July 23, 2006> 10:11 AM
friends Here's a thought for you. Do you suspect that Pelagius (left) and Augustine there (right) were friends in their off time? I mean when they were done writing letters and treatises against the theology of the other, could or would they have hung out and had some mead together?
I'd be very surprised if this was the case. It's not as if all either one of them did was fight the other or the other's ideas about innate fallen sinfulness and the nature of Grace and man's free will and ability. I'm sure they both were doing other things in their lives as Priests and Christians. But, my impression is that what they each were "fighting" for or against, they thought of as extremely important. Each one thought the other's view to be dangerous in some way to the welfare of the Christian person. So, buddies? No, I don't think so. Something to think about.
Don't mis-hear me here. I don't think we're talking about people harbouring hate and wishing harm to the other. But we are definitely not talking about two people who had any notion of anything like "that's cool man, there's room for lots of different views here as long as we love each other and just focus on Jesus." Not hardly. Not about the level of what they disagreed about. An important part of their focusing on Jesus was that Jesus be known for Who He actually IS so that the relationship one has with God is genuine and not a fabrication which has no substance.
I'm not ready to get all into this right now, but it seems, and this isn't all that new, our dear Pelagius and some like him are being resurrected and canonized in the eyes of many Christians. We forget too easily the counsel of the whole Church.