From: Gabriel Goh Why are Calvinists so negative?
Berikut ini adalah sebuah artikel dari John Piper. Walaupun dia melayani di gereja Baptist (Betlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis), John Piper adalah seorang Calvinist. Dan percaya seluruh point TULIP. Namun, di sisi lain, kita dapat melihat hati seorang gembala yg Tuhan karuniakan pada Piper. Dan dalam salah satu rubrik diskusi "Bertanya pada Pastor John", dia membahas mengenai sikap (attitude) yang seringkali bersifat kontra-produktif dari orang-2 yg mengaku Calvinist. Semoga melalui tulisan ini, kita bisa belajar sesuatu. God Bless you, Gabriel Why are Calvinists so negative? Listen | Download | Podcast Download: Audio -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By John Piper May 21, 2008 The following is an edited transcript of the audio. Why are Calvinists so negative? I love the doctrines of grace with all my heart, and I think they are pride-shattering, humbling, and love-producing doctrines. But I think there is an attractiveness about them to some people, in large matter, because of their intellectual rigor. They are powerfully coherent doctrines, and certain kinds of minds are drawn to that. And those kinds of minds tend to be argumentative. So the intellectual appeal of the system of Calvinism draws a certain kind of intellectual person, and that type of person doesn't tend to be the most warm, fuzzy, and tender. Therefore this type of person has a greater danger of being hostile, gruff, abrupt, insensitive or intellectualistic. I'll just confess that. It's a sad and terrible thing that that's the case. Some of this type aren't even Christians, I think. You can embrace a system of theology and not even be born again. Another reason for Calvinists could be seen as negative is that when a person comes to see the doctrines of grace in the Bible, he is often amazed that he missed it, and he can sometimes become angry. He can become angry that he grew up in a church or home where they never talked about what is really there in Romans 8, 1 Corinthians 2, and Ephesians 2. They never talked about it—they skipped it—and he is angry that he was misled for so long. That's sad. It's there; it's real; the church did let him down, and there are thousands of churches that ignore the truth and don't teach it. And he has to deal with that. Another reason Calvinists might be perceived as negative is that they are trying to convince others about the doctrines. If God gives someone the grace to be humbled and see the truth, and the doctrines are sweet to him, and they break his pride—because God chose him owing to nothing in him. He was awakened from the dead, like being found at the bottom of a lake and God, at the cost of his Son's life, brings him up from the bottom, does CPR, brings him miraculously back to life, and he stands on the beach thrilled with the grace of God—wouldn't he want to persuade people about this? Do Calvinists want to make everybody else Calvinists? Absolutely we do! But it's not about elitism. It's about having been found by Christ and having the glory of God opened to us in the process of salvation. It's about having the majesty of God opened in all of his saving and redeeming works, wanting to give him all the glory and all the credit, and cherishing the sovereignty and preciousness of grace in our lives. Why wouldn't we want to share this with people? If it is perceived as elitist, that is partly owing to our sinfulness in the way we go about it, and partly owing to people's unwillingness to see what is really there in the Bible. I just want to confess my own sins in how I have often spoken, and I hope and pray that I don't have the reputation of being mainly negative, but mainly positive. I look at my books sometimes when I hear that kind of criticism, and I say, "OK when I'm dead and gone, and all that is left is sermons and books, will my reputation be that? Will it be that I have a whole bunch of books and sermons that are mainly negative, harsh, and elitist?" Time will tell. I hope not. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © Desiring God Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by Desiring God. Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org . ================================================== From: Gabriel Goh The Idol of Our Many Understandings Melihat sikap dan komentar-2 Bishop Robinson, Benar-2 menyedihkan. Dengan menampilkan figur seorg Bishop yg homo dan mantan alkoholic, pelantikan Obama secara terang-2an telah mencoreng ke-Kristenan di mata dunia. Jangan-2 Obama dan team-nya seolah-2 ingin menyatakan pada dunia, "Nih, lihat nih, wajah Kekristenan di Amerika, Pdt-pun bisa homo dan pecandu alkohol, dan dia tetap mendapat kehormatan mendoakan Presiden." Hati saya menangis melihat hal ini, peristiwa ini secara tidak langsung akan menjadi "reinforcement" bagi si Bishop Anglican ini utk semakin bersikukuh dlm statusnya, bahwa justru dalam kondisi gay-nya skrg dia diakui dan dihormati utk mendoakan Presiden. Hal seperti ini tidak lagi dilihat sebagai dosa yang memalukan, malah justru sebagai "kebanggaan". Bagaimana Tuhan mau mendengar doa seperti ini? Sebuah doa yang ditujukan pada allah yang dibuat manusia menurut definisinya sendiri: "god of Our Many Understandings". Jangan-2 inilah bentuk kontemporer dari "Korban persembahan yg merupakan kekejian dan memuakkan Tuhan" "mereka menyakiti hati-Nya dengan bukit-bukit pengorbanan mereka, membuat Dia cemburu dengan patung-patung mereka." - Psa 78:58 Salam & doa, Gabriel Goh The Idol of Our Many Understandings -- Bishop Robinson at Prayer Al Mohler President-elect Barack Obama promised to make his inaugural events the most inclusive ever -- and he is making good on his promise. Just over two weeks after gay rights activists condemned his choice of Saddleback pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the ceremony itself, the President-elect and his inaugural committee announced the choice of Bishop Gene Robinson, the openly-homosexual Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, to open the mass event at the Lincoln Memorial with prayer. Predictably, the committee insisted that the invitation has nothing to do with the furor over naming Warren, who angered homosexual activists and their allies by supporting Proposition 8 in California. "They called up and said this has actually been in the works for a long time," the bishop told The New York Times. He added that the committee also expressed, "and at the same time, we understand that people in the [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] community have been somewhat wounded by this choice, and it's our hope that your selection will go a long way to heal these divides." The event Bishop Robinson will open with prayer will be a huge opening rally featuring major entertainment figures and a mass gathering on the mall. Artists invited to perform at the event include Bono, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen, along with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington. The choice of Bishop Robinson is not a complete surprise, since the President-elect had met with the bishop during the campaign. Of course, Bishop Robinson is one of the most controversial figures in the entire history of the Episcopal Church. Controversy over his election has led to a schism in his church and a rupture that threatens to unravel the world-wide Anglican Communion. One interesting facet of the controversies over Warren and Robinson is the fact that the inclusion of the one does not placate the critics of the other. Homosexual activists are still angry over the choice of Warren to deliver the invocation on January 20. A host of others will be offended by the choice of Bishop Robinson. These two responses illustrate the depth of the divide over the issue of homosexuality. The question cuts to the heart of issues including biblical authority and the very nature of humanity. Representation is undoubtedly symbolic, but Rick Warren and Gene Robinson represent radically divergent worldviews and incommensurate goals. They are not two very different representatives of one religion. They are instead two very symbolic representatives of two very different religions. That point is made clear courtesy of Bishop Robinson. Consider this section of the report in The New York Times: Bishop Robinson said he had been reading inaugural prayers through history and was “horrified” at how “specifically and aggressively Christian they were.” “I am very clear,” he said, “that this will not be a Christian prayer, and I won’t be quoting Scripture or anything like that. The texts that I hold as sacred are not sacred texts for all Americans, and I want all people to feel that this is their prayer.” Bishop Robinson said he might address the prayer to “the God of our many understandings,” language that he said he learned from the 12-step program he attended for his alcohol addiction. Keep in mind that this man is the Bishop of New Hampshire for the Episcopal Church. He is "horrified" by the character of previous inaugural prayers as "specifically and aggressively Christian." We can be fairly sure that, for Bishop Robinson, "specifically" and "aggressively" mean more or less the same thing. A review of most recent inaugural prayers reveals virtually nothing that could be fairly described as "aggressive" and remarkably little that can be described as "specific." The last two inaugurations have included prayers with greater specificity, to be sure. The bishop's comments reveal just about everything one needs to know about his theology. He pledges that "this will not be a Christian prayer" and he "won't be quoting Scripture or anything like that." No, nothing like that. Recent controversies over praying in the name of Jesus Christ will not be a factor here. Instead, the bishop said he might address his prayer to "the God of our many understandings" -- an expression calculated to be vague. Bishop Robinson says that he learned the language in a 12-step program he attended after developing an alcohol addiction. "The crisis in the Church of England," wrote Clive James in The Dreaming Swimmer, "is that too many of its bishops, and some would say of its archbishops, don't quite realize that they are atheists, but have begun to suspect it." The "God of our many understandings" is a confused composite -- a very postmodern idol. Clive James is quite right about the theological crisis of unbelieving bishops - but you need go no farther than New Hampshire to find an example. =================================================== From: Eddy Tg Pendalaman Iman, "Yesus, Jalan Ke Bapa" Yesus, Jalan Ke Bapa Tentu sangat logis ! Kalau manusia mau ke sorga harus tahu jalan kesorga, tidak mungkin kalau orang tidak tahu jalan ke sorga bisa membawa orang ke sorga ! Ia adalah manusia atau nabi palsu serta pembohong besar, kalau ia tidak mampu membawa manusia kesorga tapi menyatakan dengan mengkleim dirinya, mampu membawa manusia ke sorga ! Dan bohongnya bertambah kentara apabila dia sendiri matinya dikuburkan dan tidak bisa bangkit lagi ! Kalau manusia tidak tahu jalan kesorga maka ia harus dibantu oleh orang yang tahu jalan ke sorga ! Siapakah yang datang dan turun dari sorga menuju dunia ini (Bumi) lalu naik ke sorga diiringi para Malaikat-Nya ? Orang tersebut adalah Yesus Kristus ! (Yoh 1:1-18; 3:16) Mark 16:19); Luk 24:50,51); Mat 28:18-20); Kisah Para Rasul 1:9-11)! Yesus adalah Jalan dan Kebenaran dan Hidup (Yoh 14:6) *Gambaran Jalan yg panjang dan sangat sulit yg harus dilewati manusia atas panggilan Elohim dgn bertumpu pada "IMAN". supaya dapat sampai ke Tanah Yang Dijanjikan (Ul 1:30-33; 2:1-2; 8:2-10; Mzm 77:20; 136). **Gambaran ini diterapkan pada HUKUM yg menyatakan orientasi yg ditawarkan oleh Tuhan kepada umat-Nya demi memperoleh ganjaran kekal (Ul 32:4; Mzm 25:10; 128:1; 147:19,20). ***Dalam Perjanjian Baru, gambaran ini tetap muncul, tetapi SUDAH BERUBAH MAKNANYA! YESUS memulai suatu cara baru untuk menyelamatkan manusia dari "KEBINASAAN" sesuai dengan kehendak Elohim dan demi berjumpa dengan YAHWEH (Mrk 8:34; Mat 16:24; Luk 9:23), sehingga "Hidup Kristen" sendiri mulai disebut "JALAN" (Kis 9:2; 18:25; 24:22) ***Tetapi dalam Injil Yohanes, ungkapan ini bermakna lebih mendalam : YESUS bukan hanya JALAN dalam arti, ajaran-Nya mengantarkan manusia kepada KEHIDUPAN SEJATI ! Hanya Yesus lah Jalan yang mengantar manusia ke Bapa (YAHWEH), jadi hanya Yesus sendirilah KEBENARAN DAN KEHIDUPAN! (Yohanes 10:9). ***Hanya Yesus lah yang menunjukkan apa yang BENAR, TAK TERGOYAHKAN, YANG MENJAMIN manusia berorientasi kearah HIDUP ADIKODRATI ! Dengan melaksanakan kehendak Elohim secara sempurna, Yesus menggemakan kesetiaan Elohim yang ditunjukkan-Nya sepanjang sejarah. Sekaligus Yesus adalah "KEBENARAN MUTLAK, WAHYU TERAKHIR DAN PENUH KESELAMATAN YAHWEH" untuk manusia ! Sebagai Kebenaran, Yesus memberi KEHIDUPAN pula, Ia sendiri memiliki 'KEPENUHAN KEHIDUPAN' , sehingga diri-Nya menunjukkan arah kepada manusia untuk sampai kepada "HIDUP YANG KEKAL"!!! ***Yesus adalah KEBENARAN, sebab sebagai Anak (Makna Internal) yang telah menjadi FIRMAN MANUSIA, Ia secara sempurna telah mengungkapkan Bapa kepada manusia.Yesus mengungkapkannya melalui AKTIVITAS dan FIRMANYA. Dengan cara itulah Ia mengantarkan manusia kepada Bapa, yaitu ke dalam "KEHIDUPAN YANG KEKAL" (Yoh 17:3; 1:4; 3:16; 6:40,47,63; 11:25) Yoh 14:8 Tunjukkanlah Bapa itu Filipus ingin melihat Bapa secara fisik. Ia tentu ingat akan penampakan2 yang dialami Abraham, Musa, para Nabi atau malahan para tokoh spiritual bangsa Israel sesudah zaman Keluaran ( Kel 24:9-11)! Yoh 14:9 Yang telah melihat Aku, telah melihat Bapa Seluruh hidup Yesus, Firman dan perbuatan2Nya dengan sempurna menyatakan BAPA, sebab Yesus bersatu dengan Bapa dgn cara yang tak terputuskan (Yoh 5:17-30; 10:30). Tetapi ayat ini jangan diartikan bahwa YAHWEH telah digantikan oleh Yesus -manusia ! Karena Yesus berbicara disini tentang melihat ROHANI ! Yoh 14:10 Aku didalam Bapa dan Bapa di dalam Aku Karena Anak sehakekat dengan Bapa, maka ajaran Yesus tidak berasal dari diriNYa sendiri, tetapi dari Bapa, sedangkan perbuatan2 Yesus dilakukan oleh Bapa yang tinggal dalam diri Yesus. Dengan kata lain, ajaran Yesus dan mukjizat2Nya bukan karya manusia melainkan ILAHI !!! Jika Yesus bicara tentang "Pekerjaan-pekerjaan Bapa", maka Ia maksudkan keseluruhan karya penyelamatan yang secara jelas dinyatakan melalui TANDA-TANDA AJAIB! (Yoh 5:18; 8:28,42) Baca juga Yoh 7:17-18; 8:26; 12:49-50. Jadi hanya melalui Yesus lah, manusia bisa diselamatkan !!! Apakah Anda sudah mempercayakan hidup Anda kepada Yesus Kristus ? Kalau belum, "BERGEGASLAH"! Syalom, Eddy TG
