Thursday, March 26, 2009

This Post Was Meant to Be

According to Time magazine, Calvinism is among the trends rising in culture these days. A better person than me argued in another blog how this could be a bad thing. In short, it promotes elitism, and I don't see that as part of God's nature.

I believe God is in control. I also believe we have free will. The mystery is both are true. Where one begins and the other ends only He knows.

To be honest, I'm glad this debate is popular again. I can talk about time travel movies, a favorite topic, and not be outdated. I hate being outdated. The point is, time travel movies have quite a bit to say about predestination.

Most time travel stories are about free will. Minority Report, Back to the Future,Deja Vu, and the list goes on. The message is usually we can change history. We have choices.

On the other hand, you have Twelve Monkeys and the Time Machine. You can't change what's already happened, and there's little if any hope for the future for that matter. Not the best idea for a date movie, by the way.

One thing that keeps me watching Lost is the endless debate between the two. You have characters saying nothing can change, and then something happens seeming to contradict that statement. It keeps the brain working while stuff blows up.

The truth is, if authors are strict Calvinists, their writing will suck. Good storytelling is about conflict, resolution, and choice. The tension between choice and plan, well that keeps it interesting.

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