I hope this title grabs you. "Beware of Pious Blasphemy." What does this mean? Well, on the surface of things, it could mean a variety of things, all related to the way we can misuse God's name (Exod 20:7) in how we live and speak. However, by this title I intend something quite specific, something I see far too much in theological polemics today.
My thesis is this: regardless of whether you are a Calvinist or an Arminian (or something else) do not picture the "God of the other side" in such a way that you will be blaspheming him if you're wrong.
Let me illustrate from real-life examples. I have heard Arminians say that the "God of Calvinism" is a "moral monster," "like Satan," "a rapist," or things of this nature. Here's the problem. If you end up being wrong in your theology and something like Calvinism ends up being true, you have just blasphemed the holy God. Now you might be confident in your Arminianism, but you have to admit that the issues are complex enough that there is a chance—however small—that you could be wrong. If you have been guilty of saying things like this about the Calvinist view of God, the answer is simple: repent.
But lest you think I'm letting Calvinists off the hook, fear not. I have heard Calvinists—including some well-known ones—picture the "God of Arminianism" as "weak," "ineffective," or "someone who just waits and can't save anyone."* Once again, if you happen to be wrong in your theology—something few Calvinists admit could be possible :)—then you have just blasphemed God. Repent.
Brothers and sisters, let us admit that our God is bigger than we can comprehend. Let us also praise him that he has given us his Word and his Spirit so that we may apprehend him to some degree! Let us acknowledge the weaknesses, mysteries, and tensions in our systems. Let us strive to be biblical. Let us show love to one another. Let us worship our glorious God.
*The picture of God as "waiting" is not inherently negative. See Rom 10:21, Matt 23:37, Luke 15:20. However, many Calvinists use the idea of a "waiting" God in a pejorative sense.
