This is the beginning. I've been thinking recently about the proliferation in evangelicalism of the theology of the open door, and felt the need to address it to the faithful few. This will not be a systematic approach, because these are preliminary thoughts, but it will, i hope, be at least thought-provoking. And so, we begin.

I grew up in the church. I grew up listening to guest speakers and to visiting pastors. Mostly I remember the missionaries. I remember them coming to my church and telling me (us) that they never believed they would be missionaries, but they prayed, and they saw that God had opened a door, and so they went. And I always thought that would be so great. If God would only open a door for me to do what I wanted to do.

This view of God, the God of the Open Door, pictures life as an enormous version of that MXC (most extreme elimination challenge) challenge- where the contestant has to run through a huge maze with doors connecting cells, kind of like a honeycomb. They don't know where the doors lead, and they don't know where the enemy is (who is usually dressed as a huge, shaggy anime character for some bizarre reason i can't figure out yet). God is, in this view, the cosmic camera, showing an overhead view of the maze. God looks down on this maze, sees where it is we're supposed to be (in "His" divine plan for our lives) and then cheats for us - that is, shows us the way out. God can see the shaggy anime devils hiding in their respective cells, and if we pray hard enough, God will ensure we do not encounter them, but only "open doors."

This view of God is attractive. It's attractive for us because it relegates all of our decision-making to God, and requires nothing of us in return but that we walk through the door. This theology does not force us to walk according to "God's will for my life" but instead gives us a marvelous map of where exactly we need to be, how to get there, and then requires us to pray only for the strength to go through. Isn't that wonderful?

The only problem with this kind of theology is that it's horrifically unbiblical, and lulls the believer in Christ into a sense of irresponsibility and apathy which is truly (in the other view that we'll discuss) reprehensible. While the biblical account of God's interaction with humanity does, it is true, include what seems to be the open door, it rarely does so. More often, the accomplishment of God's will requires uncertainty, sacrifice, and horrible moments of indecision, blood, sweat, and tears.

I think of Paul. God wanted Paul to preach the gospel. Instead of opening the door, God slams the window closed, and Paul is blinded. Shipwrecked. Beaten. Imprisoned. Paul, i'm positive, believed that God was leading him. What Paul most certainly did not believe was that the way was easy, or that God was "clearing the path" before him as some sort of cosmic jungle trailblazer, hacking through opposition with the flaming machete of divine providence.

Take Joseph. God certainly opened doors for him. The door of the well. The door of Potiphar's wife. The door of the prison. Joseph's life, while blessed and led by God, was certainly not easy, and the way was certainly not clear.

Though examples abound, I will not expound further. Indeed, in Scripture, we encounter God directing the lives of humans in marvelous ways. Rarely, though, does God make things easy. Rarely do those led by God breeze their way through tricky situations.

Another difficulty with such a theology is that it does not help in situations that are open-ended. I have been told since a very early age that I was intelligent. The possibilities, it was said, before you are endless. And in many cases, that was true. Often times, a door did not open. A door did not open. ALL doors opened. What to do now, God, that I can go twelve different directions? What a terrible choice. And yet, I did make a decision. I sought out the people of God, discussed the matter with intelligent, Godly people, and made a decision.

What do we do with open-door theology? I suggest we toss it out an open window, and reclaim a biblical theology of God as sovereign and humans as responsible. What this will look like, I'll have to explore later.