Brain on a Stick meets Embodied Spirituality

Diane at Crossroads: Where Faith and Inquiry Meet in a post for Reformation Day states her wish that Pentecostals and Charismatics (and she is one) adopt some of the distinctives of Reformation thought such as a theology of the cross and a realistic doctrine of sin. Amen, Sis.

In a comment Iyov asked that I write more about what it means to be a charismatic. What makes me a bit unusual is that I am also a Calvinist. To be both charismatic and Calvinist is considered by many to be a contradiction in terms.

As it turns out, someone else speaks to this combination with far more balance and tact than I will ever muster. His name is James K. A. Smith, a professor of philosophy at Calvin College. He argues that Pentecostals and the Reformed need each other. He is the one who talks about Calvinists being brains on a stick and Pentecostalism as embodied spirituality.

There is a link to a delightful audio of a recent talk Smith gave at chapel on his homepage. Go here. If you ever wondered how someone can be Pentecostal and Reformed at the same time, the talk explains it nicely.

Comments

[Peter Kirk]

John, if you want to meet more charismatic Calvinists read Adrian Warnock's blog, to meet him and his friends at New Frontiers. Also I think Dr Wayne Grudem would fit this description. But I'm not sure they would accept you as a real Calvinist.

[John Hobbins]

Thanks for the heads-up, Peter.

Some tulips are more flexible than others.