UCC/marilynne robinson/calvinism

[zaida]

hello! Please excuse a roman catholic from coming to your board, lol! I just discovered the author Marilynne Robinson, who I believe is a member of the congregationalist UCC church, and a calvinist. My questions for you:

1)are all UCC churches calvinist
2) is there a liberating way to understand pre-destination - if nobody can do anything to further their salvation, what is their responsibility - do they indeed have ANY responsibility, if its been ordained? (I mean, poor them/us who are not saved!) But I may not be understanding.
3) Where does Marilynne fit into this, in her views....I know she tends to be expansive in her love and inclusiveness and believes as Christians we live with love....how does fit into pre destination....

Hope my questions make some sense!!!!! Thanks!

 

[actionsub]

hello! Please excuse a roman catholic from coming to your board, lol! I just discovered the author Marilynne Robinson, who I believe is a member of the congregationalist UCC church, and a calvinist. My questions for you:

1)are all UCC churches calvinist
2) is there a liberating way to understand pre-destination - if nobody can do anything to further their salvation, what is their responsibility - do they indeed have ANY responsibility, if its been ordained? (I mean, poor them/us who are not saved!) But I may not be understanding.
3) Where does Marilynne fit into this, in her views....I know she tends to be expansive in her love and inclusiveness and believes as Christians we live with love....how does fit into pre destination....

Hope my questions make some sense!!!!! Thanks!

The UCC historically has held a Reformed theology, but many facets of that have softened considerably as the UCC has followed a more liberal approach to theology.
As for predestination, the UCC would be more likely to follow Karl Barth's approach to the doctrine, in that Jesus Christ was the only person who was predestined per se, and the Church is elected by virtue of being in Christ. This would NOT be in line with Dordtian Calvinist ideas of double predestination. I would hazard a guess that this is where Robinson's thinking would also lie.

 

[zaida]

I know I posted this ages ago but a big thank to the response above...Ive done some reading on Barth since, love his stuff! And - yes - Ive since heard Robinson say that she reads Barth and Boenhoeffer

 

[dms1972]

You may also want to look at Donald Bloesch, who was UCC and while not BArthian through and through, or not uncritically barthian he does agree with him in places. But he has given some thoughts on predestination as a message of hope in his theology. See volumn 4 Christian Foundations.