What are Germans good for?

People at college constantly ask me what I have against the Germans - is it the war?  Or just some crass bigotry on my part?  The answer is that I love Germans; if I didn't love Germans I couldn't enjoy living in the South Burnett (most of my neighbours are Germans).  Germans, however, are very different from the rest of us (especially if the rest of us happen to be Irish, like me).  Whereas I am a non-linear thinker, Germans are linear.  They are so linear that they are disappointed that they can't take short cuts in their linear thinking and get to the conclusion even quicker.  I enjoy the ride.  And the odd stop to admire the view along the way. 

But anyway, to demonstrate the reasons I love Germans I've put this post together.  Here goes.

1.  They invented lager.  The Irish are good at making Beer, too, but a light, intentionally cold beer like a lager, instead of a heavy, not always cold beer like stout, is much better in the Queensland climate.  It tastes good, too, especially in summer.  The Germans seem to be the best at making it - when I was in Africa the best beers were made by Germans, often from Namibia.

2.  Small goods.  The Germans have given us much in the way of small goods - cabana, wurst, smoked sausages, etc.  This goes together very nicely with their beer.  What would life be like without small goods? (Longer, perhaps, Morphy, but also deprived of a taste sensation).

3.  Armaments.  The readiest example of what I'm talking about here is the MG 42.  This was the German belt fed machine gun during WWII.  It was so good that the Americans copied it and called it the M 60.  The only trouble was that firstly, it was rubbish, and secondly, that the Australian Army bought them.  The Germans made them after the war and called them the MG 3, which was on the Leopard II tanks (which the Australian Army had until recently), and were very good.  Good design and good manufacture resulting in a good piece of equipment.  Germans have focus.  They don't do things by halves - they do things properly.

4.  Good farmers.  German dedication shows in the way they run their farms - neat, tidy, and well managed.  Germans know their stuff.  Some of them are resistant to change, but those that adopt new innovations do so with the precision and dedication that we expect from them.  They don't win every match, but they always land on their feet.  In the early days they often got the worst land but still managed to survive and do well on it, and they are still going strong today.

5.  Theology.  The Germans really went off the rails theologically in the 1800s, and have never really recovered.  In the last hundred years von Rad, Rendtorff and others have had some useful things to say about the Old Testament, but they have produced no strictly orthodox standouts in theology.  Until you look at their diaspora.  Geisler, Waltke and others from North America provide worthwhile reading which gives the liberals a run for their money.  Closer to home is my own principal, Bruce.  The second time I met him (our interview) something twigged me to him being of the Teutonic race - firstly his direct, dogmatic and insistent stand on all things evangelical and reformed, and then his physical appearance.  A couple of years ago I was having a polite debate with Mr Vonhof about the demise of contemporary German theology, and, (with the ascent of Mr Kristofel) asked 'When did you last produce an orthodox theologian?'
"Hmmm," thought Glen. "Its been a while, hasn't it.  I think it was probably Martin Luther." Checkmate.  They've always got to bring up kicking off the Reformation.  Still and all, the rest of us can be eternally grateful that they did. 

So, there are my first five examples of why I love Germans.  Think about it, and maybe you can come up with your own five reasons which make the Germans so lovable (even if you are German).  I'm not suggesting Germans are perfect (they did after all start two World Wars, and lost both of them, in spite of their very good gun-making ability - this represents a serious character flaw), just that there are many good things in what makes them different that compliments the rest of us.

Being serious

Presbyterians are serious people.  Many things are they serious about, but one of the things they are really serious about is the Bible. 

When you are among people who don't take the Bible as seriously as these guys do, and if you yourself don't take the Bible as seriously, then different things will matter.  But when you are serious about the Bible, and are among others who take it seriously, then certain issues and how you deal with them take a different style of dealing with.

Creation, for example.  Me, being someone who takes the Bible at face value (ie, a fundie, or, put differently, someone who believes what most orthodox Christians have always believed), was certainly in the minority in my old denomination.  They had grown beyond that sort of thing, you see, because the Bible was no longer the word of God and without error.  They were, however, 'tolerant', and that meant they were supposed to tolerate people like me with antiquated views of the Bible.  I never had anyone say anything to me about being 'wrong' (or even different) - perhaps it was rather quaint that some people still existed in the world who had those sort of beliefs, and they treated me a bit like the Tasmanian Tiger.

The New Presbyterians (and other evangelicals at college) are different.  Everyone has the same basic view of the Bible, so when we disagree on this or any of the other hot button issues, our battle ground is not opinion or personal preference but understanding and interpreting the word of God.  There are more people who think what I think than I am used to, but the people who don't think like I think are also more vocal about why they think I am wrong, and why I ought to change.

While this might be confronting in one way it is also reassuring in another - we are, despite our deep disagreements, actually in agreement about the important things like Christ, the atonement, and the nature of Scripture.  It also makes the little things into bigger things, however, because how we read the Bible effects these big, core beliefs.  A misreading on the periphery may lead to a misreading at the central core, and no one wants that.

We reformed people are serious, and we do serious things seriously.  Those who agree with my position on creation include those who deny the Trinity and Christ's once for all atoning work (Jehovah's Witnesses and Orthodox Jews), so we don't have a common fellowship of faith, merely of a deeply held conviction relating to our faith.  My view of creation isn't the only thing, let alone the main thing I want people to hear me talking about (unless it is their stumbling block in getting to Jesus).  Those who agree with my core theology yet disagree on this matter, however, need to understand how foundational it is both to the nature of God and his redemption of mankind.  Despite this, though, you are still my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus makes a big claim on our lives, and we should all follow him.  Seriously.