Everything happens for a....

I usually like Jon Carroll, but when he's good, he's really good. Today's was excellent! He gets cranky about some of the same things I do.

I've been re-reading the novel Portofino, by Frank Schaeffer, son of the famous theologian, who became Orthodox not to long before we did. Even back when he wrote it in 1992 he was pretty caustic, very hard on the Protestant tradition and made me uncomfortable. Recently, he's done some things that have really angered me, like condemning the Orthodox Peace Fellowship's Plea for Peace, and wrote a book about how war is good. But this novel, Portofino, is excellent. I read it back then, and I'm about halfway done with my re-read. Last night I came to the part where he talks about pre-destination:

"Then Janet made a big mistake, or rather God did because He's sovereign. Dad had said many times how the great Reformation hero, Calvin, showed us we are in a state of Total Depravity and so is our free will so we really can't even think with our fallen minds or choose to do good things because we are so depraved. So God made her say, 'I only asked!'

"Then God made Dad throw down his napkin and say, 'That's it!" and Janet stood up with her face all red and the pimple on her forehead even redder than before and she walked away even before Mom said, 'Go to your room, young lady, we'll talk about this later.'

"With no one having any way to choose anything because God is sovereign and all, and with all things working together for the good of the Elect, I wondered if something might fall on where Janet had been sitting that would have split her head open or cut her arms off since all things work together for good for those who love Him, and then we'd know why this had all needed to happen to spare her or something."

This book is so human, so real. It's really worth the re-read.