First a protestant, then a catholic, on what divides us, and what unites us. There are still some issues to be resolved. Much more at each link.
There used to be a time when your loyalty to the Protestant cause was judged by how much you hated Catholics. But today, with all the ecumenical dialogue, the Manhattan statements, the ECT council, and the postmodern virtue of tolerance, people are much more willing to let water under the bridge. “Maybe we overreacted” is the thought of many.
To the Catholics, Protestants are no longer anathema (which is pretty bad), but are “separated brethren” (which is not so bad).
Times are changing. But have the issues changed?
Hermeneutics and the Authority of Scripture
It is my pleasure to be able to write on a subject where we as Catholics share so much common ground with our Reformed brothers, and even with most Evangelicals. In fact, it is no small thing that we agree upon foundational truths contra mundum in a time when even many Christians deny them.
This article intends to show that, though Protestants agree with the Catholic Church on the basic truths about Scripture and its authority, the Reformed view of Scripture errs in three respects: in its assumption about the canon of Scripture, in its view of the authority of Scripture, and in its view of the role of Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church. These errors are harmful to the faith, and the truth proclaimed by the Catholic Church about its Sacred books is the perfect corrective. I will begin this examination of the authority of Sacred Scripture with our points of agreement.
There is cause for hope in eventual Christian unity, I think. We have a ways to go, however. And the eventual rapprochement will necessarily involve both sides giving up something non-essential, for the sake of the essentials.
December 11th, 2009 8:18 pm
“Reformed view of Scripture errs in three respects: in its assumption about the canon of Scripture, in its view of the authority of Scripture, and in its view of the role of Sacred Scripture in the life of the Church.”
With comments like this, there is little chance of a reconciliation, IMHO.
I am interested in hearing your opinion on what the non-essentials might be.
December 11th, 2009 8:31 pm
Easier to state the essentials:
The Trinity. Jesus’ life/death/resurrection. The Scriptures are true. Salvation by grace via faith in Jesus’ atonement. The church is real, and it is us.
Maybe some combination of the Apostle’s creed and a couple of other things for clarification.
There are MANY points of agreement in all this between evangelicals and Roman Catholics.
The points of disagreement are not things that the scripture discusses in great detail, or so it seems to me.
Roughly speaking, evangelicals are in some danger of worshipping the Bible more than God/Jesus/Spirit, and Roman Catholics are in some danger of worshipping the Church and its traditions more than God/Jesus/Spirit. If each side could loosen its grip just a bit, there is a place in the middle to acknowledge that things which are not in scripture cannot be essential, and yet things which come down to us via long tradition have some value, as long as they don’t conflict with scripture.
But we have quite far to go yet.