Okay, why haven't any of you told me about Calvin Miller? I know about Calvin Trillin, and Calvin and Hobbes and Calvin Coolidge (some) and John Calvin (just a little). But Calvin Miller has escaped either my knowing of him or my remembering that I knew him.
I picked up a used book yesterday by Max Lucado on the beatitudes, and I read about three chapters before I went to bed last night. As interesting and faithfully written as those chapters were, it was the introduction that captured me. It was by Calvin Miller and written in a style that that makes my heart melt. I have read that style before from the pens of Wendell Berry when he writes fiction especially, and from mystery writer Louise Penny and from Madeleine L'Engle. Such truth, such beauty, so full of God.
I picked up The Singer Trilogy today at Half Price Books and brought it home and started reading immediately. Why haven't I read this before??? It is so gorgeous and true.
Well, I think that one of the reasons is that in 1975, when this book was first published, and for a good 30 years, I would not been likely to pick up and read a book printed, as this one is, by IVP--InterVarsity Press. No more than I would have picked up a book published by Zondervan. Or most the time, Thomas Nelson. Or picked up Christianity Today Because, I thought I knew what I would read and it would give me a very bad headache because my blood pressure would rise so quickly.
And to be truthful, some of it still does. But some of what is in The Christian Century does too. In 2003 I had an evangelical renewal of mind and heart, I call it, as I took Hal Knight's class on John Wesley and the Movements of the Spirit at Saint Paul School of Theology. I say renewal--Philip Cox-Johnson said at the time, "who are you kidding???? You've ALWAYS been an evangelical!", and he knew whereof he spoke, being a Wheaton grad and all. I also found myself strongly drawn to the emerging church and its literature, much of which is published, lo and behold, by Zondervan.
And I call myself an evangelical---Well, actually, I AM an evangelical, but one with decidedly different takes than many on social justice issues of the day. I want the world to know about Jesus. I want people around me to know the transformational power of the gospel. I want to share my heart and the deepest conviction of my life, that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the love of God through Jesus Christ and that God can do far more than we can ask or imagine.
But then, don't we all want to share it? Actually I don't think all of us (I guess I mean Christians here) do. I met a music leader at The Hymn Society Conference a couple of weeks ago whose workshop I had been in. Expressing my opinion as usual, I offered (he asked me after the workshop) my critique of his teaching of congregation musical song. I mentioned a particular thing he had said. He said in the workshop this phrase "let them sing this( particular refrain) a few weeks and they'll pick it right up after they have hear it three of four times." Hmm, I thought. What about that person somewhere out there who comes to that church for the first time on the fourth time this refrain is being taught? Would she know it? And when I offered this thought, the teacher said, first that he honestly had not thought about that, but humorously a few minutes later said "Besides, it may be that the era of Christendom is over and we don't need to worry about it." Please know that this was NOT the attitude of most the folks at the conference. And when I heard this, I held back, out of respect to this teacher, though holding back made me feel unworthy of being Bishop Schnase's d.s. And being an evangelical.
I much prefer reading about a Song that must be sung, a Singer who would not allow that song to be silenced, and a Father-Spirit, as Dr. Miller calls our God, who creates a music that fills mind and soul with authentic Truth and Life and Hope. This Song is so yearned for by so many who, wanting to hear the truth, wait, not knowing that the Song is already here, and that the Singer is their Savior. That is where, my friends, we instruments come in.
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