterizes those unlike her), then they have a better opportunity.  Is this honestly true if the deciding factor is predetermination by God?  How can someone orchestrate a better outcome for her children, if God predetermines salvation?  The reformed apologist called that “a good plan.”  I might say it’s a good plan for her children and that would fit my presuppositions.  Can he though, when he believes in predetermination?

Honesty about Predetermination

I could be happy that someone reformed and Calvinist isn’t behaving in a consistent or even honest manner.  Wouldn’t just telling the truth, if that is in fact the truth, glorify God?  I want to glorify God too, but the Calvinist goes “sola gloria.”  God doesn’t get the glory if it isn’t monergistic, and this “good plan” involves, it seems, some synergism between a doubtful Christian, who can’t believe in the supernatural part, and perhaps God working too.  Perry talked about Christians having more children so this plan too could change her children’s genetic future too, resulting in saved grandchildren.  So, God determines and genes do too.

In many ways, I’m happy to hear of a woman moved by what she sees in general revelation:  history, God’s creation, and her conscience.  She’s also seeking the truth and looking the right direction for it.  She is responding to what revelation God gives her.  This is how God works in the world, so that everyone is without excuse (Romans 1).  Her testimony smacks of something like Nicodemus in John 3, except conversion came to him a few years later.  Maybe it will with her too.  The apologist could have helped her with some of her faulty presuppositions and disabused her of a few falsehoods.  He didn’t.

Response to Revelation, to Preaching

Salvation is not by works or with a mixture of human effort.  A human response to revelation is not considered “work” in scripture.  The revelation fuels it, initiates it.  This is not predetermination though.  God knows whether the woman will believe or not.  We don’t.

When the apologist said, “Don’t count yourself out,” does He know God already predetermined her salvation?  He doesn’t know that.  What good does his saying, “Don’t count yourself out,” when he doesn’t know?  The reformed also say that Jesus didn’t die for everyone, only for the elect.  Wouldn’t he be honest to say, I’m not sure Jesus died for you, because I just don’t know.  I hope so and I can’t count you in, even if I can’t yet count you out — I just don’t know.  It’s consistent for me to approach the woman with biblical instruction to believe — commanding her to believe.  Not this reformed apologist though.

The revelation from God itself will work toward her faith.  Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, not by some separate mystical act of regeneration that precedes faith.  Paul asked the Ephesians and the Colossians to pray that he would preach the Word of God boldly.  Bold proclamation of the gospel helps the “doubtful Christian.”  You don’t get that from a reformed apologist who doesn’t know because of his belief in predetermination.