Sadly, some of the 19th century proponents of "Muscular Christianity" (see Lectures to My Students) carried this concept a bit too far.
Mixing coarse Arminianism in with high doctrinal Calvinism, Muscular Evangelists subscribed to what we might now call "The Jack Bauer School of Pragmatic Evangelism" courtesy of The Sacred Sandwich, i.e., "You're elected to salvation, you totally depraved object of irresistable grace!"
Any resistance to Muscular Christianity's "free" grace was met with a black eye and ever-lovin' g-r-a-c-e across the hearer's two lips, ala one TULIP sandwich de knuckles.
The "Muscular Christians" spawned several offshoot denominations, one of which were the Shall-I-Come-To-You-With-A-Rod Baptists who taught a controversial doctrine that men could be 'shanghaied' into the Kingdom. Unwitting sinners were clubbed over the head with a rod. When they awoke all was well with their souls. So they were told.
As he does have two too many fingers, were he a six point Calvinist as I, he would have to have two more fingers too many to add to the other two so that would be too too many fingers... I think.
A semi-pelagian purpose drive pastor came to our village in Alaska when I was ministering there, and in the conversation prior to his first preaching engagement he asked me, "Are you a five-point Calvinist?" (He really did... I guess it showed).
I said, "I'm a six point Calvinist."
"Six points?" he said with a puzzled look.
He was called away before I could tell him that there was more to Calvinism than the five points.
By the way, when I was a kid, I really wanted that toy called, "Six Finger." Do remember that one, Eddie? "Six Finger, Six Finger, man alive. How in the world did I get along with five?"
[word verification for this post is raterman...
Using raterman in a sentence...
In search for more Scooby Snacks, Mr. Doo said to Shaggy, "rater man."]
I'd like to send this picture to Mighty Optical Illusions because at first glance you don't notice anything wrong, and then you start to have your brain catch up to your eyes and say, "Hey, wait a minute here..."
And yes, justificationbygrace, I remember Six Finger. I had one as a kid. It was plastic, flesh-colored, had a flat piece that fit into your palm and looked like an additional index finger. It even had a small opening with which to shoot small plastic arrows (?). It was a spy's greatest secret weapon. No one would ever notice because it looked so "real" (unless, as has been pointed out here in the comments, you ran across Inigo Montoya, who, quite understandably, wanted to revenge his father's death upon you).
Sadly, some of the 19th century proponents of "Muscular Christianity" (see Lectures to My Students) carried this concept a bit too far.
ReplyDeleteMixing coarse Arminianism in with high doctrinal Calvinism, Muscular Evangelists subscribed to what we might now call "The Jack Bauer School of Pragmatic Evangelism" courtesy of The Sacred Sandwich, i.e., "You're elected to salvation, you totally depraved object of irresistable grace!"
Any resistance to Muscular Christianity's "free" grace was met with a black eye and ever-lovin' g-r-a-c-e across the hearer's two lips, ala one TULIP sandwich de knuckles.
The "Muscular Christians" spawned several offshoot denominations, one of which were the Shall-I-Come-To-You-With-A-Rod Baptists who taught a controversial doctrine that men could be 'shanghaied' into the Kingdom. Unwitting sinners were clubbed over the head with a rod. When they awoke all was well with their souls. So they were told.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone noticed this guy has two too many fingers?
ReplyDeleteYep! I didn't know that Count Rugen was a 5 point Calvinist!
ReplyDeleteSo at last we meet.
ReplyDeleteMy name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.
As he does have two too many fingers, were he a six point Calvinist as I, he would have to have two more fingers too many to add to the other two so that would be too too many fingers... I think.
ReplyDeleteA semi-pelagian purpose drive pastor came to our village in Alaska when I was ministering there, and in the conversation prior to his first preaching engagement he asked me, "Are you a five-point Calvinist?" (He really did... I guess it showed).
I said, "I'm a six point Calvinist."
"Six points?" he said with a puzzled look.
He was called away before I could tell him that there was more to Calvinism than the five points.
By the way, when I was a kid, I really wanted that toy called, "Six Finger." Do remember that one, Eddie? "Six Finger, Six Finger, man alive. How in the world did I get along with five?"
[word verification for this post is raterman...
Using raterman in a sentence...
In search for more Scooby Snacks, Mr. Doo said to Shaggy, "rater man."]
I'd like to send this picture to Mighty Optical Illusions because at first glance you don't notice anything wrong, and then you start to have your brain catch up to your eyes and say, "Hey, wait a minute here..."
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, justificationbygrace, I remember Six Finger. I had one as a kid. It was plastic, flesh-colored, had a flat piece that fit into your palm and looked like an additional index finger. It even had a small opening with which to shoot small plastic arrows (?). It was a spy's greatest secret weapon. No one would ever notice because it looked so "real" (unless, as has been pointed out here in the comments, you ran across Inigo Montoya, who, quite understandably, wanted to revenge his father's death upon you).