Yesterday, a pal from the social networking world, Ekupatra Tupamahu, hipped me to a chapel lecture delivered by James K. A. ("Jamie") Smith at Calvin College not too long ago. His talk was a promotion of his new book Desiring the Kingdom and it was very thought-provoking. I'd like to explore some of Smith's thoughts in conjunction with a lingering thought or two from Greg Boyd's Seeing is Believing. But before I dive right into a reflection on Smith's thoughts, I thought I'd confess my thoughts on Smith himself.

To be honest, my thoughts on Smith are conflicted. On the one hand, the insights he shared in the Calvin chapel (which correspond to his book) are inspiring and I deeply resonate with them. Additionally, I'm fascinated to know more about how he integrates Pentecostalism with Reformed theology. I'll admit I don't think they are compatible at all, so in the least, I expect his reasoning to be interesting. However, it is precisely because he is a proud Reformed philosopher that I am skeptical of him. I find Reformed theology citically flawed and destructive to biblical faith. At the same time, the mental and hermeneutical acrobatics I've witnessed individual Calvinists perform, to "nuance" their Reformed theology to the point where it can be stomached, never ceases to amaze me. Perhaps Smith has found a new and creative way to live with the disgusting implication of Calvinist theodicy. I should add, I was also aware of the fact that Smith recently wrote Thinking in Tongues and was interested in reading it prior to hearing the aforementioned Calvin chapel lecture.