I am back to my normal schedule, having hosted the Leadership Summit last week. For my reflections on the Summit from an artist's perspective, please check out my newsfeed on cultivateonline.org
Yesterday, we picked up our 19-yr-old daughter Samantha from camp, where she was a counselor to middle school girls for 6 weeks. It was a tremendous, though obviously very stretching experience for her! The best part of the summer from her perspective was getting to know other devoted Christ followers her age, and any opportunity she had to hang out with them. I think this was particularly significant for Sam because she goes to a secular university and has few opportunities for this kind of interaction.
These young college students talked about all kinds of things. So in the car as we were driving down the hilly and beautiful roads of Missouri, Samantha asked my husband and me, "Do you believe in predestination?" Not a topic I expected to be discussing! It's been years since my studies in seminary and graduate school that I've really pondered much about this theological question. I find it fascinating that these young people are so animated in their dialogue about Calvinism, etc., and what it means to their own thoughts about the faith and evangelism. My husband and I shed what little light we could on the subject, but also admitted that to us, our views one way or the other have not made any difference in how we live our lives as Christ followers. We believe our Sovereign God knows everything that will happen, but also take our responsibility seriously to continue to serve in the kingdom, hoping to see every person we encounter come to faith. In other words, predestination is not on the forefront of our minds day to day.
The current summer issue of "Leadership" magazine is a fascinating exploration of the next generation and what is unique about their thinking, their values, and their approach to faith. I urge you to check it out.
Are a lot of people wrestling with "predestination" these days? Please let me know your perspective and whether you see similar conversations erupting among the young people you know. Perhaps I need to break out my notes from "Systematic Theology" so I can intelligently converse with my daughter and her friends!
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