Salvation Panic

The problem of pre-destination and unconditional election is the central theme of the Matthew Shardlake book. Young Adam Kite is committed to the Bedlam – the lunatic asylum in London – a place where few people who went in ever emerged – His family had him committed because he wouldn’t or couldn’t stop praying, begging God to assure him that he was one of the elect – one of those chosen by God before time. He couldn’t eat, sleep or hold a conversation because he was gripped by what the book calls Salvation panic. The dread that he had not been chosen – that he was sinful, wicked and therefore he just couldn’t be chosen by God His parents were good so surely they were among the elect and his preacher certainly was – but him, no matter how much he wanted God he was sure God didn’t want him and that it was obvious that he wasn’t one of those chosen from before time began.

This is a work of fiction but what was going on in Adam’s head – the whole issue of salvation panic or salvation anxiety is fact. The records of 17th Century therapists give detailed accounts of cases of ‘salvation panic’. A phenomenon brought about both by the Calvinist teaching that God has already divided mankind into the saved and the damned and because people had read the book of revelation for the first time. Histories of the great revival or awakening in colonial America in the 18th Century record many examples of suicides by people who had come to believe they were counted amongst the damned and there was nothing they could do to change their eternal destination – they just gave up because they felt all was hopeless.

Many Christians through the last 400 years have suffered extreme anxiety and doubt, not knowing whether they were truly among the elect or not. Most Churches told members that if they kept the Commandments and lived reasonably well, they were probably among the elect. Good works became a way of demonstrating to yourself and others that you had been chosen by God. Although that contradicted Calvin’s teaching that suggested if you weren’t one of the elect – then no amount of works would matter. Of course mixed up in all of this are elements of truth. And reading that book made an impression on me not because it exposed the extreme implication of Calvinism on peoples faith, no, I was fascinated by the historical account of a time when people would actually be so utterly concerned for their own eternal salvation. Salvation anxiety was real – but it isn’t something we see today much, is it?

In the past we were quick as a church to tell others that they weren’t going to heaven – obviously utterly convicted of our own eternal destination. I’ll never again be so presumptuous to make such a judgment – but how confident are we of our own choosing? How confident are we of our own individual salvation? How do we convince others around us that they NEED to be concerned about their eternal destination and that they will one way or the other choose whether they are among the saved or the damned?