It’s kind of embarassing to talk about. It’s the kind of problem that no one wants to admit they’ve got. Yet, truth be told, most of us probably know someone with it. What am I talking about? E.D., electile dysfunction.

Patients with E.D. are usually easy to diagnose. The person with E.D. wants to talk about nothing but election and predestination. They could talk about it for hours at a time, all day long, if necessary. In fact, some do. While they may deny it, they’ve got E.D.

Another symptom of E.D. is a little more subtle. Remember, Christians with E.D. look and talk like the rest of us. But, if you look close, you might notice that wrist band doesn’t say WWJD but WWJCD (and we’re not talking about Jesus Christ).

People with E.D. have been known to name their pets “Luther,” “Calvin,” and “Zwingli.” Their first born has been anointed “Augustine.” If all is as one would hope, they’ve married a woman named “Geneva.”

The Christian with E.D. has a serious problem. The good news is that, in and of itself, E.D. is not fatal. Unfortunately, E.D. has been known to kill churches but that’s not the fault of the theology but the professor. Thus, what should be an annoying little problem must be dealt with a little more aggressively (though not as aggressively as some would suggest; we don’t need to kill those who suffer with E.D. and we don’t need to eradicate some alleged source).

I propose two remedies for the typical case of E.D. The first remedy is prayer. We need to pray for those with E.D. We need to ask God to give these people wisdom and discernment. We need to beseech God to grant them maturity. The second remedy is usually closely associated with the first. We need patience. We need to bear with E.D. sufferers as they work through what is usually a new discovery for them. We need to be longsuffering as they continue to insist on sharing their condition with us. Remember, spiritual maturity by definition takes time. Time and the Bible will correct most cases of E.D. without the use of further drastic measures.

E.D. is a real problem. E.D. will not go away by itself. But, E.D. is not the enemy, either. E.D. is an awkward stage of life that many budding theologs must suffer through. Those whom E.D. does not destroy, E.D. will eventually make stronger and wiser. Until then, let’s trust God to do His work among us.

This entry is filed under The Believer, Theology.

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