Praying your theology

On the way to work this morning, I was listening to JI Packer's lecture on the Modern Church in his series on Anglican Theology. For the most part, Packer is too evangelical for me and has a Puritan bias which shows through too often. My association with evangelicalism would be much looser. This lecture, however, was great.

In one section, he was speaking of the dictum "lex orandi, lex credendi" (or vice versa--whatever appeals to you), and he spoke of Paul Tillich, who apparently once said something along the lines of "There must be something wrong with my theology; I can't pray it."

Packer then spoke of this being the problem with Calvinism and Arminianism.

The consistent Calvinist prayer goes something like, "God, we ask you to move the heart of my friend Jim, but you already know this since you ordained me to pray it, and you had already decided it since it was in your pre-ordained will before you created time..."

The consistent Arminian prayer is, "Lord, we ask you to move the heart of Jim, but we know that human decision is the deciding factor, and that you won't move his heart in a special way because you want him to have free will..."

Both prayers are problematic. Can you pray your theology?