When you approach the level of dogmatics and intraconfessional theological writing, that’s where the real sparks start to fly. For instance, John Frame (professor of systematic theology at RTS) wrote an article called “Law and Gospel” that could basically be summarized “Lutherans are crass idiots who write crappy confessions and wouldn’t know a passage of Scripture if it punched them in the face.” A Calvinist who’s really steeped in his Turretin and Berkhof knows how to make a Lutheran’s blood boil in about two sentences. To be fair, it’s been an entirely reciprocal relationship. If you don’t have a beer in hand while you read Pieper or Walther, you’ll come away convinced that all non-Lutheran Christians simply run around in circles all day while setting their own pants on fire and singing “Row Your Boat” backward (you know you do).

FWIW, the Calvinists I write against with the most vehemence on my own blog are the ones that regard Mike Horton and Kim Riddlebarger as “too Lutheran” and essentially traitors to the Reformed faith (apparently, they don’t put enough emphasis on the Law and “take justification out of its covenantal context”). Personally, I really like Dr Horton. He’s a nice guy, a good writer, and a good theologian. Most of the Lutherans I know who have heard/read him are really quite fond of him. That really, really bothers certain Calvinists.

Oh, and I’m twenty-TWO. I’m still young enough that I don’t round to the nearest decade.