B. U. G. S.

I have always been fascinated by the history of the Reformation because I, like the Reformers, have always been pitted against the Great Authorities and Established Institutions.

How can one man be right when all the Authorities are wrong?

Many and many a time I feel the same thing Luther felt at Worms when he said to the Emperor, “Here I stand. I can do no other.”

One thing that tripped up the Reformation at its height was the vicious infighting between its leaders. Luther hated Zwingli, the brave leader of Swiss Protestantism who died in battle, with a passion.

Luther said, in my loose translation:

“When my prayers lack passion, I think of Zwingli and the pope, and my fervor returns.”

He apparently hated Zwingli MORE than he hated what he called The Whore of Babylon!

Although the Lutheran Church skips over it, Luther was every bit as much a believer in predestination as Calvin.

I am always subject to correction. In fact, that’s a major reason for the blog. But from my considerable reading of history, Calvin never denounced Luther and Luther never denounced Calvin. Considering how strong their opinions were, that surprises me. Calvin looked upon Luther as the founder, and said repeatedly that Luther’s doctrine was incomplete, but he never denounced him.

I prefer Luther because he had such a giant sense of humor. The man laughed all the time:

“When I break wind in Wittenberg, Rome hears it.”

Luther was raised in the sand hills, just as I was. His father owned a factory, just as mine did, but Luther was raised among the peasants just as I was. He had a giant education, just as I do, but it did not change his fundamental, Bible Belt attitude. He looked the Emperor and the Church Authorities straight in the kisser and said, “That is not what the Emperor says. That’s not what the Pope says. I stand by what the BIBLE says!”

Luther was a man I could get inside of.

On the other hand, I get the distinct impression from his friendliest biographers that nobody could get inside of Calvin. Calvin the man was much, much kinder than his doctrine. He was only responsible for helping execute one heretic in his entire life, though he had a degree of civil authority Luther never held.

But no one ever mentions his ever laughing out loud the way Luther did.

And Calvin was not, as everybody says, “The theocratic dictator of Geneva.” He was not even made a CITIZEN of the place until late in life. It is to Calvin’s discredit that he approved completely of the burning of Severtus, which I mention in my book. It is not true he ordered it. He couldn’t have.

Calvin was probably the greatest theologian who ever lived, but I have little use for theologians. I come from a line that goes back to the Reverend Alexander Whitaker, the son of a Cambridge don who came to America in 1609 “to convert the savage Indians.” This reaches right down to my grandfather who was a circuit-riding country preacher and my sister, who was a Director of Religious Education.

In other words, my tradition is the preacher who begs everybody to come to the front and accept the Lord, not the theologian who is careful to be sure that only Worthy People are allowed into the church.

Calvin stood in the doorway of the church, making sure that only the Worthy came in. Considering his hatred of Zwingli, I am sure Luther did the same thing. But Luther’s image, the laughing welcoming evangelist, is the one I identify with.

“Suffer the little childen to come unto me, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

It is hard to imagine anyone less like children than the sour-faced Puritans who had a special place in their churches for the even more sour-faced, humorless, elderly Elect.

My approach in politics is the same as my ancestors’ approach to religion:

Get them baptised and get them INTO the church. THEN you teach them what is right. That’s what the church is for.

I am sure a lot of people are a bit bothered by my reaching out to all the wrong people and my making irreverent remarks.

Blame it on my blood line.

When Jesus sat down with the Evil Sinners He probably even LAUGHED with them. That is NOT the Calvinist picture of Christ. The Puritan would have been right there with the self-righteous Temple Jews condemning Him.

We used to have a saying on the brick plant, “We laugh, we joke, but we don’t PLAY.” You do your work and you can crack all the jokes you want to. But jokes are there to make the work go easier. They are never to substitute for the job at hand.

Jesus had a purpose and He had a sense of humor.

Or at least that is what my blood line tells me.