R.E.M. Cycles Chuck Van Drunen

R.E.m. Cycles

by Chuck Van Drunen Dream tidbits from noctural notions

It was a long week of dealing with a variety of life’s naggings, but it was a particularly disturbing week as I was researching the founder of my childhood religion commonly known as Calvinism.

John Calvin was a very in uential gure of the protestant reformation in the early 1500’s and helped in the success of uprooting the sole possession of Christianity away from the dominant Catholic empire. A very brave, dangerous, and daunting task.

Yet, unfortunately, in my personal research of Calvin it had become obvious to me from various biographies, his own writings, and his own theology that he was actually, for lack of a better term, in my opinion, quite a “well-intentioned asshole.” is conclusion seemed to suddenly take the mystery out of other observations I’ve had concerning Calvinism.

So when I went to bed, and fell into a dream you can imagine my surprise and relative horror as I was visited by John Calvin himself. He looked human, not ghostly, with a long-pointy beard, but seemed to be coming from a heavenly/spiritual realm to our meeting. My initial response was that I was shocked, rattled, and a bit afraid, and while he said nothing upon approach; I began speaking a nervous, compliant, and apologetic mumbling.

Calvin seemed impatient with my rambling and stumbling with words, as I tried to rationalize and backtrack my distaste for his theology, and perhaps my overly harsh criticisms of his life. He was disinterested in my deferments and held his hand up as if to cut me o , and there was a brief moment of silence where we just looked at each other. And then he spoke. Not so ly, but not harshly either, he calmly said:

“GOD IS LOVE.” I was quite heated.

In this dream there was a stack of books that suddenly appeared while I was referring to them that Calvin had written. And while I continued my ranting at Calvin, he looked at me with complete indi erence. And when I nally stopped spewing re, he was completely unrattled, unemotional, and he simply shrugged his shoulders as if to suggest he could care less what I said or did in regards to him or his books.

And then he slowly pointed to the stack of books he had written and said,

“THAT’S NOT WHO I AM.”

There was another moment of silence between us as these words fell over me. It completely extinguished my internal re. I stood perplexed at his words, at his indi erence.

And then he put his hand down and looked at me squarely. And with a gentle sternness said:

“AND THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO THINGS I REALLY KNOW. GOD IS LOVE. (and again pointing to his books) THAT’S NOT WHO I AM.”

Then there was silence again. And with no other words, Calvin turned and walked o into the distance.

These words sunk into me. And then rather quickly they lit a re in me. It was like a match to gasoline. It was a re of justice, a re of rightness, or righteous anger. And I was no longer shy or cowering, and I rose up and let Calvin have it. I told him…”Oh that’s great, your going to say that NOW!…, but guess what? at’s not what your books said! ats not what you wrote! at’s not what you said! And that’s certainly not what you lived! And you know what? I’m going to show the truth of your perverted books, because most of what you’ve written doesn’t work with your statement just now. And what are you going to do about it! Huh? What are you gonna do about me exposing your work , your books, …as shit!” And then I woke up.

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