Jackie Kaulitz
Puritan Board Freshman
Hi James,
What a wonderful thing to do - write a tract to help evangelize. I might just ask to borrow it and use it myself when you're done!
I wanted to give some helpful specific advice:
Q. What is the most terrifying truth of all? A. "The reason I believe this to be terrifying is because we are not perfectly good."
Although it might come across as warm or loving to some, per Reformed theology the phrase "not perfect good" felt so Arminian and inaccurate. If we were Arminian, we would love this phrase, but as a Calvinist, my first thought was "we aren't even partly good! We are horrible! Totally depraved! Deserving hell for eternity."
I also think this question might fit better if it were moved to a place after the individual already realizes God is 100% perfect and we are totally depraved. This would fit perfectly there, where we ask: So what can be done about it? Or as you put it: "The question must then be: what is a good God to do with people who are not perfectly good?" But with "What would a 100% perfect infinitely holy God do with a wicked selfish rebellious people?"
I would also suggest making changes that establish God's qualities/attributes like this:
Q. Who is God? A. God is one spirit being with no beginning or end that exists in the form of the a trinity. (Trinity is essential to Christianity. Expand.) The Trinitarian Godhead (All 3 created, not just God the father) is the grand Creator of everything that exists: the infinite universe with its uncountable stars and galaxies, the world and all its millions of life forms from the giant dinosaurs down to the very smallest creatures that are too small for the human eye to see. God is the only thing that is everlasting: he is smart (all-knowing), strong (all-powerful), and entirely self-sufficient (list out maybe 10 attributes of God). He has not only determined the times and places for each human life from conception to death but also the lives of every single one of the 1.25 million animals species created. (Expand on the sovereignty of God here if room).
Q. Why did God create us? A. God created us (who is us? Elect or all humans?) for His glory: some to everlasting glory in heaven as sons and daughters of God but others to everlasting damnation because of their rejection and hatred of God. Christian believers are created to glorify God and reflect His greatness the way the moon reflects the sun. He created us to enjoy Him forever and out of thankfulness and gratitude to live our lives mirroring the beautiful attributes of our Heavenly Father.
What a wonderful thing to do - write a tract to help evangelize. I might just ask to borrow it and use it myself when you're done!
I wanted to give some helpful specific advice:
Q. What is the most terrifying truth of all? A. "The reason I believe this to be terrifying is because we are not perfectly good."
Although it might come across as warm or loving to some, per Reformed theology the phrase "not perfect good" felt so Arminian and inaccurate. If we were Arminian, we would love this phrase, but as a Calvinist, my first thought was "we aren't even partly good! We are horrible! Totally depraved! Deserving hell for eternity."
I also think this question might fit better if it were moved to a place after the individual already realizes God is 100% perfect and we are totally depraved. This would fit perfectly there, where we ask: So what can be done about it? Or as you put it: "The question must then be: what is a good God to do with people who are not perfectly good?" But with "What would a 100% perfect infinitely holy God do with a wicked selfish rebellious people?"
I would also suggest making changes that establish God's qualities/attributes like this:
Q. Who is God? A. God is one spirit being with no beginning or end that exists in the form of the a trinity. (Trinity is essential to Christianity. Expand.) The Trinitarian Godhead (All 3 created, not just God the father) is the grand Creator of everything that exists: the infinite universe with its uncountable stars and galaxies, the world and all its millions of life forms from the giant dinosaurs down to the very smallest creatures that are too small for the human eye to see. God is the only thing that is everlasting: he is smart (all-knowing), strong (all-powerful), and entirely self-sufficient (list out maybe 10 attributes of God). He has not only determined the times and places for each human life from conception to death but also the lives of every single one of the 1.25 million animals species created. (Expand on the sovereignty of God here if room).
Q. Why did God create us? A. God created us (who is us? Elect or all humans?) for His glory: some to everlasting glory in heaven as sons and daughters of God but others to everlasting damnation because of their rejection and hatred of God. Christian believers are created to glorify God and reflect His greatness the way the moon reflects the sun. He created us to enjoy Him forever and out of thankfulness and gratitude to live our lives mirroring the beautiful attributes of our Heavenly Father.