Am I ‘reformed?’

I’ve been looking for churches in the past few weeks, visiting churches all over East London. I have, as a result seen so many different churches with different teaching styles, worship styles, communities. Obviously on a visit one can only see but a glimpse of actual church life, one would have to spend a lot of time in a church to understand the character and balance of church family, and weigh up what they believe will be best for them. I’ve been visiting lots of different churches, as I said and have almost decided (she says tentatively) on the one I’d like to join.

This is the first time I’ve really weighed up what I want to find in a church, feeling the first breath of independence after Relay’s information, and after making snap decisions on what I like in church over the years. Thank God, He has been gracious. The question I’d like to address in my mind is whether I am what one would call ‘Reformed’. I definitely shy away from putting labels on myself, I believe uninformed labeling in Christian circles is highly prejudiced, almost akin to something as bad as racial prejudice, because it serves sometimes more to place divisions on God’s people than to draw them together. On the other hand I do believe that one should know what it is one believes about the God he/she serves – with a clear knowledge that one cannot know everything but what He chooses to reveal – Romans 11:33-36.

Having been through university Christian Unions I think I would define myself as a Calvinist (a very basic description of this is someone who believes in God’s power and sovereignty over all things), but not sure on how many points I would agree, probably because I haven’t studied them thoroughly enough (former Relay worker hangs her head in shame). Theology is an interesting thing. It really changes a person’s point of view on church and Christianity; it has forced me to think so much on things I would have been totally uninformed on otherwise. I don’t want to think so much that I lose the capacity to love though. It’s something that is really being lost in our cold world, and I really don’t want to become unfeeling, and find myself incapable to relate to other Christian friends simply because I don’t agree on the same theological intricacies as they. Lord, teach me to love my brothers and sisters, to be the light of Christ in this dark world!

Romans 11: 33-36

“Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It's way over our heads. We'll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favour that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Amen!”