tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-225759562024-03-18T22:50:10.777-05:00Love Each StoneAssorted thoughts on missions, culture, and working with God to rebuild the spiritual Zion.
"We, your servants, love each stone in the city, and we are sad to see them lying in the dirt."
Psalm 102.14 (Contemporary English Version)David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.comBlogger275125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-92089990720186649172023-11-09T11:47:00.006-06:002023-11-09T20:09:23.406-06:00A Moral Minority<p>Recent election and polling results are making it more and
more obvious (if it wasn’t already) that any pretensions to a moral majority in
the US are an illusion. The strategy of attempting to cobble together a coalition
of disparate morally guided Americans to steer the political and cultural
direction of our country has been tried and found wanting. The harsh reality is
that, at this time in our country’s history, the majority is not guided by
anything remotely resembling biblical morality and ethics.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But from my perspective, this problem was baked into the
cake from the git-go. The art of politics in a representative democracy like
the United States necessarily entails compromise. To govern a society comprised
of people from different backgrounds with different ideological presuppositions, it’s necessary to find the right balance of give and take to arrive at a happy
medium that will alienate as few of the general population as possible. But
Christian discipleship is about absolute loyalty to the lordship of Jesus. And
while faithful discipleship, properly understood, necessarily entails heart attitudes
such as kindness, civility, and reasonableness, it doesn’t leave the door open
to moral compromise. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As Christians, we’re engaged in full-out spiritual warfare. But
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, and we don’t wrestle against flesh-and-blood
enemies. In the material world in which we live, however, we also face the tragic
reality of physical warfare fighting human adversaries with flesh-and-blood
victims. To deal with the thorny implications of this reality, thoughtful
Christians over the centuries have delineated a series of principles that have
come to be known as Just War Theory. One of the principles of Just War Theory
is that a war, to be considered just, must not only be fought for a just cause and
a just goal, but must also have a realistic chance of reaching that goal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not claiming here that Just War Theory is infallible or
a perfect guide for life in general. But I do think that wise minds over the
centuries have reflected on these issues and weighed them in the crucible of
God’s Word to the degree that there’s good reason to suppose that there are
some principles there that are worth considering. The point I’m coming to is
this: In the culture war and/or spiritual war that we as Christians are
fighting, the principle of “a realistic chance of reaching the goal” should be taken
into consideration.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m not saying that culture war and spiritual war are the
same thing. They’re not. There’s some overlap—but in the end, we’ll not win
spiritual battles with political/cultural weapons. And in my opinion, a large contingent
of American Evangelicals have been trying to do just that over the past several
decades. And the chickens of the futility of that approach are now coming home
to roost. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">From my understanding of Christian theology and eschatology,
the existence of a moral majority is a chimera. Jesus told us way back in the
beginning that the path of truth is narrow, and few are those who find it. The
world’s not getting progressively better. And approaches based on a presumption
of a moral majority are doomed to backfire. </p><p class="MsoNormal">I believe that’s what we’re seeing
now in American culture. A key case in point is that, despite the recent
Supreme Court reversal of Roe v. Wade, in state after state the pro-life
convictions of the public are showing themselves too weak to stem the rising tide
of abortion culture. Abortion is not the only example. Far from it. But it’s a
good case in point on which Bible-believing Christians can generally agree. We
could also talk about racism or corruption or any number of other issues.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">One proposed response to this reality is the so-called Benedict
Option. Based on the book by the same name written by Rod Dreher, this approach
suggests a temporary retreat from the culture wars with the purpose of
regrouping and shoring up the values of the moral and faith community with a
view to preparing for a better-resourced assault on the forces of worldly immorality
at some time in the future. To a certain degree, from a human perspective, this
approach makes sense. But ultimately, I think it’s still based on the false
premise that Jesus has promised us victory in the culture war in this already-but-not-yet
stage of the divine economy in which we now live or that He’s called us to wage
our spiritual warfare from the perspective of that presupposition or aspiration.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The truth is that we in America and around the world are not
going back to pre-Enlightenment Christendom. And even if we could, I’m not so
sure that would be a good thing. The same goes for the God-and-Country blend of
civil religion and cultural Christianity of 1950s America. Those days are not
coming back. The writing’s on the wall. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">But here’s the important point: The spiritual battle of the
blood-bought Church of Christ has not been lost! Indeed, we have the promise of
Jesus that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it! The final chapter of
the epic of redemption has been written, and in the end, we win! But the battle
we’re fighting is more than anything else the battle for the souls of men, women,
boys, and girls. It’s the battle of making disciples from among every nation,
tribe, language, and people, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, and teaching them to faithfully obey the commands of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">To be certain, some of these commands have to do with matters of sexual morality.
Some of them have to do with economic justice. Some of them have to do with
treating fellow image-bearers of God with the inherent respect they deserve. And
some of the ways we carry out these commands may well call for participation in
certain political and cultural initiatives. So, I’m not suggesting a total
divorce of spiritual discipleship from responsible citizenship. What I’m saying
is that as a moral minority in this world in which we live, we’re called to a
counter-cultural approach to spiritual warfare. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While with all likelihood we should take a more chastened
view of the viability of occupying seats of power and influence in secular
society, we shouldn’t adopt a quietist approach toward the fundamental
objectives that fuel our battle as the People of God. We’re to fight more
fiercely than ever the battle for the souls of men! More than ever, we’re to love the Lord our
God with ALL our heart, mind, soul, and strength! We’re to go right on loving our neighbors as
ourselves! And we’re to go to extreme means to excel in the love we show! We’re
to have high standards of morality and ethics regarding our personal behavior
and the causes and movements we support. We shouldn’t lower the bar with a view
to building a broad enough coalition to win elections and/or to get our foot in
the door of one of the Seven Mountains of Cultural Influence. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When the carrots of seats of power or influence are dangled
before our eyes, the temptation to reach out and grab them can be strong. When it seems they're right there within reach, the temptation can be even stronger. But
in the Kingdom of God, a faithful moral minority is more valuable and ultimately
more effective than a compromised “moral” majority. <o:p></o:p></p>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-82506918026323110912023-10-31T10:47:00.001-05:002023-10-31T11:44:16.332-05:00An Evangelical Perspective on Roman Catholicism and Christian Unity
INTRODUCTION<div><br /></div><div>In order to gain a broad understanding and appreciation from an evangelical perspective [1] of the theory and practice of Christian unity, it is necessary to trace, beyond an exclusively scriptural approach, the development of the concept of Christian unity throughout church history. Although contributions from early post-apostolic Christian sources have left their mark in one way or another on the views of Christians from all branches of Christendom, Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox faithful depend in a more significant way on these contributions (not to mention later ones) than do Evangelical Protestants, who, in keeping with the Reformation principle of <i>sola Scriptura</i>, base their belief system on Scripture alone as over against Scripture and extra-biblical tradition. In this paper I will focus specifically on the historical development of the Roman Catholic approach to unity, culminating in a summary of current Catholic teaching and thought on unity, points of agreement and disagreement with Evangelicals, and some reflections on how all of the above impinges on Catholic relations and ecumenical dialogue with Evangelicals. </div><div><br /></div><div>THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CATHOLIC THOUGHT ON UNITY</div><div><br /></div><div>According to John Hammett, “The single most influential statement concerning the church from history comes in the line from the Nicene Creed giving the four classical <i>notae</i> of the church: unity or oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity. These four marks are the starting point for many discussions of the church and are widely accepted by both Protestants and Catholics.” [2] Although both Protestants and Catholics generally agree that the Church of Jesus Christ is indeed one, holy, catholic, and apostolic, these terms do not have the same connotations and implications for different groups of Christians. To understand the meaning of these terms from a Catholic perspective, we must understand the historical context in which they have developed. Depending on the perspective one takes with regard to the evidence, it is possible to trace either a progression of specificity with regard to already implicit elements of the traditional Catholic understanding of Christian unity—such as apostolic succession, monarchical episcopacy, the primacy of “the chair of Peter,” and the primacy of Rome—or the spontaneous emergence of more and more new and previously unknown elements at various points of history.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Clement of Rome (1st century AD–99 or 101)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the earliest post-apostolic sources contributing to this development of the Catholic understanding of unity is Clement, regarded by Catholic tradition as the third Bishop of Rome. [3] He wrote his epistle to the church of Corinth in order to reprimand several church members for their lack of submission to duly appointed church leaders. In order to bolster the authority of these leaders in the eyes of his readers, Clement states that the original bishops and deacons of the church were appointed by the apostles, and that these, in a similar way, appointed their successors “with the consent of the whole Church” (<i>1 Clement</i> 44:3). Though it is not clear that Clement saw these local church leaders as having authority beyond the scope of their own congregation, later interpreters have found in Clement early support for a full-blown theory of apostolic succession. [4] Clement, however, does not regard the presbyters of the church at Corinth (which are plural in number) [5] as independent operators, but rather urges those who are in rebellion not only to submit to their leaders but also to “obey the commands of the people” (<i>1 Clement</i> 54:2).</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Ignatius of Antioch (ca. 35 or 50–between 9<span style="font-family: times;">8</span> and 11<span style="font-family: times;">7</span>)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Ignatius of Antioch, a contemporary of Clement, “emphasizes unity more than any other Christian author in the first or second century.” [6] Ignatius makes a clear distinction between three different leadership roles in the church: bishop, presbyter, and deacon. He closely links the idea of unity in the local church to submission to and cooperation with the bishop of that church. [7] That the view of church government set forth in the epistles of Ignatius is representative of the church of his time, however, is not quite so clear. As Kenneth J. Howell observes:</div><div><blockquote>No one doubts that Ignatius of Antioch expressed a hierarchical view of the church with a threefold structure of bishops, presbyters, and deacons. The question is why he held this view and how widespread it was in early Christianity. The answer to the question of why Ignatius sees the structure of the church as he does and of what importance that episcopal structure holds for modern views of the church remains of vital practical importance. [8]</blockquote>
There is evidence that Ignatius’ model of a monarchical episcopate (rule by the bishop alone) may not have been universally accepted at the time he wrote his epistles. While in each of his other epistles he makes reference to the bishop of the church to whom it is addressed, in his epistle to the church at Rome he makes no such reference. [9] In addition, it is curious that Polycarp, the companion of Ignatius, and recipient, as the supposed Bishop of Smyrna, of one of his epistles, when writing his own epistle to the Christians in Philippi, does not refer to himself as bishop of the church of Smyrna, but rather addresses his epistle simply as from “Polycarp and the Elders with him,” [10] and, while acknowledging approvingly the epistles of Ignatius, [11] does not echo his insistence on a three-tiered leadership structure nor a monarchical episcopate. [12]</div><div><br /></div><div>It seems that Ignatius’ true concern was maintaining both the purity of the gospel and the unity of the church, and that at the time the sensible way to do both appeared to him to be through the system of monarchical episcopacy. Glenn Hinson, however, adds the following important insight: “Ignatius did not anticipate the problem which soon became manifest—that is, heretical bishops. For his day, however, he gave the best answer he could.” [13]</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to his emphasis on submission to the bishop and the presbyters, another important observation from the epistles of Ignatius is the fact that he also linked unity to mutual participation in the celebration of the Eucharist, provided it was duly carried out under the supervision of the bishop. [14] This idea that the validity of sacraments hinges upon the administration of duly ordained clergy would later play a prominent role in the Novatianist and Donatist controversies of the third and fourth centuries.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Irenaeus of Lyons (2nd century AD–ca. 202)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Another factor contributing to the developing Catholic concept of Christian unity was the appearance of new heresies among the churches and the corresponding need to divide between those who were regarded as within the bounds of approved Christianity and those who were not. Irenaeus of Lyons, in his work <i>Against Heresies</i>, conjoined the concepts of church unity and catholicity, claiming the existence of one common belief system among all the approved groups of Christians scattered throughout the world. [15] This set of common beliefs enumerated by Irenaeus encompassed basic doctrines accepted equally today by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant Christians. [16]</div><div><br /></div><div>In the context of denouncing the teachings of heretics such as Valentinus, Marcion, Cerinthus, and Basilides, Irenaeus references the argument put forth by his opponents that Scripture is at times hard to understand and may be interpreted in different ways, but those who are privy to the oral traditions handed down to them by the apostles (i.e., they themselves) will be most likely to have the correct interpretation. It is in answer to this argument that Irenaeus claims that those most likely to correctly represent the teaching of the apostles are not his opponents, but rather those who can be demonstrated to be in a direct chain of succession of presbyters of the churches personally founded by the apostles. [17] As an example of one local congregation in which, according to him, there was such a clearly demonstrable chain of succession, Irenaeus points to the church of Rome, claiming “it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church, on account of its preeminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere, inasmuch as the apostolic tradition has been preserved continuously by those [faithful men] who exist everywhere.” [18] It is important to note, however, that he references the church of Rome (and its supposed bishops) as only one example among others, and specifically includes Polycarp and the church of Ephesus as other examples worthy of emulation. [19]</div><div><br /></div><div>Irenaeus himself, however, did not always submit to the opinions of the bishop of Rome, as is made evident in the following quote from the early church historian Eusebius:
<blockquote>Thereupon Victor, who presided over the church at Rome, immediately attempted to cut off from the common unity the parishes of all Asia, with the churches that agreed with them, as heterodox; and he wrote letters and declared all the brethren there wholly excommunicate. But this did not please all the bishops. And they besought him to consider the things of peace, and of neighborly unity and love. Words of theirs are extant, sharply rebuking Victor. Among them was Irenaeus, who, sending letters in the name of the brethren in Gaul over whom he presided, maintained that the mystery of the resurrection of the Lord should be observed only on the Lord’s day. He fittingly admonishes Victor that he should not cut off whole churches of God which observed the tradition of an ancient custom. . .” [20]</blockquote>
There also appears to be some discrepancy between some of what Ireneaus writes and the record of the New Testament. While he claims that the church at Rome was founded by Peter and Paul, [21] it is clear that Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans to the already existing church in Rome before he had ever been there. In addition, various historians have called into question the existence of a monarchical episcopate in Rome prior to the second half of the second century. For example, Peter Lampe, whose work <i>Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries</i> has been acclaimed as “the most important historical and sociological study ever written on Roman Christianity,” [22] maintains, on the basis of meticulous archaeological and documentary analysis, that,
<blockquote>Before the second half of the second century there was in Rome no monarchical episcopacy for the circles mutually bound in fellowship. . . . A plurality of presbyters leads Roman Christianity. This Christianity, conscious of spiritual fellowship within the city, is summed up under the concept “ecclesia,” but that changes nothing in regard to the plurality of those presiding over it. [23]</blockquote>
According to Lampe, the lists of Roman bishops composed by Irenaeus, and earlier by Hegesippus, are with all likelihood projections into the past, based on their reading contemporary circumstances back into former times, and taking the names of elders or presbyters of individual house churches and presenting them as bishops of the entire Christian community in Rome. [24]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Cyprian of Carthage (3rd Century AD–258)</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The writings of Cyprian are another key foundational plank in the historical development of the Catholic understanding of Christian unity. By the time of Cyprian, the institution of the monarchical episcopacy, together with the three-tiered leadership structure defended by Ignatius, was firmly entrenched throughout the bulk of Christendom. [25] After persecution under the reign of Decius, however, there was much debate among Christians over the proper response to those who had given in to the demands of persecutors and offered a sacrifice to the emperor or had publicly renounced their devotion to Christ (the <i>lapsi</i>), and later desired to return to the fellowship of the church. With some bishops taking a more lenient position and others a stricter one on the possibility of restoration and the requirements for readmittance into church fellowship, mutual accusations were launched regarding who represented the true church and who the false one. Novatian, who took a stricter position on the <i>lapsi</i> than Cornelius, the newly elected bishop of Rome, was able to convince three other bishops to consecrate him as the “true bishop of Rome,” a position he claimed for seven years with the support of a minority faction. The so-called “heresy” of Novatian did not have to do with any major point of doctrine, such as those spelled out in the creeds of the early church, but rather with his insistence on circumventing the authority structure of the Roman church and his denial of the ability of the church, through its officially approved priests and bishops, to pronounce absolution of sin.</div><div><br /></div><div>It was in the midst of this context of rivalry and intrigue, with controversy swirling on every side, that Cyprian wrote his best-known work, <i>On the Unity of the Church</i>. In it he recounts and brings to bear various biblical injunctions in favor of unity and proposes criteria for determining who is truly walking in the path of unity and who is not. Although at this time there was no developed organizational infrastructure of the worldwide church, per se, and Christendom was comprised of a simple network of believers who gathered in individual congregations, each with its own local leaders, for Cyprian it was important to regard the composite of believers around the world as one Church and not as autonomous entities. [26] Thus, those who were part of the true Church were those who were in visible fellowship with the others who were also a part of the true Church. Those who separated themselves, even though they might continue to call themselves Christians, and give lip service to Christian unity and doctrine, were not a part of the Church. [27] This was the context of Cyprian’s famous statement that “He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother” (<i>On the Unity of the Church</i> 6).</div><div><br /></div><div>On the basis of several quotations, Catholic apologists have held up Cyprian as an early source in support of the idea that the bishop of Rome as occupant of the Chair of Peter is a determining factor in deciding who is in communion with the Catholic Church and who is not. Since he comes before the legalization of Christianity at the time of Constantine and the subsequent union of church and state under the reign of Theodosius and is thus unstained with the corresponding political motives of that era for recognizing a special role for the bishops of Rome, there is good reason to pay close attention to what Cyprian wrote and the underlying circumstances behind what he wrote. (28]</div><div><br /></div><div>Although embellished in some editions by the interpolations of later editors, making it seem as if he were saying more than he really was, the best-known text of Cyprian allegedly supporting the primacy of Peter and of Rome is from chapter 4 of <i>On the Unity of the Church</i>. [29] An additional reference comes from Cyprian’s <i>Epistle 54</i>:
<blockquote>After such things as these, moreover, they still dare—a false bishop having been appointed for them by heretics—to set sail and to bear letters from schismatic and profane persons to the throne of Peter, and to the chief Church whence priestly unity takes its source; and not to consider that these were the Romans whose faith was praised in the preaching of the apostle, to whom faithlessness could have no access (<i>Epistle 54</i>, 14).</blockquote>
Catholic apologists such as Bryan Cross have made much of these passages from Cyprian, seeing in them the foundation for later Catholic pretensions:</div><div><blockquote>St. Cyprian isn’t claiming that Rome merely happens to have been protected from error. He is making a much stronger claim, namely, that breaches of faith <b>have no possible access</b> to the Church at Rome, and the basis for this protection is the presence in Rome of the chair of Peter from which priestly unity has its source. In other words, for St. Cyprian, it is not merely an historical accident (<i>de facto</i>) that the Church at Rome happens to have avoided heresy from the time of St. Paul until his own time; there is a principled reason (<i>de jure</i>) for the Church at Rome being divinely protected from breaches in faith, and it has to do with the presence in Rome of the Chair of St. Peter, and the divinely established role of St. Peter as the source of unity among all the priests of the universal Church. [30]</blockquote></div><div>There is good reason, however, for taking these claims with a grain of salt. It is possible to interpret Cyprian’s meaning here as referring not to a judicial authority of Rome but rather merely to a place of honor, respect, or voluntary deference, due to its antiquity.</div><div><br /></div><div>After Cornelius was exiled by the emperor Gallus, he was succeeded as bishop of Rome by Lucius, and then by Stephen, who adopted a more lenient position regarding the requirement of rebaptism for those who had been baptized by supposed heretical groups such as the Novatianists. Cyprian, however, strongly opposed the lenient position of Stephen and actively campaigned against it. Spanish Evangelical scholar José Grau, commenting on this situation, makes the following observation:</div><div><blockquote>Any bishop could address the Church of Rome on a peer-to-peer basis, as a colleague, and ask that they amend their personal opinion over a matter on which other Churches had expressed a different opinion. Of course, in the same way that Rome could not impose her decisions upon the rest of the Christian communities, neither could these decisions demand a change of attitude or opinion from Rome if Rome did not agree to it of her own accord. We should never forget the historic context of each event. The Church of the third century, eminently episcopal and conciliar, found its unity expressed in the mutual communication and free interchange between the different communities. [31]</blockquote></div><div>Catholic historian Julio Campos sheds additional light on the background of Cyprian’s writing:
<blockquote>For him (Cyprian), then, the chair of Peter is the rallying point of mutual agreement among bishops. He has a certain attitude of respectful deference, as though he ought to notify Cornelius of Rome on matters of great importance . . . this deference to communicate to Rome the serious consequences of Carthage is not a jurisdictional recognition, but rather a matter of conventional courtesy, which notifies other bishops, but above all the first bishop of Christendom, showing him preferential treatment with respect to others. . . This way of doing things manifested itself spontaneously and purposefully in the controversy over the baptism of heretics with Pope Stephen, against whose pretensions of imposing his way [Cyprian] fought, and with his energetic attitude drew along with him the Church of Africa. To support his attitude, he tries to demonstrate that Christ, when he addressed Peter, was only referring to the unity of the Church; that is, that the power attributed to Peter was also granted to all the apostles and from them passed on to the bishops, as is laid out in <i>De Unitate</i>. We must therefore conclude and deduce that Cyprian conceded to the church of Rome and her bishop a primacy, but a primacy of antiquity and preeminence of honor, not of jurisdiction and power. Certainly, the nature and limits of this general preeminence were neither clear nor defined, but from its evangelical seed, that he [Cyprian] himself adduces several times, will continue to germinate and become established as a visible sign and center of the unity of the universal Church, of which he was a staunch defender. [32]</blockquote>
In addition, Firmilian, the bishop of Caesarea Machaca, and confidant of Cyprian, refers to Stephen in his epistle directed to Cyprian and the Council of Carthage with language that makes crystal clear his disagreement with the bishop of Rome, and casts the claims of Cross and other Catholic apologists regarding the position of Cyprian in a whole new light. [33]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Impact of Constantine</b></div><div><br /></div><div>With the accession of Constantine to the emperorship in 306, and his subsequent “conversion” to Christianity, the persecution of Christians came to a halt. In his quest to unite the empire, it was in Constantine’s interest to promote a united Christian Church. It was also in his interest that this unity be centered in Rome. Constantine showed special favoritism to Christian bishops and conferred positions of secular responsibility upon many, but he also expected, in return, the right to meddle in Church matters. [34] As a result, Roman patterns of governance rapidly began to infiltrate Christendom. Also, as a tool for promoting greater unity and uniformity, Constantine and subsequent Roman emperors encouraged the Church to more clearly define its position on secondary points of doctrine and practice. [35]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Councils and Creeds</b></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the most important contributions of Constantine for the development of Catholic thought on Christian unity was the convocation of the Council of Nicaea, and the issuance of the Nicene Creed that was debated and approved during the sessions of the Council. Although the so-called “Apostles Creed” dates back a few years earlier, it was not used uniformly in all the churches as was the Nicene Creed, which served not only as a dividing line between the doctrine of the true Church and that of the heretics (most notably, in this case, the ever-increasingly rampant heresy of Arianism), but also as a common point of reference uniting all groups of Christians recognized as forming part of the official state-recognized Church. [36] It is important to note, however, that the creeds of the Church are not all-encompassing in their delineation of correct doctrine. As Cross observes, “The Church has never believed that heresy consisted only in denial of one or more articles of the ecumenical creeds. Pelagianism, for example, is a heresy even though it is not ruled out by the ecumenical creeds. And there are many other examples of heresies recognized by the universal Church as heresies, but which are not ruled out by the ecumenical creeds.” [37] The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical or universal Church council, and thus set the stage for what would be a key feature of Christendom, guiding the life of the Church for centuries to come. [38]</div><div><br /></div><div>In time, the calling of ecumenical councils came to be linked in Catholic doctrine with the authority of the Pope. This link, however, was not so clearly established at the beginning. According to Catholic canon law, there are three conditions for a council to be considered as truly ecumenical: it must be called by the Pope; it must be presided by the Pope or a representative of the Pope; and it must be confirmed by the authority of the Pope. The only councils that meet these conditions, however, are those recognized exclusively by the Roman Church itself and not the early councils of a united Christendom, which were all convoked by the reigning emperor of Rome without consulting the bishop of the Roman church. [39] Athanasius, the great theologian whose decisive input left its mark on the council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed, did not depend on the Pope. As Grau observes, “Athanasius appeals to Scripture, to the early fathers, to the councils, and above all, to Nicaea, but never to the infallible judgment of the bishop of Rome. . . . Athanasius was not only ignorant of the infallible magisterium of the Roman bishop, but also of his supremacy and jurisdiction.” [40]</div><div><br /></div><div>In the following years, however, references linking church unity to the primacy of Peter and Rome increasingly appear in quotes of a wide array of key Church leaders, such as Damasus (382), Ambrose (388), Augustine (396, 397, 400), Boniface (422), and others. [41] From the time of Constantine, it might well be expected that more and more emphasis be given to the Chair of Peter, incarnated in the bishop of Rome, as a rallying point around which the visible unity of the Catholic Church was centered. This process does not come to full flower, however, until the papacy of Leo I (440–461). </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Leo I and the Full-blown Papacy</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Among the factors that led to a more central role in Christendom for the bishop of Rome was the evangelization of barbarian tribes from the north of Europe, who tended to view Rome as the mother church and the bishop of Rome as the chief of the Christian bishops. [42] Increasingly audacious claims to a unique authority by Innocent I (401–417), Boniface I (418–422), and Celestinus I (422–432) paved the way for Leo I, who, according to Grau, “picked up all this heritage of privileges and aspirations, and taking advantage of the special circumstances of his moment in history was able to outline that grandiose institution of the papacy which in the Middle Ages held sway as the universal rule in the Church.” [43]</div><div><br /></div><div>Though, assuredly, during a period of a thousand years, there are many important events and developments worthy of comment, due to the length constraints of this paper we must fast-forward at this point to the period of the Protestant Reformation, limiting ourselves in the meantime to the following observation: The political and spiritual power of the papacy gained footing gradually and persistently until coming to be regarded as a practically unquestioned element of Western Christendom after the Great Schism between East and West. [44] Though there were, no doubt, periods and personalities emanating varying degrees of both light and shadows, the legacy of papal authority during this time is significantly blemished by having been propped up by the claims of fraudulent documents such as the pseudo-Clementine Homilies and Letters, the Isidorian Decretals, and the Donation of Constantine, as well as the interpolations of later manuscript copiers into otherwise authentic documents. [45]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Protestant Reformation</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The key factors leading to the Protestant Reformation are generally identified as <i>sola Scriptura</i> (the <i>formal cause</i>) and <i>sola fide</i> (the <i>material cause</i>). We will revisit these crucial issues shortly. For now, however, it is important to note that a break from the administrative oversight of the Pope and the hierarchy of what had by this time evolved into the Roman Catholic Church led the Reformers to rethink the basis of Christian unity. Though still confessing the Nicene-Constantinopolitan formula of “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church,” they proposed that the unity and catholicity of the Church was not <i>visible</i>, in the sense of being centered in one administrative organization, but rather <i>invisible</i>, or based upon common relationships with spiritual realities, including a common acceptance of a common gospel, [46] and the apostolicity of the church was not based upon the apostolic succession of duly ordained bishops but rather upon faithfulness to the apostolic message as passed down through time by way of the testimony of Holy Scripture. [47]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Visible and Invisible Unity</b></div><div><br /></div><div>For the Reformers, the catholicity of the Church was a small ‘c’ catholicity, based upon an agreement on the essentials of the gospel. [48] But, from a Catholic perspective, “The divinely established ecclesial unity that cannot be lost is not only unity of faith, and unity of sacraments, but also unity of visible government.” [49] John Armstrong explains:
<blockquote>In 1519 Luther was publicly attacked by Eck, a papal theologian. Luther was asked to support Eck’s traditional view that divine power was inherit in the papacy. Luther refused, saying that the pope’s power was of human right, not divine. To support this he developed an important thesis that he drew from earlier theologians such as Augustine: <i>The Church is in reality a spiritual fellowship of all those who truly believe in Christ.</i> It was here that Luther demonstrated that popes and councils had erred. It struck a blow that rocked the medieval system at its foundation. [50]</blockquote>
For Cross, however, the need for a visible hierarchy centered in one person (i.e., the pope) is a matter of common sense:
<blockquote>Even nature teaches us that where there is no visible head, there will be no end of quarreling and divisions, to the point of disintegration. That is why Christ established a visible head, to provide a <i>principium unitatis</i> (principle of unity) for the Church. To be in communion with that rock upon which the Church is built, is to be in full union with the Church. To spurn that rock is to be in schism. [51]</blockquote>
The difference between visible and invisible unity is illustrated in the distinction between heresy and schism. The idea of schism is, in this sense, uniquely Catholic. Jerome (387–88) captured this nuance early on: “Between heresy and schism there is this difference, that heresy perverts dogma, while schism, by rebellion against the bishop, separates from the Church. Nevertheless there is no schism which does not trump up a heresy to justify its departure from the Church” (Jerome, <i>Ep. ad Tit.</i> 3:10).</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Council of Trent</b></div><div><br /></div><div>At the Council of Trent, the Protestant Reformers were accused of both heresy and schism. [52] The accusation of schism at Trent and corresponding anathemas is an important point to keep in consideration with regard to post-Vatican II ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Protestants. While it may be possible to reconcile <i>some</i> of the doctrinal issues that have divided Catholics and Protestants since Trent, [53] from a Catholic perspective, as long as Protestants continue to refuse to submit to the authority of the Pope and the Roman Magisterium, the issue of schism remains unresolved.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>The Path to Ecumenism</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The impossibility of rapprochement on these issues between Catholics and Protestants was, with few exceptions, taken for granted during the next several centuries. Though, thankfully, following Trent and the Counter-Reformation, the worst of personal corruption in the papacy remained in the past, the capstone of the evolution of the doctrine of the Chair of Peter as the focal point of unity was yet to be placed. This came in 1870 at Vatican I with the proclamation of papal infallibility (when the pope speaks <i>ex cathedra</i>) as official Church dogma. [54] The advent of the modern ecumenical movement among many Protestant groups in the early years of the twentieth century, however, called for a response from Rome. In 1928, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical <i>Mortalium animos</i>, in which he forbade to Catholic faithful all participation in the movement, calling it “panchristian,” and incompatible with Catholicism due to postulates involving “relativism of dogma, modernism in theology, and indifferentism in ecclesiology.” [55] As late as 1959, Catholic writer Gustave Weigel could proclaim: “With regard to ecumenism in its abstract and generic sense, the Catholic feels no ambivalence whatsoever. He wholeheartedly desires the union of all Christians, and even non-Christians, in the <i>una sancta</i>” (i.e., the Roman Catholic Church). [56] In other words, according to Weigel, the only valid path of ecumenism was one which united all Christians under the authority of the Pope and the Catholic Magisterium. [57]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Vatican II</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Shortly afterward, in the early 1960s, at the watershed Second Vatican Council, a new tone marked the documents issued by the Catholic Church. In the words of Pope John Paul II, “At the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church committed herself <i>irrevocably</i> to following the path of the ecumenical venture, thus heeding the Spirit of the Lord, who teaches people to interpret carefully the ‘signs of the times.’” [58] The language of the Council is hopeful and conciliatory:</div><div><blockquote>In recent times more than ever before, [God] has been rousing divided Christians to remorse over their divisions and to a longing for unity. Everywhere large numbers have felt the impulse of this grace, and among our <i>separated brethren</i> also there increases from day to day the movement, fostered by the grace of the Holy Spirit, for the restoration of unity among all Christians. . . . All however, though in different ways, long for the one visible Church of God, a Church truly universal and set forth into the world that the world may be converted to the Gospel and so be saved, to the glory of God (italics mine). [59]</blockquote></div><div>Though it did not wipe out all of the issues that have historically divided them, the use of the term <i>separated brethren</i> established a new category for Catholics to classify Evangelicals and opened up new avenues of thought with regard to how they relate to one another.</div><div><br /></div><div>Significantly, Vatican II officially recognized that for the historical divisions in Christendom, “men of both sides were to blame,” and absolved of guilt for the sin of schism those who were born into separated communities of believers and did not choose of their own accord to separate from the Church. [60] The Council also declared that all those who “have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect.” [61] Various elements of worship and Christian life in other communities, though imperfect, are recognized as authentic “means of salvation.” [62] However, salvation is not just available for other practicing Christians, but also to those “who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.” [63] This openness to salvation on the part of non-Catholics is tempered, though, by that fact that <i>Lumen gentium</i>, another document of Vatican II, declares that “Whosoever . . . knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.” [64] </div><div><br /></div><div>Bryan Cross does a good job of summarizing in layman’s terms Catholic teaching with regard to the possibility of salvation for Protestants:
<blockquote>The short of it is that through baptism the Protestant is actually, but imperfectly, and only invisibly, joined to the Catholic Church. Baptism is a Catholic sacrament, because it was entrusted by Christ to the Catholic Church, and has its validity through the Catholic Church, even when it is administered by a Protestant. But a Protestant (while Protestant) is not fully incorporated into the Catholic Church, or in “full communion” with the Catholic Church. That is why a Protestant cannot receive the Holy Eucharist at a Catholic parish. Does that mean that a Protestant’s salvation is in jeopardy? Yes and no. Those Protestants who do not know “that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ” can be saved. But no one should use the Church’s acknowledgment that those not in full communion with the Church can be saved as an excuse for not seeking full communion with the Church, or as a justification for remaining in schism from the Church that Christ founded. It is much more difficult to attain to the holiness without which no one will see the Lord, apart from the sacraments Christ established in His Church. [65]</blockquote>
It is also worth pointing out that, as far as other Christian groups are concerned, there are different degrees of communion recognized by the Catholic Church. As Pope John Paul II explains, “Indeed, the elements of sanctification and truth present in the other Christian Communities, in a degree which varies from one to the other, constitute the objective basis of the communion, albeit imperfect, which exists between them and the Catholic Church.” [66]</div><div><br /></div><div>In practical terms, though, how is this new attitude to be carried into effect in everyday life? The work of ecumenism advocated by Vatican II can be broken down into five different steps: 1) an encouragement to speak of and act toward separated brethren “with truth and fairness”; 2) a call for dialogue between “competent experts from different Churches and Communities”; 3) cooperation in humanitarian projects; 4) joint prayer; and 5) a continual examination of the faithfulness of each believer and a concerted effort toward renewal and reform within the context of each one’s own faith community. [67] A particularly important (and controversial) aspect of the path to unity involves bearing “common witness” with other Christians, a phrase which calls out for further definition, and which will be explored in more depth at a later point in this paper. Though later documents will expand on this concept, the documents of Vatican II limit themselves, on this point, to a call to “before the whole world let all Christians confess their faith in the triune God, one and three in the incarnate Son of God, our Redeemer and Lord, [with] united efforts, and with mutual respect . . . [bearing] witness to our common hope.” Special focus is given in this same context to “cooperation in social matters.” [68] All of these are viewed, however, merely as steps along the path to a full expression of unity, which, though impossible at present, will ultimately be expressed through the coming together of all Christians in one common Church (i.e., Rome) and joint participation in the sacramental celebration of unity, the Eucharist. [69] This is an especially relevant point for Roman Catholics, who see in the Eucharist “the ultimate sign of the unity that exists among Christians.” [70]</div><div><br /></div><div>Beyond a different tone in the language used to describe other Christians, though, what actually changed with regard to the Catholic Church’s approach to unity in Vatican II? In spite of the more open tone, according to many (including Church authorities themselves), there was no substantial change made on the fundamental Catholic position on unity. [71] The Council, while affirming the catholicity and diversity of the Church as manifested in different Christian communities (i.e., Catholic parishes) spread throughout the world with different cultural expressions, specified that this catholicity is brought together in unity under “the primacy of the Chair of Peter.” [72]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Pope John Paul II</b></div><div><br /></div><div>John Paul II, as the first pope with a reign of any significant length after that of Paul VI and Vatican II, [73] and the pope with the second longest reign of any pope in history, is a key figure with respect to the present position of the Church on ecumenism. While in some ways a pioneer in certain ecumenical endeavors, [74] he also reaffirmed the Church’s traditional stance on the basis and practice of unity. A key document expressing his views is <i>Ut unum sint</i>, his 1995 encyclical “On commitment to Ecumenism.” While employing conciliatory language and affirming Vatican II’s categorization of Evangelicals as <i>separated brethren</i>,<i> </i>[75] he expresses a “sincere desire for mutual forgiveness and reconciliation,” and calls for “the conversion of hearts” and “the necessary purification of past memories.” [76] He also revisits and adds a bit of meat to the bone of the concept of “common witness”:
<blockquote>Relations between Christians are not aimed merely at mutual knowledge, common prayer and dialogue. They presuppose and from now on call for every possible form of practical cooperation at all levels: pastoral, cultural and social, as well as that of witnessing to the Gospel message. . . . In the eyes of the world, cooperation among Christians becomes a form of common Christian witness and a means of evangelization which benefits all involved. [77]</blockquote>
He ultimately, however, clings to the Chair of Peter as the indispensable focal point of unity:</div><div><blockquote>The Church’s journey began in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost and its original expansion in the <i>oikoumene</i> of that time was centred around Peter and the Eleven (cf. <i>Acts</i> 2:14). The structures of the Church in the East and in the West evolved in reference to that Apostolic heritage. Her unity during the first millennium was maintained within those same structures through the Bishops, Successors of the Apostles, in communion with the Bishop of Rome. If today at the end of the second millennium we are seeking to restore full communion, it is to that unity, thus structured, which we must look. [78]</blockquote><p> Indeed, it appears to be a return to Rome what John Paul II ultimately has in mind when he says that “Ecumenism is directed precisely to making the partial communion existing between Christians grow towards full communion in truth and charity.” [79]</p><b>Pope Benedict XVI</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Though to the uninitiated observer the following statement of the current pope, Benedict XVI, might appear encouraging with respect to prospects for advances in interconfessional ecumenism, an understanding informed by the use of the term <i>visible unity</i> in Catholic history leaves one to assume that what is really being inferred is his tireless efforts to bring non-Catholics into the Catholic fold: “Peter’s current Successor takes on as his primary task the duty to work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ’s followers.” [80] While pledging to work with together with adherents of all religions for the cause of social development and to promote contact and understanding with other Christian groups, it is clear for Benedict that his role in Christian unity is wrapped up totally in his occupancy of the Chair of Peter before whose authority all Christians are called to submit. [81]</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>EVANGELICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CATHOLICISM</div><div><br /></div><div>Up to this point in this paper, I have limited discussion for the most part to an overview of the historical development of the Catholic concept of unity and specifically Catholic perspectives on the ecumenical movement. I will now briefly mention some general Evangelical perspectives with regard to Catholicism and the possibility of Christian unity between Evangelicals and Catholics.</div><div><br /></div><div>Though the Protestant Reformation took root in a tension-charged atmosphere manifested in bombastic rhetoric, harsh attitudes, and violent actions on both sides, it is significant that, “the sixteenth century reformers did not deny the presence of elements of the true church in Roman Catholicism.” [82] At the same time, many, if not most, Evangelicals would agree with the following assessment by John Armstrong: “Historically evangelicals have believed that three visible marks determine a faithful New Testament church: a proper preaching of the gospel; a proper doctrine of the sacraments; and biblical discipline. Evangelicals cannot, by their own confession and faith, believe that Roman Catholicism is a standing, faithful New Testament church.” [83] In the meantime, conservative Evangelicals of the stature of Charles Hodge have been somewhat more tempered in their view: “It is, therefore, one thing to denounce the Roman system, and another to say that Romanists are no part of the church catholic. And if they are in the church, their baptism being a washing with water in the name of the Trinity, is Christian baptism; just as the word of God, when read or preached by them, is still his word, and is to be received and obeyed as such.” [84] Since among Evangelicals at large there is no official voice corresponding to the Pope and the Catholic Magisterium to represent them, and since in recent years the views of Evangelicals have diverged more and more from each other on this matter, it is impossible to speak of one united Evangelical position with regard to Rome and ecumenical rapprochement with Rome. Before contemplating various examples of recent attempts at Roman Catholic-Evangelical ecumenical dialogue, though, it will be helpful to lay out both points of agreement as well as points of disagreement on doctrinal matters between the two groups, especially in relation to how they play into the matter of Christian unity. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>POINTS OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS</div><div><br /></div><div>Though some Evangelicals and other broadly “evangelical” groups who, for one reason or another, eschew the label “Evangelical” prefer not to express their doctrinal beliefs by way of creedal formulations, practically all are in agreement with the Roman Catholic Church (as well as the Eastern Orthodox Church) in affirming the essential doctrines laid out in the Universal Creeds. [85] For example, a 1994 Resolution on Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics declared that "Southern Baptists have historically confessed with all true Christians everywhere belief in the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the full deity and perfect humanity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His substitutionary atonement for sins, His resurrection from the dead, His exaltation to the right hand of God, and His triumphal return.” [86] In addition, the International Consultation between the Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (ERCDOM) reported in 2002:<blockquote>We as Catholics and Evangelicals share Sacred Scripture and belief in its inspiration by the Holy Spirit. We affirm the unique mediatorial role of Christ, his incarnation, his death and resurrection for our salvation. We affirm together our faith in the triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are both able to pray the Lord’s Prayer and confess the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. We affirm the Gospel call to conversion, to a disciplined life in the grace of Jesus Christ, and the ultimate promise of eternal reward. We recognize a Christian responsibility for service and the promotion of justice in the world. We share a common hope of Christ’s return, as judge and redeemer, to consummate our salvation. We can commemorate together those who have witnessed by their blood to this common faith and now celebrate full communion before the face of our divine Savior. [87]</blockquote>
Though recognizing that different groups of Christians have different views on certain aspects of salvation, former Evangelical and present-day Catholic apologist and ecumenist Keith Fournier states, on the all-important issue of salvation, that, “we all agree that it begins with God, continues with God, and ends with God. Grace surrounds every aspect of salvation. So any role we play in the salvation plan, including the exercise of faith, is ultimately due to God’s unmerited, undeserved, gratuitous grace, which comes to us through Christ’s redemptive work and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Christ alone merits our salvation.” [88]</div><div><br /></div><div>In addition to purely doctrinal matters, there is a significant degree of agreement between conservative Catholics and Evangelicals on social and moral concerns. The 1994 Southern Baptist Resolution comments, on this point, that, “Many Roman Catholics and Southern Baptists have found in recent years a common area of agreement in their concern for the sanctity of human life, their opposition to the spread of pornography in our society, their commitment to traditional family values, their concern for securing the rights of all individuals without respect to differences of religion, race, gender, and class, and many other areas of moral concern.” [89]</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>POINTS OF DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN EVANGELICALS AND CATHOLICS</div><div><br /></div><div>Though the areas of agreement between Catholics and Evangelicals are very significant, the areas of disagreement are also significant. The 1994 Southern Baptist Resolution succinctly enumerates some of the most important ones:
<blockquote>Baptists have historically differed from Roman Catholics on such matters as: the nature and means of salvation, the character and function of the church, the role and interpretation of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, devotion to the Virgin Mary, the veneration of the Saints, papal infallibility, the structure of church government, and the relation of Scripture and tradition as sources of spiritual and teaching authority for belief and practice. [90]</blockquote>
The Evangelicals and Catholics Together document “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium” provides a similar list of points of difference: “the church as an integral part of the Gospel or the church as a communal consequence of the Gospel;” “the church as visible communion or invisible fellowship of true believers;” “the sole authority of Scripture (<i>sola scriptura</i>) or Scripture as authoritatively interpreted in the church;” “the ‘soul freedom’ of the individual Christian or the Magisterium (teaching authority) of the community;” “the church as local congregation or universal communion;” “ministry ordered in apostolic succession or the priesthood of all believers;” “sacraments and ordinances as symbols of grace or means of grace;” “the Lord’s Supper as eucharistic sacrifice or memorial meal;” “remembrance of Mary and the saints or devotion to Mary and the saints;” and “baptism as sacrament of regeneration or testimony to regeneration.” [91]</div><div><br /></div><div>From the Catholic perspective, in which schism in and of itself, as well as heresy, is viewed as a breach of Christian unity, and in which visible communion with the Magisterium, including the embracing of all official Church dogma, is seen as non-negotiable, any disagreement on points of doctrine such as those included in the Catechism of the Church is tantamount to heresy. [92] Nevertheless, Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism spoke of a “hierarchy of truths” within Catholic doctrine, in which some points are considered to be more central to “fundamental Christian faith” than others. [93] It is this concept of a “hierarchy of truths” that has opened the door for considering those who are not in official communion with the Catholic Church, and who may have discrepancies on this point or that point of doctrine, as <i>separated brethren</i>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Alan Schreck explains: “Catholics do not believe that all revealed truths are equally central to the basic gospel message or are equally important for salvation. This is what the Catholic Church means when it teaches that there is a ‘hierarchy of truths.’” [94] He elucidates further on this same point:</div><div><blockquote>Sometimes Catholics are guilty of viewing and talking about Mary, the saints, purgatory, and similar beliefs as if they were the most important Christian truths. This often produces an unnecessary obstacle to unity with other Christians, and may actually be a distortion of authentic Christianity. On the other hand, sometimes other Christians focus unduly on Catholic beliefs about Mary, the saints, purgatory, indulgences, and the like (often rejecting them in a one-sided way, even when they have some basis in the Bible) in order to portray Catholics as ‘un-Christian’, or to accuse the Catholic Church of distorting the Gospel of Jesus Christ. These extremes should be avoided, and corrected where they exist. . . . Practically speaking, this means that the beliefs that are most important for Catholics are truths such as the divinity of Jesus, the necessity of his death on the cross for our salvation, the reality and power of the Holy Spirit, and so on. Here Catholics find a common ground of understanding and cooperation with other Christians, because Catholics and most other Christians usually agree on the most central and basic doctrines of Christianity. [95]</blockquote></div><div>Thus, while full communion is unviable as long as neither side converts to the other, there is the possibility of another level of communion based on agreement on the essentials of the gospel. </div><div><br /></div><div>Especially for Evangelicals, though, this raises another question: Does the Catholic Church truly teach the gospel? While, undoubtedly, practically all Evangelicals would agree that the Catholic Church faithfully teaches many elements associated with the gospel, such as those included in the Universal Creeds, there is no small disagreement among Evangelicals as to whether the composite body of dogma officially taught by the Catholic Church captures adequately (though not perfectly) the essentials of the gospel, or if it amounts to, in the words of the apostle Paul, “a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all” (Gal 1:6–7, NIV). [96] From an Evangelical perspective, the differences between the two communities are huge. In the list of differences presented in this paper there has not even been space to consider such major items as purgatory, the role of the saints, celibacy of priests, etc. If any Evangelical denomination or church were to start teaching any one of these doctrines, it would certainly be considered by other Evangelicals as a major departure from orthodox doctrine. But at the end of the day, it is not error on any one of a number of secondary or tertiary issues that erects a barrier to Christian unity: it is deadly compromise on the gospel. In other words, it is necessary to determine to what degree a certain doctrinal position undermines or compromises the gospel itself.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Galatians and a False Gospel</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Report on <i>The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission 1977–1984</i> (ERCDOM) gives a good summary of the different perspectives of Evangelicals and Catholics on the gospel:<blockquote>Evangelicals are particularly sensitive in this matter, which is perhaps not surprising, since their very appellation “evangelical” includes in itself the word “evangel” (gospel). Evangelicals claim to be “gospel” people, and are usually ready, if asked, to give a summary of their understanding of the gospel. This would have at its heart what they often call “the finished work of Christ”, namely that by bearing our sins on the cross Jesus Christ did everything necessary for our salvation, and that we have only to put our trust in him in order to be saved. Although many Evangelicals will admit that their presentation of the gospel is often one-sided or defective, yet they could not contemplate any evangelism in which the good news of God’s justification of sinners by his grace in Christ through faith alone is not proclaimed. Roman Catholics also have their problems of conscience. They would not necessarily want to deny the validity of the message which Evangelicals preach, but would say that important aspects of the gospel are missing from it. In particular, they emphasize the need both to live out the gospel in the sacramental life of the church and to respect the teaching authority of the Church. Indeed, they see evangelism as essentially a Church activity done by the Church in relation to the Church. So long as each side regards the other’s view of the gospel as defective, there exists a formidable obstacle to be overcome. [97]</blockquote>
Though there are several points of discrepancy among Evangelicals as to which specific points of Catholic doctrine do or do not tip the balance toward being a different or a false gospel, the argument has historically centered around the five <i>solas</i> of the Protestant Reformation: <i>sola Scriptura</i>, s<i>olus Christus</i>, <i>sola gratia</i>, <i>sola fide</i>, and <i>soli Deo gloria</i>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Sola Scriptura</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>
“The inerrant Scripture (the Bible) is the sole source of written divine revelation, which alone can bind the conscience. The Bible alone teaches all that is necessary for our salvation from sin and is the standard by which all Christian behavior must be measured. It is denied that any creed, council or individual may bind a Christian’s conscience, that the Holy Spirit speaks independently of or contrary to what is set forth in the Bible, or that personal spiritual experience can ever be a vehicle of revelation.”</i> [98]</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Sola Scriptura</i> has been identified as the <i>formal principle</i> (as over against the <i>material principle</i>) of the Reformation. This means that it is the epistemological grounding upholding the key doctrines which are believed (i.e., the <i>material principle</i>). While a denial of <i>sola Scriptura</i> is not, in and of itself, tantamount to a denial of the gospel per se, it undercuts the very foundation upon which it stands, making it very likely that the person (or institution) who (or which) denies <i>sola Scriptura</i> will as a consequence of this denial eventually deny key aspects of the gospel as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the purposes of Catholic-Evangelical dialogue, as well as for correctly understanding one another’s position, it is important to keep in mind several important observations. First of all, from an Evangelical perspective, there are several common misconceptions that must be cleared up. Michael Patton identifies the following points: 1) <i>Sola Scriptura</i> does not mean that the Scripture is the only source of spiritual insight; 2) <i>Sola Scriptura</i> does not mean that there are not other authorities in our lives; 3) <i>Sola Scriptura</i> does not mean that if it is not in the Bible it is not divinely binding; and, 4) <i>Sola Scriptura</i> does not mean that the Scriptures are an exhaustive source for us to know how to live our lives each day. [99] By the same token, from a Catholic perspective, the denial of <i>Sola Scriptura</i> is not equivalent to a denial of the infallibility or authority of Scripture. [100] It is, rather, the claim that, in order to correctly understand God’s will and Christian doctrine, Scripture alone is not enough: it is also necessary to read the Bible alongside of and through the lens of sacred tradition, as faithfully reflected in the writings of Church Fathers, the decisions of Church councils, and the <i>ex cathedra</i> pronouncements of popes. </div><div><br /></div><div>The issue of <i>sola Scriptura</i> is still hotly contested between Catholics and Evangelicals. Each side claims to have the teaching of Early Church Fathers on their side. [101] Some, such as ecumenically minded Catholic theologian Karl Rahner, have posited that “while the questions of <i>fides sola et gratia sola</i> may be solved without difficulty, the issue of Scripture alone is more complicated.” [102] Indeed, there is good reason to maintain that it is the “fork in the road that leads Christians today either to Rome or to any number of evangelical Protestant churches.” [103]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Solus Christus</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“Our salvation is accomplished by the mediatorial work of the historical Christ alone. His sinless life and substitutionary atonement alone are sufficient for our justification and reconciliation to the Father. It is denied that the gospel is preached if Christ’s substitutionary work is not declared and faith in Christ and his work is not solicited.” </i>[104]</div><div><br /></div><div>Though, from an Evangelical perspective, there are many implications and applications of the doctrine of <i>solus Christus</i> with regard to ecumenical dialogue with Roman Catholics, the main issue at stake has to do with the Church as a mediator of salvation by way of the sacraments, the priests necessary to dispense the sacraments (sacerdotalism), and Mary and the saints, etc. as opposed to the sole mediation of Jesus with no need for additional intermediaries. And this all hinges upon one’s fundamental understanding of the Church. For some, this issue is the true focal point of the whole compendium of issues that divide Catholics and Protestants. Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom, state, for example, that “The central difference that continues to separate evangelicals and Catholics is . . . the nature of the church.” [105]</div><div><br /></div><div>All this has important implications with relation to one’s understanding of the gospel itself. So the difference between Evangelicals and Catholics concerns the relationship between the gospel and the Church: “In the one case [the Evangelical perspective], the gospel reconciles us to God through Christ and thus makes us a part of his people; in the other [the Catholic perspective], the gospel is found within the life of his people, and thus we find reconciliation with God.” [106] Though not generally regarded as a faithful exponent of either orthodox Catholic or Evangelical doctrine, Friedrich Schleiermacher , the father of Protestant modernism, voiced an important insight when he observed that “the antithesis between Protestantism and Catholicism may provisionally be conceived in this way: the former makes the individual’s relation to the Church dependent on his relation to Christ, while the latter makes his relation to Christ dependent on his relation to the Church.” [107] Vatican II confirmed this idea: “Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, [the Council] teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation.” [108]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Sola Gratia</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“In salvation we are rescued from God’s wrath by his grace alone. It is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit that brings us to Christ by releasing us from our bondage to sin and raising us from spiritual death to spiritual life. It is denied that salvation is in any sense a human work. Human methods, techniques or strategies by themselves cannot accomplish this transformation. Faith is not produced by our unregenerated human nature.” </i>[109]</div><div><br /></div><div>The matter of <i>sola gratia</i> is closely tied to the matter of <i>sola fide</i>, and it is hard to talk about one apart from the other. These, in turn, are both closely tied, as well, to <i>solus Christus</i>, as the sole mediator of saving grace is Christ himself. It is, perhaps, helpful to speak of grace as the meritorious cause of salvation, faith as the instrumental cause, and Christ as the personal cause. Since, from this perspective, Catholics agree with Evangelicals that the ultimate source of any good works that man might do, or sacramental merit that he might attain, is the grace of God, [110] much of the discussion on the difference between their perspectives has focused on <i>sola fide</i>, or the means by which this grace is made manifest in the life of man. [111]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Sola Fide</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God’s perfect justice. Our justification does not rest on any merit to be found in us, nor upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, nor that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.” </i>[112]</div><div><br /></div><div>Catholic doctrine teaches that faith is absolutely necessary for salvation (i.e., for justification and for sanctification) [113] but is more ambiguous with regard to the idea of faith <i>alone</i> as the sole channel for receiving grace. [114] For the Reformers, however, this was no small discrepancy. As a matter of fact, the idea that, as disciples of Jesus, we are justified by faith alone apart from the works of the law came to be regarded in standard Protestant theology as “the article by which the church stands of falls” (<i>articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae</i>). [115] It is undoubtedly one of the key issues of their theology, widely regarded as the <i>material caus</i>e of the Reformation. Though the Reformers found this teaching clearly articulated in the New Testament (especially in the writings of Paul), in addition to considering it to be the logical consequence of the teaching of certain Church Fathers (such as Augustine), it is one point of doctrine not specifically dealt with in the Universal Creeds, nor directly in the writings of many of the Fathers. Though it is possible the issues were overstated and mischaracterized to some degree by representatives of each side, at Trent <i>sola fide</i> manifested itself as a watershed issue with respect to an accurate understanding of the Christian gospel.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some have suggested the difference between the Catholic and Evangelical views on <i>sola fide</i> may be largely a question of semantics. It is undeniably true that a good bit of the difference between the Catholic and Evangelical positions revolves around a different understanding of the term <i>justification</i>. The Catholic understanding of justification extends beyond a mere forensic transaction in which the sinner is declared righteous on the basis of the righteousness of Christ to include also the process by which the sinner gradually becomes more and more righteous in his way of life, a concept very close to what Evangelicals normally call sanctification. [116] According to Schreck, “It is also a part of Catholic teaching to consider ‘faith’ as a <i>way of life</i> rather than as a major decision that happens once, twice, or a few times in one’s life.” [117] Any true agreement between Catholics and Evangelicals on the question of <i>sola fide</i>, though, will have to deal seriously with the following concepts: alien righteousness, imputed righteousness, and the forensic nature of justification. Though some maintain that the Catholic Church does not officially condemn <i>sola fide</i>, [118] and some that the Church has even embraced <i>sola fide</i>, [119] “the definition of justification found in its official doctrinal statements continues to be at variance with the understanding of justification defended so tirelessly (and often courageously) by Protestant reformers such as John Calvin. To underline this point is not to be churlish or uncharitable; it is to be theologically precise and fair to the historical record.” [120]</div><div><br /></div><div>This particular point continues to be a real thorn in the side of advocates of ecumenical dialogue and cooperation between Catholics and Evangelicals. Neuhaus describes from a Catholic perspective the problematic nature of a hardline Evangelical position on <i>sola fide</i>:
<blockquote>To oppose the formula “justification by faith alone” was, in the view of some Reformers, to oppose the gospel. Some champions of that position, however, seem to come close to saying “justification by faith alone” <i>is</i> the gospel, and the gospel <i>is</i> “justification by faith alone”—exclusively, exhaustively, and without remainder. Because there can be no Church apart from the gospel, it then follows that, where that formula is not embraced, there is no Church. But surely that cannot be right, for it would require that the entirety of the Christian reality—the Scriptures, as well as the proclamation and living of the Good News by the Christian people through time—is to be judged by a theological formula devised sixteen centuries after that reality came into being. [121]</blockquote>
Though many Evangelicals are not prepared to compromise on the essential nature of <i>sola fide</i>, and different understandings of how the grace of God is actualized in the life of the believer will undoubtedly continue to characterize the doctrinal positions of leading Evangelical groups and the Catholic Church, this does not necessarily imply, however, an impassable barrier with respect to Christian fellowship between individual Evangelicals and Catholics.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Saved by Faith Itself, not by the Doctrine</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Without denying either the validity or the importance of the doctrine of justification by faith alone, John Armstrong makes the following insightful observation:</div><div><blockquote>The Reformers referred to this doctrine of justification as “the article by which the church stands or falls.” By this they did not mean that a person was saved by virtue of understanding the full ramifications of this great truth. He or she was saved by faith in Christ alone, and that through grace alone. But here the visible church must stand on Christ alone as the sole basis for justification before a holy God, or it will fall. A person who <i>truly</i> trusts Christ alone will be saved, whether he or she understands this article <i>fully</i> or not. [122]</blockquote></div><div>The implications of what Armstrong is saying here are very important with regard for a gospel-centered approach to Christian unity. Gospel-centered unity, on a personal level, is not based on a perfect understanding of gospel essentials, nor even verbal consent to a list of doctrines—though an individual’s abject denial of gospel essentials will effectively place him outside of the family of God, or the invisible Church, as it betrays the absence of authentic faith. Those who share membership in the family of God are those who have a common saving relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, by way of grace through faith, and who do not deny essential gospel doctrine. The fruit of the grace of God received by faith in the life of these individuals is a changed life that manifests itself by means of good works, though the root is faith alone, not faith plus works. From such a perspective, there are many Catholic individuals who share with many Evangelical individuals a common saving relationship with the Holy Trinity, and thus are in a <i>de facto</i> state of unity one with another, independent of the degree to which they express this unity in everyday practice.</div><div><br /></div><div>Many, if not most, Evangelicals have little problem with this way of thinking. The real issue, for many, though, has to do more with the official doctrinal position of the Catholic Church as an institution, and the consequences of this position with regard to an institutional expression of unity. In other words, does the Church itself teach a true gospel or a false gospel? Some, such as Noll and Nystrom, believe the particular issue of <i>sola fide</i> is not as problematic in this regard as what it might initially appear:
<blockquote>It is unlikely that any group of Catholics and evangelicals will come up with a united statement of forensic justification. Disagreement, however, lies not so much in contradictory affirmations as in affirmations that look at the course of salvation differently. But this kind of disagreement is also widespread among evangelicals. Debate on the exact definition of justification may not be as important as it seems. [123]</blockquote>
Indeed, some have observed an increasing synthesis on the position on justification by faith voiced by both Protestants and Catholics:</div><div><blockquote>There are fewer and fewer Protestants each year, and fewer Catholics, who are misled by that old misunderstanding. It is becoming clear to both sides that we are saved only by Christ, by grace; that faith is our acceptance of that grace, so we are saved by faith; and that good works, the works of love, necessarily follow that faith if it is real and saving faith, so we cannot be saved by a faith that is without good works. Both sides agree with this, because both sides accept the scriptural data and the solution is right there in the data. [124]</blockquote></div><div>At the same time, though, there are still significant voices on both sides of the ledger that continue to see disagreement on <i>sola fide</i> as an impassable barrier to true Christian unity (especially on an institutional level) between the Catholic Church and Evangelicals. [125] We will need to revisit this issue in the final section on contemporary ecumenical dialogue. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>The Sacraments</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Though there may indeed be some degree of legitimacy to the argument that the difference between the Catholic and Evangelical positions on justification, in and of itself, is largely a matter of semantics, there is still a major associated issue left to be resolved: the role of the sacraments with regard to salvation. Though somewhat blunt in his description, Robert Zins zeroes in on the major concern from an Evangelical perspective: “In Rome, ‘saved by grace through faith’ means ‘saved on account of grace given through the sacramental system when partaking in faith.’” [126] The Catechism appears to confirm this: “The Church affirms that for believers the sacraments of the New Covenant are <i>necessary for salvation</i>.” [127] Schreck adds: “The sacraments are simply channels through which the grace of God, flowing from the cross of Jesus, comes to us.” [128]</div><div><br /></div><div>At Trent, the Catholic Church officially went on record as affirming the sacramental system as the approved channel of grace and pronounced an anathema on Protestants (and most specifically, Anabaptists) who affirmed a justification by faith that did not come by way of the sacraments; [129] and, as Armstrong observes, “Despite the many dramatic changes made by Vatican II (1962–1965), the traditional Catholic doctrine of the sacraments remains fundamentally unchanged.” [130] Thus, from a Catholic perspective, the difference between Catholic and Evangelical doctrine with regard to the sacraments is a major barrier to unity. From an Evangelical perspective (especially from a baptistic, non-sacramental one), the barrier is just as significant.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Baptismal Regeneration</b></div><div><br /></div><div>One area in which the difference between Catholics and specifically baptistic Evangelicals is especially acute and significant is on the matter of baptismal regeneration. In Catholic theology, though one of the primary means for continuing on the path of faith is through ongoing participation in the sacraments (especially confession and the Eucharist), the entry point for beginning this journey is the sacrament of baptism. As the Catechism teaches, “Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission.” [131] Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism extrapolates further:
<blockquote>Whenever the Sacrament of Baptism is duly administered as Our Lord instituted it, and is received with the right dispositions, a person is truly incorporated into the crucified and glorified Christ, and reborn to a sharing of the divine life . . . Baptism therefore establishes a sacramental bond of unity which links all who have been reborn by it. But of itself Baptism is only a beginning, an inauguration wholly directed toward the fullness of life in Christ. Baptism, therefore, envisages a complete profession of faith, complete incorporation in the system of salvation such as Christ willed it to be, and finally complete ingrafting in eucharistic communion. [132]</blockquote>
The anathemas pronounced at Trent with respect to those who do not embrace the Catholic teaching on baptismal regeneration are explicit and firm. [133] Though the argument has been made that the teaching of Lutherans (and some other Protestant groups) today was not the true target of Trent, and that the anathemas directed at them are thus no longer binding, [134] it would truly be far-fetched to somehow posit that the doctrinal beliefs of baptistic Evangelicals today were not in the intended “line of fire” of these anathemas, and thus no longer apply to them.</div><div><br /></div><div>Some have proposed that the difference between Catholics and Evangelicals on the question of baptism may not be as serious it may seem, as it has to do merely with different understandings of the <i>ordo salutis</i>, or the order (whether chronological and logical) in which the various elements associated with conversion and discipleship take place. [135] However, the chasm between the Catholic understanding of baptism actually conferring grace <i>ex opere operato</i> upon the recipient, and the baptistic understanding of baptism as an act of obedience and public profession of faith on the part of the previously converted individual is wide and, on the surface, unbridgeable. [136]</div><div><br /></div><div>J. O. Hosler lines out in graphic and compelling terms the difficulty the Catholic teaching on baptismal regeneration supposes, with respect to gospel essentials, for those who hold to a consistent baptistic understanding of salvation:
<blockquote>The fundamental question is: does the belief that salvation can only take place in the visible church and in the sacred water of baptism constitute a saving gospel? To help answer this question, let us consider some graphic parallels as illustrations. Suppose you attended church this Sunday where the minister explained perfectly the sovereign grace of God and justification by faith in the finished work of Christ but then added one point: that this gift is only for those who will stand up in this Baptist church and confess that he too is a Baptist and that no one is saved until he makes this confession that he is a Baptist. Is this a saving Gospel? If you attended the church of Jerusalem and the preacher explained the Gospel perfectly but added that no one is saved until he is circumcised and keeps the whole law, would this still be the saving gospel (Gal. 1:6–9)? Then, if you attended the Augustinian church at Hippo and heard the sovereign grace of God explained perfectly with the addition that no one on earth can receive this by grace through faith but only through the laver of regeneration followed by faith, would this still be the saving gospel of Jesus Christ? Paul calls the gospel of circumcision another gospel (Gal. 1:6, 7). And if baptism is circumcision under another form, it is law and we need to ask ourselves: is baptism our profession of faith in the completed gospel or is it the gospel itself? And if it is proclaimed as the gospel itself, is it not another gospel the same as the gospel of circumcision? Especially is this question relevant if baptism is circumcision under a different form. There is a difference between believing in Jesus Christ and believing that His finished work was only the down payment for your salvation to be paid in full by your baptism and your personal post-baptismal righteousness (Heb. 12:2; Rom. 3:28; 4:5). [137]</blockquote>
Indeed, it appears that, from a specifically baptistic Evangelical perspective, the Catholic position on baptismal regeneration presents one of the most serious obstacles to ecumenical unity.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Soli Deo Gloria</b></div><div><br /></div><div><i>“It is affirmed that because salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God, it is for God’s glory and that we must glorify him always. We must live our entire lives before the face of God, under the authority of God and for his glory alone. It is denied that we can properly glorify God if our worship is confused with entertainment, if we neglect either Law or Gospel in our preaching, or if self-improvement, self-esteem or self- fulfillment are allowed to become alternatives to the gospel.” </i>[138]</div><div><br /></div><div>The final Reformation <i>sola</i> that has a bearing on the question of unity between Catholics and Evangelicals is <i>soli Deo gloria</i>: “Glory to God alone.” While the issues having to do with mediatorship in salvation are best understood with relation to <i>solus Christus</i>, the issues related to <i>soli Deo Gloria</i> and Evangelical-Catholic relations center around the veneration the Catholic Church maintains should be offered to the Virgin Mary and the saints, and the Evangelical assertion that this amounts to idolatry and is thus incompatible with a gospel that seeks to reconcile lost humanity with the only sovereign Lord of the Universe, who is jealous of the worship due exclusively to him. The discussion on this point revolves around the use of the terms <i>latria</i>, <i>hyperdulia</i>, and <i>dulia</i>, which Catholics maintain absolves them of the accusation of idolatry and many Evangelicals maintain is an artificial construct designed with the sole purpose of providing an answer to this accusation.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>EVANGELICAL–CATHOLIC DIALOGUE</div><div><br /></div><div>During the fifty years since Vatican II, in addition to the documents and actions emanating from the Vatican itself, there have been a number of ecumenical endeavors that have sought to bring increased understanding between Catholics and Evangelicals and, in some cases, cooperation and solidarity in various areas of concern. The index from the Vatican website of documents from the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, in addition to documents related to dialogue with various Orthodox Churches, contains links to documents from Catholic dialogue sessions with the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Methodist Council, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, the Baptist World Alliance, the Christian Church-Disciples of Christ, Pentecostals, the World Council of Churches, and the World Evangelical Alliance. [139] Though there is some degree of overlap between the sets of churches and individuals represented in each of these collectives and the set of churches and individuals considered for the purposes of this paper as Evangelical or gospel-centered, [140] there is not space in this paper to interact with each one. Instead, we will have to limit ourselves to a brief peek at one particularly noteworthy dialogue, and a somewhat more in-depth analysis of the important “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” movement and the documents it has produced.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Joint Declaration on Justification</b></div><div><br /></div><div>One of the most ballyhooed ecumenical dialogues of recent years has been that between the Lutheran World Federation and the Roman Catholic Church, culminating in the 1999 <i>Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification</i>. Since today’s Lutherans are the direct descendants of the movement begun by Martin Luther, who is widely regarded as the initiator and key player of the Reformation, this dialogue has been viewed by many as having special significance. By recognizing that much of the past differences were due to different perspectives on the meaning of justification itself, the participants in this dialogue were able to “formulate a consensus on basic truths concerning the doctrine of justification.” [141] Statements such as the following appeared to be a major breakthrough in bridging the historical impasse between Lutherans and Catholics: “Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.” [142]</div><div><br /></div><div>Some Evangelicals have expressed disappointment that, though on the surface the wording appeared to bridge the gap between Protestant and Catholic understanding, the doctrine of justification by faith was dealt with in a way that side-stepped the thorny issues of alien righteousness, imputed righteousness, and the forensic nature of justification. For others, an even more difficult barrier has to do with the fact that many Lutherans (and the statement itself) are in essential agreement with the Catholic position on baptismal regeneration. [143] It should be noted, however, that Luther’s view with regard to baptismal regeneration (and that of Lutherans and other Protestants who follow Luther on this point) is different from that of the Catholic Church, inasmuch as he believed that God actually awakens faith in the heart of the infant being baptized before his baptism, rather than <i>ex opere operato</i> by means of his baptism.</div><div><br /></div><div>It should also be noted that, as Noll and Nystrom observe, there are certain aspects of the soteriology of Arminians that are more compatible with Catholic soteriology than that of Reformed or Calvinistic Protestants:</div><div><blockquote>Such a question is more uncomfortable for some Protestants than for others. Arminians, including various followers of Wesley, find this view of salvation quite similar to their own. They too believe that God initiates salvation by offering prevenient grace to all. They also believe that personal choice plays a part in deciding whether salvation is received and, if received, whether a Christian will remain faithful until the end. They see an inner assurance of salvation as a part of justification, but they also believe that their own sins may remove them from God’s family. [144]</blockquote>
Others, such as Hosler, make a distinction between fundamentalists and neo-evangelicals, who in the 1940s “softened [their] position in order to retain contact with mainline denominations, and thus made sacramentalism and works salvation nonessential issues in the mass evangelism of the world.” [145]</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Evangelicals and Catholics Together</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) is an initiative organized by an ad hoc group [146] of Evangelicals and Catholics from the United States spearheaded by Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus. Beginning in 1994 with the document “Evangelicals & Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium,” they have published a total of seven documents, including additionally: “The Gift of Salvation” (1998); “Your Word is Truth” (2002); “The Communion of Saints” (2003); “The Call to Holiness” (2005); “Do Whatever He Tells You: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Christian Faith and Life” (2009); and “In Defense of Religious Freedom,” (2012). In many ways, ECT picks up where ERCDOM (<i>The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission 1977–1984</i>) left off. The big difference, however, is the specifically American and non-official makeup of the list of participants, as well as its emphasis on cobelligerency on social and moral issues particularly relevant to the American context. The document on “The Communion of Saints” spells out the purpose of the overall project: “If then anyone asks about the purpose of this statement and of the ongoing project of which it is part, the answer is clear: it is to evangelize more effectively, to bear witness to the world that Jesus is the Lord and Savior sent by the Father, and to bring that truth to bear on every dimension of life—just as we are commanded to do.” [147] Colson clarifies further: “‘Evangelicals and Catholics Together’ seeks to continue the legacy of C. S. Lewis by focusing on the core beliefs of all true Christians so that adherents of both major traditions can work together in the common task of evangelizing the nonbelieving world.” [148]</div><div><br /></div><div>In order to truly understand ECT, though, it is helpful to point out not only its stated purpose but also what it does not purport to do. According to Colson, “This new cooperation requires neither evangelical nor Catholic to compromise their respective doctrinal convictions.” [149] Neuhaus chimes in as well: “I know for a certainty with respect to my intentions, and I am confident with respect to the intentions of the other Catholic participants, that ECT is not about persuading evangelicals to become Roman Catholic.” [150] He also offers this important observation: “In addition, any talk about ‘ecclesial reconciliation’ between evangelicals and Catholics at this moment in history is, in my judgment, utterly premature and detracts from the great purpose served by ECT.” [151] J. I. Packer, one of the signatories of the original ECT document, points out another significant nuance: “Cooperation with the Roman Catholic Church is not what ECT is about. The path of joint action that ECT envisages is not churchly but parachurchly.” [152]</div><div><br /></div><div>Though not by any stretch the only contributors to the overall vision and the content of the statements that have been produced, the key role of Colson and Neuhaus has left an indelible mark on the ethos of ECT. Colson, who as an adult converted to Evangelical Christianity after a career in political involvement, is generally regarded as a deep thinker with significant insights on the practical application of Christian values in the public square, but not first and foremost as a theologian. His involvement in ministries—such as Prison Ministry Fellowship—with a dual social and evangelistic emphasis also colored his perspective. Neuhaus, as a former Lutheran minister and convert to Catholicism with a distinguished resume of leadership in various social and political causes, had an inside track on understanding both the issues that divided Evangelicals and Catholics and those which could potentially unite them. According to Colson, the idea for ECT originated in conversations he maintained with Neuhaus in 1992 regarding tensions between Protestants and Catholics in Latin America. Their hope was that some sort of a joint statement might help to soften these tensions and avoid an escalation of the conflict into something of the nature of the conflict in Northern Ireland. [153]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Cobelligerency vs. Spiritual Unity</b></div><div><br /></div><div>While direct statements (such as several of those quoted above) point to a motive driven by a concern for more effectively evangelizing the lost, it is clear that a major force driving ECT is that of promoting cobelligerency on political, social, cultural, and moral issues. It was an already existing joint concern for making a positive impact in the cultural arena that pushed forward the effort to discover new avenues for coming to agreement on doctrinal issues as well. [154] Although there was no unanimity either among Evangelicals or Catholics on exactly what constitutes a just social order, it was felt among the conservative wing of both Evangelicals and Catholics represented in ECT that there was a broad consensus on a number of important worldview matters. [155] Prominent among these was “respecting the sanctity of human life at every stage of development and decline, securing the integrity of marriage and family life, protecting the disabled and vulnerable, caring for the marginalized and imprisoned,” as well as a defense of religious freedom in the United States and around the world. [156] Displaying, at one point, a particularly American perspective, ECT also expresses support for the “constitutional order” set forth by the “Founders of the American experiment,” and “a free society, including a vibrant market economy.” [157]</div><div><br /></div><div>The argument proposed by ECT was that mere political coalitions are insufficient for successfully engaging the cultural challenges faced by those defending a biblical worldview. The culture itself needs to be reevangelized; and this task can be more effectively undertaken by Christians from different traditions working hand in hand than it can be separately or in antagonism one toward another. [158] As Colson observes, “The urgent task before all Christians today far transcends victories in political campaigns. Our task is nothing less than to articulate convincingly the biblical worldview to a culture awash in nihilism and hedonism. Neither a Baptist worldview—and I am a Southern Baptist—nor a Lutheran worldview, nor a Catholic worldview is enough to present a comprehensive, universal Christian worldview.” [159] Though, from one perspective, the hope voiced by ECT is that greater agreement on doctrinal matters can facilitate greater cooperation on social and cultural matters, the inverse idea has also been enunciated by some, that cooperation on social and cultural matters itself will gradually open the door to greater understanding and mutual support on doctrine. [160]</div><div><br /></div><div>All of this raises the question of exactly what the relationship of the gospel and cultural transformation is. Packer, for instance, speaks of the need for joint action to “re-Christianize the North American milieu,” [161] and Fournier, of “making common cause to transform our culture for the sake of our common Savior and Lord.” [162] Colson, interestingly enough, though, posits a sobering balance on this question from an Evangelical viewpoint:</div><div><blockquote>Ironically the Church must first remember that its principal obligation is <i>not</i> to renew the culture. The task of the Church is to be the Church, to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to make disciples. The Church is called to be faithful to God, to live out his Word, to proclaim his truth, and to assist men and women in growing spiritually as part of a holy, righteous community. Whenever the Church has made culture its first priority, its message has become politicized and the Church has been swallowed up by the surrounding culture. Whenever the Church has focused on being faithful to Christ, it has been used powerfully to influence the culture. [163]</blockquote></div><div>Paradoxically, on the other hand, several of the Catholic signers of ECT point to the need to include not only fellow Christians, but also Jews and Muslims as partners in the task of cultural transformation. [164]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>ECT Theological at Heart</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Because of the emphasis on cultural transformation, some from the liberal side of the ledger have pejoratively dismissed ECT as “no more than a social-political compact between Christian conservatives,” while others from a more conservative perspective would prefer for it to remain “nothing more than a statement of cobelligerency in the public square.” [165] According to the chief architects of ECT, though, this is a misunderstanding. For Neuhaus, it is “the theological affirmations [that] are the heart of ECT.” [166] And Colson asserts: “A politicized gospel, whether in the form of liberation theology on the left or nationalism on the right, is not biblical. When the Church is acting as the Church, it will avoid partisan alignment.” [167]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>ECT and the Basis of Unity</b></div><div><br /></div><div>At the forefront of the affirmations of ECT is the following: “All who accept Christ as Lord and Savior are brothers and sisters in Christ. Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ. We have not chosen one another, just as we have not chosen Christ. He has chosen us, and he has chosen us to be his together.” [168] Though openly and inquisitively exploring the differences between Evangelical and Catholic perspectives, the focus of ECT is on those beliefs Evangelicals and Catholics have in common: “We confess together one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; we confess Jesus Christ the Incarnate Son of God; we affirm the binding authority of Holy Scripture, God’s inspired Word; and we acknowledge the Apostles’ and Nicene creeds as faithful witnesses to that Word.” [169]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>ECT and Justification by Faith</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The key doctrinal issue, from the perspective of many, in any Evangelical-Catholic dialogue is the aforementioned <i>articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae</i>: justification by faith alone. The first ECT document, while affirming that salvation is by grace through faith, came short of saying it is by grace <i>alone</i> through faith <i>alone</i>. Neuhaus himself freely admitted: “The <i>solas</i> are conspicuous by their absence, and it is not by accident that they are absent.” [170] On the heels of criticism for glossing over this key question, the second ECT document, “The Gift of Salvation,” sought to arrive at a wording that would be satisfactory for both sides. [171] The wording of this document, issued shortly before the Lutheran-Catholic Joint Declaration on Justification of 1999, appeared to some to be a breakthrough:</div><div><blockquote>We agree that justification is not earned by any good works or merits of our own; it is entirely God’s gift, conferred through the Father’s sheer graciousness, out of the love that he bears us in his Son, who suffered on our behalf and rose from the dead for our justification. . . . In justification, God, on the basis of Christ’s righteousness alone, declares us to be no longer his rebellious enemies but his forgiven friends, and by virtue of his declaration it is so. [172]</blockquote></div><div>The real bombshell, however, was the affirmation: “We understand that what we here affirm is in agreement with what the Reformation traditions have meant by justification by faith alone (<i>sola fide</i>).” [173] Six years later, the ECT document entitled “The Communion of Saints,” reflecting on “The Gift of Salvation,” was even more explicit: “We together affirmed the way we understand justification by faith alone as a gift received by God’s grace alone because of Christ alone.” [174]</div><div><br /></div><div>What was the explanation for this? Had the Catholic Church actually reversed the position it had “infallibly” proclaimed as dogma at Trent? Apart from the fact that the ECT documents were never official declarations of the Church itself, the nuance of the Catholic position must be understood from within the context of the Catholic concept of the progressive nature of salvation nurtured by ongoing participation in the sacraments. Indeed in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI stated that “Luther’s phrase: ‘<i>faith alone</i>’ is true, if it is not opposed to faith in charity, in love.” [175] According to Catholic ECT signatory Thomas Guarino, Colson was quick to interpret this as a “profound change” occasioned by the “development of doctrine,” but this way of thinking represents an overly naïve optimism with regard to the possibility of real change on such a crucial matter of dogma. [176]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>ECT on Baptism</b></div><div><br /></div><div>On the crucial issue of baptismal regeneration, despite significant differences among Evangelicals themselves, and agreement between Evangelicals and Catholics on several other issues related to baptism, [177] ECT has been unable to come to a consensus statement that unifies (especially baptistic) Evangelicals and Catholics: “Repentance and amendment of life do not dissolve remaining differences between us. In the context of evangelization and ‘reevangelization,’ we encounter a major difference in our understanding of the relationship between baptism and the new birth in Christ.” [178]</div><div><br /></div><div>Other issues on which various ECT documents have identified significant points of both agreement and disagreement, such as the relationship between Scripture and Tradition, [179] the definition of the Church, [180] and the role of Mary, [181] while vitally important, are perhaps not as crucial as the all-important issue of how we are saved, and who is actually saved. This has significant implications for the issue both Colson and Neuhaus cited as the real purpose of ECT: common witness.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Common Witness</b></div><div><br /></div><div>A big question with relation to common witness is a common understanding of the meaning of witness. The terms <i>witness</i>, <i>evangelism</i>, <i>evangelization</i>, and <i>mission</i>, though all related, often have somewhat different connotations for Evangelicals and Catholics. The Baptist Roman Catholic International Conversations, for example, pointed out different understandings of evangelism/evangelization:
<blockquote>Even with a growing convergence in terminology, evangelism/evangelization assumes different forms within our two communions. The Baptist stress on conversion as an act of personal faith and acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Savior gives precedence to leading people to an explicit confession of faith through proclamation of the Gospel. Roman Catholics stress that by baptism a person is made new in Christ in the church and stress the establishment of a Christian community through proclamation of the word and through a ministry of presence and service. [182]</blockquote>
This difference led to the participants of the Conversations to clarify what they meant by common witness:
<blockquote>An important area of common concern is the language we use in speaking of our common witness. “Common witness” means that Christians, even though not yet in full communion with one another, bear witness together to many vital aspects of Christian truth and Christian life. We affirm that it embraces the whole of life: divine worship, responsible service, proclamation of the Good News with a view to leading men and women, under the power of the Holy Spirit, to salvation and gathering them into the Body of Christ. [183]</blockquote>
ECT adopted a similarly broad understanding of mission and evangelization:
<blockquote>The entire mission of the Church may be summarized under the rubric of evangelization. Evangelization in the broadest sense is proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ to all people and bringing that gospel to bear, by word and deed, on the totality of things. According to the Scriptures, God’s Word in Jesus Christ should penetrate into the hearts and minds of believers, governing their ideas and activities and, through their ministry, permeating the cultures and social institutions of the world (2 Corinthians 10:5). All of creation, wounded by original sin, is to be healed and redirected in Christ to its true goal, the glory of the Creator (Colossians 1:19-20). [184]</blockquote>
The Catholic Church itself speaks of “new evangelization” and “common witness” with relation to joint efforts for “justice, peace, living with others and the stewardship of creation.” [185]</div><div><br /></div><div>Both Evangelicals and Catholics who are more doctrinally conscientious have more concerns with regard to certain aspects of common witness than others. When it comes to cooperating together to do good deeds and to work toward a moral and ethical transformation of society, the barriers are not as great as when they are called upon to jointly proclaim the message of the more explicitly spiritual aspects of salvation, such as justification. The problem, according to some, is that key doctrinal differences demand reducing gospel proclamation to a least common denominator approach. [186] ECT attempts to navigate this tension by way of ambiguous language that may be understood in different ways by different readers, [187] while at the same time unequivocally affirming that “Evangelicals and Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ.” [188]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Evangelism and Proselytism</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This brings us to a key concern with regard to the type of “common witness” advocated by ECT: questions regarding the legitimacy of Evangelical evangelistic efforts directed toward Catholics and Catholic evangelistic efforts directed toward Evangelicals. Noll and Nystrom capture well the issue at stake:</div><div><blockquote>A main goal of ECT has been to advance consideration of the meaning of Christian salvation. Debates over evangelism, and hence also over proselytization, arise out of a concern for a correct understanding of salvation. If evangelicals or Catholics view the other as not redeemed, then the biblical Great Commission mandates evangelism. But are active, wholehearted practitioners of the other faith tradition actually lost or simply viewing salvation from a different angle? [189]</blockquote></div><div>The fact of the matter is that faithful adherents of both communities, in order to consistently follow through with the implications of their beliefs, must, of necessity, engage in evangelistic efforts directed toward each other. [190] For Evangelicals, this implies (among other things) urging all those who have not yet placed their faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross as the sole and sufficient remedy for their alienation from God and the requirement for forgiveness of sins and an eternity in heaven to do so. For Catholics, this implies (among other things) urging those who have not submitted to the authority of the Church and who are not coming to Christ by means of participation in the sacraments of the Church in order to receive the grace of God to do so.</div><div><br /></div><div>While recognizing the legitimacy of interconfessional evangelism, ECT both censures as well as spells out various aspects of what qualifies as illegitimate proselytism: “We condemn the practice of recruiting people from another community for purposes of denominational or institutional aggrandizement.” [191] ERCDOM further identifies other practices associated with illegitimate proselytism, including: “offers to temporal or material advantages . . . improper use of situations of distress . . . using political, social and economic pressure as a means of obtaining conversion . . . casting unjust and uncharitable suspicion on other denominations; [and] comparing the strengths and ideals of one community with the weakness and practices of another community.” [192]</div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time, ECT recognizes the legitimacy of efforts aimed at conversion, provided it is “authentic conversion” (i.e., “conversion to God in Christ by the power of the Spirit”). The sticky issue has to do with the “attempt to win ‘converts’ from one another’s folds.” While recognizing that, “in some ways, this is perfectly understandable and perhaps inevitable,” it is also stated that, “in many instances . . . such efforts at recruitment undermine the Christian mission by which we are bound by God’s Word.” [193] It is practically inevitable, however, that a faithful Evangelical, when evangelizing a Catholic, will point out certain doctrinal aspects of what he considers to be a biblical understanding of salvation (i.e., the five <i>solas</i>) which are not in accord with the Catholic understanding (i.e., sacramentalism), and a faithful Catholic, when evangelizing an Evangelical, will reciprocate. In certain respects, ECT recognizes this reality: “It is understandable that Christians who bear witness to the Gospel try to persuade others that their communities and traditions are more fully in accord with the Gospel.” [194] ERCDOM also defends the freedom of those being evangelized to choose the faith community they feel best helps them to grow in their faith. [195] At the same time, there are certain aspects of the evangelistic presentations of both faithful Evangelicals and Catholics which will coincide with and support each other (e.g., the teaching of the basic doctrines of the Universal Creeds).</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Salvation of Individual Catholics</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Evangelicals, for the most part, do not believe that it is impossible for Catholics to be saved (though there are undoubtedly some exceptions). Though we are indeed saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and it may be legitimately questioned whether the Catholic Church teaches this, faith in Christ alone is not necessarily accompanied by a precise doctrinal understanding of the theological grounding of salvation. The key question behind this sticky issue is the degree to which individuals are trusting in the efficacy of the sacraments themselves, the mediation of the Church, or good works for their salvation, or they are trusting in Christ alone, who they believe channels his grace through the sacraments and the Church, and who enables them to do good works.</div><div><br /></div><div>Different Evangelicals draw attention to different nuances in their response to this question. Michael Patton, arguing in favor of the possible salvation of Catholics who do not understand justification by faith alone, says, “Put it this way: Heaven will not be inhabited by anyone who contributed to their justification. Some will get to heaven and they will find out how radical grace really was.” [196] Armstrong presents another popular Evangelical view:
<blockquote>We must not personally judge the ultimate standing before God of any individual soul. As Scripture says, “The Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19), and, “To his own Master [each person] stands or falls” (Romans 14:4). . . . Because we believe Rome is fallen, we must urge Roman Catholics to trust Christ alone for salvation. We must continue to clearly preach justification by faith alone, through grace alone. This means that individual Catholics must trust in Him, not their church and its system of sacraments and personal mysticism. We believe that some Catholics may well be trusting Christ savingly, but, if they do, it will have to be in spite of the teaching of their church, not because of it. [197]</blockquote>
The perspective of Zins is even more rigorous yet:<blockquote>The apostasy here is the failure to distinguish between believing something essential about the Gospel and denying something essential about the Gospel. . . . We ask, “Can one be saved while denying imputed righteousness?” Salvation is not for those who later deny the very essence of salvation. Yes, one can be saved without a full grasp of imputed righteousness, but one cannot maintain that he is saved while denying this essential element of the Gospel. He will have only believed a caricature of the gospel and a Jesus of his own imagination. This is idolatry, not salvation. [198]</blockquote>
No matter what nuance one wants to emphasize, though, most all would agree that the eternal destiny of each person’s soul is in the hands of God, and God alone; and while it is helpful to call for doctrinal precision with regard to one’s presentation of the gospel, it is not wise to speculate on the true heart condition of other individuals.</div><div><br /></div><div>Closely related to the question of the possibility of individual Catholics being saved is that of how many Catholics actually are saved. Most Evangelicals would admit that even those raised in a solidly Evangelical environment may themselves not be truly saved and are thus the legitimate target of evangelistic efforts. It may be argued that, logically, at the very least, the same criteria should be used with regard to evangelizing Catholics. Even Catholic convert Peter Kreeft would appear to agree that many Catholics are not truly saved:
<blockquote>There are still many who do not know the data, the gospel. Most of my Catholic students at Boston College have never heard it. They do not even know how to get to heaven. When I ask them what they would say to God if they died tonight and God asked them why he should take them into heaven, nine out of ten do not even mention Jesus Christ. Most of them say they have been good or kind or sincere or did their best. So I seriously doubt God will undo the Reformation until he sees to it that Luther’s reminder of Paul’s gospel has been heard throughout the church. [199]</blockquote>
After this point, though, the question gets more complicated. Evangelical missionary strategy often takes into account the proportion of resources dedicated to evangelizing people segments which are deemed to be comparatively less evangelized than others. Among some, the degree to which strategic missionary efforts should be directed from Evangelicals to Catholics (and vice versa) is a matter of controversy. Former Evangelical, and Catholic signatory of ECT, Keith Fournier is a good example of someone who takes a critical attitude toward cross-confessional evangelism:
<blockquote>Many Protestants see the Catholic Church as enamored with itself, seeing itself as the “only church” and having little room for adjustment. Many Catholics have felt the same way about Protestant churches. Consequently, Catholics and Protestants often see themselves as the sole possessors of truth. They look upon each other condescendingly, refuse to move toward each other in dialogue but try to evangelize one another, assuming that the “other side” has embraced a false gospel and needs to be set straight. This form of religious bigotry knows no denominational or ecclesiastical boundaries. And when it expresses itself in evangelistic and missionary endeavors, it is particularly harmful and ugly. [200]</blockquote>
Some of the biggest controversy has to do with Evangelical missionary efforts in traditionally Catholic lands. Fournier takes special umbrage to the following words by Dave Hunt:
<blockquote>I have been in contact with thousands of Catholics who were saved and left that Church. <i>Not one</i> ever heard the true gospel preached there. <i>Not one</i> was saved by being a Catholic, but by believing a gospel which is anathema to Catholics. In a recent survey of 2,000 homes in Spain only two Protestants knew the gospel, while 1,998 Catholics thought good works, church attendance, etc. would get them to heaven. In their 15 years of evangelizing in Spain, missionaries with whom I spoke had <i>never met one</i> Catholic who was saved or who knew how to be saved. Knowing that these millions of Catholics are lost causes evangelicals there to work day and night to bring them the gospel! [201]</blockquote>
Fournier interprets this as a personal slap in the face of the testimony of his own wife, who was positively impacted for the gospel through the Cursillo movement, which originated in a Catholic context in Spain. [202] In contrast, Noll and Nystrom give the example of evangelical missionary to France David E. Bjork, who, after encountering a group of 600 Catholics worshiping “in the presence of God’s Spirit” and a three-year dialogue with a local Catholic priest, decided to “merge his ministry into the local Catholic church.” [203]</div><div><br /></div><div>For many evangelicals, though, the question is not how many common beliefs we have with Catholics, nor whether one can feel the presence of the Holy Spirit during Catholic worship, but whether devout Catholics whose beliefs are consistent with the teachings of the Church are truly saved. Those who are not, no matter how many other commonalities they may share with Evangelicals, should be viewed as legitimate targets for evangelistic efforts with a view to conversion. Muslims, for instance, share with Christians certain beliefs related to Jesus. Does this mean they should be a lower priority for evangelistic efforts than, for example, Buddhists, who do not share these beliefs? A similar argument could be made with regard to efforts to share the gospel with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. A common set of beliefs on many different points of doctrine does not necessarily amount to a soul-saving belief in the gospel, and to withhold or underemphasize an essential element of the gospel in the name of political correctness is not to refrain from arrogance but rather an extreme disservice and evidences a lack of concern for the spiritual well-being and eternal destiny of the souls of men and women.</div><div><br /></div><div>From an Evangelical stance, however, faithful missionary service does not have to do only with bringing people to the point of conversion. It also has to do with bringing them to maturity in Christ, which involves, among other things, correct doctrinal knowledge and stability. [204] It also implies helping them to grow in an understanding of such doctrines as the assurance of their salvation, and the perseverance of the saints, both of which are incompatible with the teachings of the Catholic Church. Indeed, in order to truly “make disciples,” as Evangelicals understand this term, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to do so without at the same time planting specifically Evangelical congregations in which the fundamental doctrines of the faith are taught faithfully and unambiguously, the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper are carried out according to biblical patterns, and healthy, constructive church discipline is consistently practiced.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Evangelical Response to ECT</b></div><div><br /></div><div>It is on the point of missionary ministry and proselytism that ECT voiced one of its most controversial opinions: “It is neither theologically legitimate nor a prudent use of resources for one Christian community to proselytize among active adherents of another Christian community.” [205] Though the interpretation of this sentence hinges on the meaning one assigns to the words “proselytize” and “Christian,” [206] a surface reading would appear to infer that ECT was condemning Evangelical missionary efforts in traditionally Catholic lands as well as Catholic missionary efforts in traditionally Evangelical lands.</div><div><br /></div><div>The response on the part of many Evangelicals has not been totally positive. The 1994 Southern Baptist “Resolution on Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics,” while recognizing common points of doctrine and a shared commitment with regard to various moral and social concerns, and even affirming the general concept of cobelligerency on these concerns, appears to be intended as a specific response to this matter: “Be it further RESOLVED, That the Southern Baptist Convention affirm its commitment to evangelism and missionary witness among populations and individuals not characterized by genuine faith in Christ alone, and we reject any suggestion that such witness be characterized as ‘sheep stealing’ proselytizing or a wasteful use of resources.” [207] Some, such as Dave Hunt, have been more direct in voicing their concerns with ECT:
<blockquote>I believe the document represents the most devastating blow against the gospel in at least 1,000 years. . . . It is outrageous that leading evangelicals have placed nearly 25% of the world’s population off limits for evangelisation! Missionaries must now leave Catholic countries such as Spain, Italy and those in Latin America—such is the tragic implication of this document! . . . The most tragic result of this historic development will be to prevent the gospel from being presented to lost millions who have now been wrongly reclassified by evangelical leaders as Christians. A disaster of almost equal proportions will result from this document’s endorsement of Catholicism’s false gospel, thereby encouraging multitudes to believe it. [208]</blockquote>
Others have questioned whether ECT has allowed common concerns over moral, social, cultural, and political causes to override doctrinal precision on matters such as justification and baptismal regeneration. [209] Michael Horton voices a significant criticism implying a certain degree of disingenuousness (and/or naïveté) on the part of the Evangelical signatories:
<blockquote>My own criticism of the impressive initiative known as “Evangelicals and Catholics Together” (ECT) some years ago was not that such dialogue should not exist or that real consensus on many issues was impossible from the outset, but that the consensus reached affirmed agreement in the gospel while acknowledging disagreement on justification, merit, purgatory, indulgences, and the redemptive intercession of anyone other than Christ. Yet, in step with other recent agreements, here it is only the evangelicals who have moved, accepting the view that justification by grace <i>alone</i> through faith <i>alone</i> because of Christ <i>alone</i> is not essential to the gospel. [210]</blockquote>
Certainly, the motive of seeking greater unity in the Body of Christ is not bad in and of itself. At the same time, as our study has pointed out, in the midst of ecumenical dialogue we must be very discerning to make sure that in the process we are not sacrificing something of even greater significance.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>A PERSONAL EVALUATION</div><div><br /></div><div>Though throughout the body of this paper I have not refrained at times from interjecting personal opinions on various questions, I will concentrate in this final stage on giving a summary of my personal perspective on the viability of ecumenical dialogue between Evangelicals and Catholics as well as the approach that Evangelicals ought to take.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Attitudes for Dialogue</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I must affirm, to begin with, certain points of agreement with various Catholic spokespersons with regard to the attitudes we should adopt when broaching the matter of Christian unity and ecumenical dialogue. For example, Schreck is undoubtedly on target when he states, “The first step toward restoring the unity of Christians, which is God’s will (Jn 17:21) and so necessary today, is for Christians to understand and respect one another and their beliefs.” [211] Vatican II was also correct to call not only Catholics but all Christians to “a change of heart” with respect to our attitude toward one another that leads to “the grace to be genuinely self-denying, humble, gentle in the service of others, and to have an attitude of brotherly generosity towards them.” [212] Indeed, we should seek to manifest a charitable attitude of actively seeking points of agreement, looking for ways to understand each other without prejudging. Pope John Paul II was also speaking the truth when he stated, with regard to ecumenism, that, “Intolerant polemics and controversies have made incompatible assertions out of what was really the result of two different ways of looking at the same reality,” [213] and that, “When undertaking dialogue, <i>each side must presuppose in the other a desire for reconciliation, for unity in truth</i>.” [214]</div><div><br /></div><div>At the same time, however, Vatican II is equally right when it states that, “Nothing is so foreign to the spirit of ecumenism as a false irenicism.” [215] This implies studiously avoiding “all forms of reductionism or facile ‘agreement,’” [216] as well as “superficiality and imprudent zeal, which can hinder real progress toward unity.” [217] ECT confesses the same resolve when it states that, “We reject any appearance of harmony that is purchased at the price of truth.” [218] And Neuhaus poignantly drives home the same point when he observes that, “Our unity in the truth is more evident in our quarreling about the truth than in our settling for something less than the truth.” [219]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Is Unity Between Evangelicals and Catholics a Realistic Goal?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>This commitment to honesty and frankness in dialogue opens the question of the degree to which the goal of unity between Evangelicals and Catholics is realistic. From the Catholic perspective, true unity entails organizational union with the Roman Church and submission to its structures, including the papacy and the Magisterium. Because of this, it also requires embracing the entire corpus of Catholic dogma. [220]</div><div><br /></div><div>The Catholic Church has traditionally accused Protestants of the sin of schism. From another perspective, however—a more specifically biblical one—might it be Rome itself that is guilty of schism? The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. . . . What I mean is that each one of you says, ‘I follow Paul,’ or ‘I follow Apollos,’ or ‘I follow Cephas,’ or ‘I follow Christ’” (1 Cor 1:10–12). Does not setting up the supposed Chair of Peter as the focal point for unity among a certain group of Christians and for the exclusion of others amount to the same thing as saying, “I follow Cephas”? And yet this is precisely what the Roman Catholic Church has done. Even the supposedly ecumenically friendly documents of Vatican II make this abundantly clear: “The Roman Pontiff, as the successor of Peter, is the perpetual and visible principle and foundation of unity of both the bishops and of the faithful.” [221] It is thus with great acuity that Pope Paul VI once declared, “The pope—as we all know—is undoubtedly the gravest obstacle in the path of ecumenism.” [222]</div><div><br /></div><div>Though written before Vatican II and the subsequent dialogues with Evangelicals, the following observation of Catholic apologist Gustave Weigel still essentially holds true:
<blockquote>As long as the Catholic is Catholic and the Protestant is Protestant, there is only one way to union—the conversion of one to the views of the other. If that should happen, either Catholicism or Protestantism would disappear. There can never be a Catholic-Protestant Church, or even a Catholic-Protestant fellowship of churches. This is the basic fact. It does no good to anyone to hope that this fact will somehow sublimate into something thinner. Because the Catholic recognizes this fact clearly and unambiguously, his ecumenical strivings are more consistent. He knows what is called for, and he moves toward the goal of the conversion of the non-Catholic. [223]</blockquote>
From an Evangelical perspective, unity implies “a shared experience of having one’s life changed by the same gospel message; a shared relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and a shared doctrinal agreement on the essentials of the gospel message.” [224] From this perspective, it is possible for Evangelicals as individuals to share Christian fellowship with some Catholics as individuals. The critical point (as mentioned earlier in this paper) is “the degree to which an individual is trusting in the efficacy of the sacraments themselves, the mediation of the Church, or good works for their salvation, or they are trusting in Christ alone.” [225] Even though individual Catholics may differ with Evangelicals on important points of doctrine, if they are truly justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (whether or not they are able to articulate it correctly or truly understand it), they are already brothers and sisters in Christ and fellow members of the Body of Christ. If, however, they are not truly justified by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, it doesn’t matter whether they identify themselves as Evangelicals, Catholics, or by some other label: they are not members of the Body of Christ and do not share the status of unity with those who are.</div><div><br /></div><div>If what we are talking about, though, is unity between organizations or churches, and not merely individuals, the question immediately becomes more problematic. For the Catholic Church, which professes to be the true Church, and that there can be no other, it is impossible to achieve unity with non-Catholic organizations, since, by definition, Christian unity for them is embodied in the Church. For Evangelicalism, which is in reality a movement and not an organization, it is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve unity with an organization (such as the Catholic Church), since such unity must be based on a foundation of unequal footing. How does a movement express unity toward an organization, and how does an organization express unity toward a movement? For Evangelicals, it is individual believers who express unity one with another. At the same time, it is true, however, that organizations identified with a certain movement (such as Evangelical denominations and congregations) may have policies and procedures which express (or fail to express) in varying degrees the unity that true brothers and sisters in Christ share with one another.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is at this level of organizational ecumenism that the third point of gospel-centered unity, shared doctrinal agreement on the essentials of the gospel message, becomes especially relevant. If the officially stated doctrinal position of one organization or congregation is incompatible with that of another organization or congregation on gospel essentials, there can be no unity between the two organizations until one of them changes. It is my understanding that the differences between the official position of the Catholic Church and what I would consider to be a truly “evangelical” position, [226] especially with respect to issues such as justification by faith alone, sacramentalism, and baptismal regeneration, are of such a nature that unity would not be an accurate term to describe the relationship between them. Indeed, it would seem that Weigel is correct when he says that one organization inviting another organization that it considers apostate to come into union with it is tantamount to “an invitation to suicide.” [227]</div><div><br /></div><div>In light of this, it might be best, when speaking of organizational relationships between the Catholic Church and Evangelical organizations and congregations, to use a term other than <i>unity</i>. Friendship, cobelligerency, solidarity, and cooperation may all be considered as more appropriate categories. And each of these may, in certain cases, be considered as worthy goals. At the same time, Evangelical organizations and congregations should take care not to compromise on key doctrinal convictions for the purpose of furthering relationships of friendship, cobelligerency, solidarity, or cooperation. The mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel and make disciples, not to transform culture, [228] and relationships based on cooperation for cultural causes should never take priority over gospel faithfulness.</div><div><br /></div><div>But to what degree can Evangelical organizations and congregations and the Catholic Church cooperate on the proclamation of the gospel itself? There is a sense in which, whenever one proclaims elements of the same message as the other (for example, the points of agreement found in the Universal Creeds), to that extent, they do so in solidarity and in agreement with the other. But there is another sense in which, to the degree their messages do not coincide, their proclamation is necessarily done in a spirit of disagreement and discrepancy. This is merely facing the facts. At the same time, such disagreement and discrepancy can be and should be communicated with a spirit of mutual respect and courtesy.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fact of the matter, however, is, no matter how much goodwill and courtesy may exist on all sides, there are various facets of evangelistic ministry on which it makes no sense for Evangelicals and Catholics to collaborate. When making a simple gospel presentation to someone who has not yet come to the point of trusting Christ alone for her salvation, the way a consistent Evangelical goes about it and the way a consistent Catholic goes about it are not only going to be different but contradictory. When seeking to disciple a new believer in Christ and teach him the fundamentals of the Christian faith and life, though there will no doubt be some areas of commonality, there will also be many areas of discrepancy. When it comes time, for example, to teach about confession and forgiveness of sin, what the Evangelical disciple-maker teaches will almost certainly be very different from what the Catholic catechizer will teach. The faithful Evangelical missionary will seek to plant biblically-based local congregations, which consistent Catholics in the same locality will not be able to completely support with a good conscience. At the same time, the Evangelical disciple-maker, who will want the new believers he is discipling to grow in spiritual maturity and understanding of sound doctrine, will not be content to entrust their spiritual nurture to the spiritual oversight of the local Catholic parish.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are nevertheless some activities, such as Bible exhibits, pro-life campaigns, and food distribution to needy families, which may well be able to be organized and carried out jointly with success. But these activities are not core activities, but rather secondary or auxiliary activities, when it comes to what both confessions understand as proclaiming the gospel. To talk, with conciliatory language, about “common witness” is one thing, but to actually put it into practice in everyday evangelistic ministry is something else. Either Catholics will have to adjust their style and make it more Evangelical, or Evangelicals will have to adjust their style and make it more Catholic. Even so, Evangelicals cannot truly engage in Catholic evangelism without first becoming Catholics, as the validity of Catholic sacraments (a key element in the Catholic scheme of evangelism) depends on the contribution of duly ordained Catholic priests. As Catholic apologist Devin Rose cogently observes, “Finally, and significantly, Protestants have rejected Apostolic Succession, and even if they believed in it, they do not possess the sacrament of Holy Orders through Apostolic Succession. Hence from a Catholic point of view, Protestantism has completely discarded one of the bonds of visible unity.” [229]</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Full Communion in Eucharistic Fellowship?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>One final point of practical import with regard to ecumenical dialogue has to do with the role of the Eucharist (or the Lord’s Supper) in Christian unity. Especially for Catholics, this point is fundamental. From the Catholic perspective, full unity is ultimately expressed in Eucharistic fellowship. However, current Catholic protocol and practice does not allow for Protestants to participate jointly in the Eucharist, and there is no sign that any change on this point is imminently forthcoming. As far as Evangelicals are concerned, there is a significant degree of disparity among different denominations and congregations with respect not only to how the Lord’s Supper is celebrated but also to who is invited to participate. While some Evangelical congregations may invite truly converted Catholics to share the Lord’s Table, once again, this is merely an example of fellowship with individual Catholics, not of unity practiced on an organizational level. The signatories of ECT are perhaps unrealistically optimistic with regard for their hopes for the future, yet at the same time forthright in their acknowledgement of the present situation, when they declare, “We together pray that our imperfect communion will one day give way to full communion in eucharistic fellowship. At present, we cannot see beyond some disagreements that appear to be intractable.” [230]</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-aa40e27a-7fff-9743-dbc5-5e7f643e6943"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[1] It is necessary to indicate clearly, from the beginning, that this paper proposes to consider the subject matter from “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">an</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> evangelical perspective” as opposed to “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> evangelical perspective.” Since there is no authorized spokesperson or entity to speak for Evangelicals at large, and since there are important differences among self-identified Evangelicals on these matters, it would be both arrogant and unrealistic to attempt to deal with these matters from a perspective that purports to represent all Evangelicals. The definition of the term </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">evangelical</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> itself is fiercely debated, even among those who embrace the label. Though somewhat related to the topic at hand, a full-fledged discussion on what truly constitutes evangelicalism is beyond the scope of this paper. It should be noted, however, that the motive behind the writing of this paper roots in a broader discussion on “gospel-centered unity,” the proposed topic of my upcoming dissertation. It is recognized that the terms </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">gospel-centered</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">evangelical</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> share common etymological roots and an overlapping, if not identical, semantic range. The foundation of gospel-centered unity, as proposed in the upcoming dissertation, is delineated as “a shared experience of having one’s life changed by the same gospel message; a shared relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and a shared doctrinal agreement on the essentials of the gospel message.” This raises the further questions of exactly how one’s life is changed by the gospel, how one enters into a relationship with the Holy Trinity, and what are the essentials of the gospel message. These are all questions which, though touched upon to some degree in the course of this paper, must be dealt with more fully in another context (e.g., my upcoming dissertation). It should also be noted that, while I am a member of a congregation which defines itself as Baptist, and I consider myself to be in general agreement with the doctrinal distinctives of the Southern Baptist Convention, I understand the scope of gospel-centered unity (and correspondingly, of evangelicalism) to extend beyond the confines of specifically Baptist (or baptistic) belief systems and those who embrace them. At the same time, I recognize that my specifically baptistic set of beliefs will inevitably color the “evangelical perspective” from which I write this paper, and that this personal (though not consciously peculiar) perspective will not coincide on every point with that of all other Baptists (or baptistic Evangelicals).</span></p><div><span style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-95e0f62a-7fff-181f-6593-8819319d2f03"><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[2] John S. Hammett, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2005), 51.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[3] There is good reason, however, to regard Clement as one among a plurality of presbyters among various house churches present at Rome at this time, preceding the appearance of the monarchical episcopate in Rome. See Peter Lampe, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Christians at Rome in the First Two Centuries: From Paul to Valentinus</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> (ed. Marshall D. Johnson; trans. Michael Steinhauser; London: T & T Clark International, 2003), 406. There is also discrepancy among early Christian sources accepted as authoritative by the Catholic Church with regard to Clement’s place in the list of Roman bishops, with Tertullian identifying him as the second, immediately following Peter (</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The Prescription Against Heretics</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 32), and Irenaeus placing him third, after Linus and Anacletus (</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Against Heresies</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3.3.3). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[4] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">See, for example, Bryan Cross, “St. Clement of Rome: Soteriology and Ecclesiology,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, November 23, 2010, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2010/11/st-clement-of-rome-soteriology-and-ecclesiology/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[5] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">1 Clement</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 47:6; 57:1. Clement appears to use the terms </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">bishops</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">presbyters</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> interchangeably, although it is possible to understand Clement as referring to the bishop as both a fellow member (along with the other presbyters) of the presbytery as well as the head of it. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The Didache</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, an anonymous work from roughly the same time period, does not use the terms </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">presbyters</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> or </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">elders</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, but does refer to both the </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">bishops</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">deacons</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> in the plural: “Appoint therefore for yourselves bishops and deacons. . .” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The Didache</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 15.1.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[6] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Kenneth J. Howell, “Three Frameworks for Interpreting the Church Fathers,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, December 12, 2012, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2012/12/three-frameworks-for-interpreting-the-church-fathers/. Howell, a Catholic convert, cites liberal Protestants such as Walter Bauer, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, and Boniface Ramsey, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Beginning to Read the Fathers</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, as representative of those who question the universality of Ignatius’ views. Though there are different lists of epistles attributed to Ignatius, and their authenticity has been contested at various points in history, it is now generally conceded that the seven epistles referenced by Eusebius, and only those seven—i.e. Ephesians, Magnesians, Trallians, Romans, Philadelphians, Smyrnaeans, and Polycarp—are authentic. See also the introduction to “The Epistles of Ignatius of Antioch” in E. Glenn Hinson, ed., </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The Early Church Fathers</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Christian Classics; Nashville: Broadman Press, 1980), 123–26. The following website provides additional information on the history of the controversy related to the authenticity of the writings attributed to Ignatius: http://www.nndb.com/people/718/000094436/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">]7] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Ignatius, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">To the Smyrnaeans</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 8:1–2. See also </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">To the Ephesians</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2:2; 5:3; 6:1; </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">To the Trallians</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2:1–3; 3:1; 7:2; 12:2; 13:2; </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">To Polycarp</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 6:1. Ignatius, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">To the Philadelphians</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, Greeting; 3:2; 7:1; 8:1. Ignatius, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">To the Magnesians</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3:1; 6:1–2; 7:1; 13:1–2.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[8] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Howell, “Three Frameworks for Interpreting the Church Fathers.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">[9] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Hinson, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Early Church Fathers</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 125–26.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[10] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Polycarp, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">To the Philippians</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Greeting.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[11] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 13:2.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[12] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 5:3. “Wherefore it is necessary to refrain from all these things, and to be subject to the presbyters and deacons as to God and Christ.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[13] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Hinson, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Early Church Fathers</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 126.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[14] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ignatius, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">To the Philadelphians</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 4:1; </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">To the Ephesians</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 5:2.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[15] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Irenaeus, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Against Heresies</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 1.10.2–3.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[16] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Ibid.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">,</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 1.10.1. “The Church, though dispersed throughout the whole world, has received from the apostles and their disciples this faith: [She believes] in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are in them; and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who proclaimed through the prophets the dispensations of God, and the advents, and the birth from a virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension into heaven in the flesh of the beloved Christ Jesus, our Lord, and [His] future manifestation from heaven in the glory of the Father ‘to gather all things in one,’ and to raise up anew all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord, and God, and Saviour, and King, according to the will of the invisible Father, ‘every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess,’ to Him, and that He should execute just judgment towards all; that He may send ‘spiritual wickednesses,’ and the angels who transgressed and became apostates, together with the ungodly, and unrighteous, and wicked, and profane among men, into everlasting fire; but may, in the exercise of His grace, confer immortality on the righteous, and holy, and those who have kept His commandments, and have persevered in His love, some from the beginning [of their Christian course], and others from [the date of] their repentance, and may surround them with everlasting glory.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[17] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Ibid., 3.2.1–2; 3.3.1. Several centuries later, Vincent of Lérins (died c. 445) extrapolated this catholic approach toward biblical interpretation further: “Moreover, in the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03449a.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Catholic</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Church</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">faith</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> which has been </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02408b.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">believed</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> everywhere, always, by all. For that is </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">truly</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> and in the strictest sense </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03449a.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Catholic</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, which, as the name itself and the reason of the thing declare, comprehends all universally. This rule we shall observe if we follow universality, antiquity, consent. We shall follow universality if we confess that one </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">faith</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> to be </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">true</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, which the whole </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Church</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> throughout the world confesses; antiquity, if we in no wise depart from those interpretations which it is manifest were notoriously held by our </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07386a.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">holy</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> ancestors and fathers; consent, in like manner, if in antiquity itself we adhere to the consentient definitions and determinations of all, or at the least of almost all </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12406a.htm" style="text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">priests</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> and doctors.” Vincent of Lérins, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Commonitory</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 2.6.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[18] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Irenaeus, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Against Heresies</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3.3.2. It is curious that, a few years later, Tertullian, in </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Prescription Against Heretics</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 32, makes essentially the same argument, but places Clement as the first bishop of Rome (after Peter), and not Linus.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[19] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 3.3.4.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[20] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Eusebius, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Church History</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 5.24.9–11. In the same context, Eusebius, in </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Church History</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 5.24.16–17, records a similar disagreement between Polycarp and Anicetus, an earlier occupant in the list of bishops of Rome: “And when the blessed </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12219b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Polycarp</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> was at </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13164a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Rome</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> in the time of </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01514a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Anicetus</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, and they disagreed a little about certain other things, they immediately made peace with one another, not caring to quarrel over this matter. For neither could </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01514a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Anicetus</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> persuade </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12219b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Polycarp</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> not to observe what he had always observed with John the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05029a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">disciple</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> of our Lord, and the other </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01626c.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">apostles</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> with whom he had associated; neither could </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12219b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Polycarp</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> persuade </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01514a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Anicetus</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> to observe it as he said that he ought to follow the customs of the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12406a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">presbyters</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> that had preceded him. But though matters were in this shape, they communed together, and </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01514a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Anicetus</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> conceded the administration of the eucharist in the church to </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12219b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Polycarp</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, manifestly as a mark of respect.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[21] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Irenaeus, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Against Heresies</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3.1.1; 3.3.2.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[22] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Robert Jewett, quoted on the cover of Lampe, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Christians at Rome.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[23]</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Lampe, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Christians at Rome</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, 397–98.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[24] <span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Ibid., 404–06. Lampe explains further: “Above all, the framework . . . points in the direction of a fictive construction. The names that were woven into the construction were certainly not freely invented but were borrowed from the tradition of the city of Rome (for example, ‘Clement’ or the brother of Hermas, ‘Pius’). They had belonged to presbyters of Roman church history. These persons, however, would never have understood themselves as monarchical leaders—especially Pius at the time of Hermas,” 406.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">[25] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">For an explanation of the development of the monarchical episcopacy in Rome, see Lampe, pp. 402–408. In the time of Cyprian, in the Roman Church, under the bishopric of Cornelius, “there were forty-six priests, seven deacons, seven subdeacons, forty-two acolytes, fifty-two ostiarii, and over one thousand five hundred widows and persons in distress.” John Chapman, “Pope Cornelius,” in </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The Catholic Encyclopedia</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, vol. 4, (ed. Charles George Herbermann, et al.: New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1913), 376.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[26] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">See, for example, Julio Campos, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Obras de San Cipriano</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Madrid: BAC, 1964), 50. “With regard to the order and operation of the Universal Church, Cyprian is faithful to the sense and spirit of primitive Christianity. He views the Church as a network or set of distinct communities, with equal rights, and independent of each other in their administration, but united by a moral and spiritual bond, manifested visibly through the agreement of the bishops on matters of faith and charity.” Translation mine. Original: “En el orden y funcionamiento de la Iglesia Universal es fiel Cipriano al sentido y espíritu del cristianismo primitivo. Considera la Iglesia como una red o conjunto de comunidades distintas, iguales en derechos e independientes entre sí en su administración, pero unidas por un lazo moral y espiritual, manifestado visiblemente por la concordia de los obispos en la fe y en la caridad.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[27] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">See Cyprian of Carthage, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">On the Unity of the Church</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 3 (</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">ANF</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 5:422).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[28] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">As Bryan Cross points out, the statements of Optatus (and other post-Constantinian Church leaders) are clearly on the side of a visible, hierarchical unity expressed through the so-called Chair of St. Peter as occupied by the bishop of Rome. On this point, he is no doubt correct. It is important, however, to be able to demonstrate that pre-Constantinian voices, such as that of Cyprian, though similar in some outward aspects, are not saying the same thing. Note, for example, Cross’s argument, which the Protestant apologist must take into consideration: “In the face of such evidence, the only recourse for the Protestant who wishes to remain Protestant is to propose that on account of </span><a href="http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2009/07/ecclesial-deism/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">ecclesial deism</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, at some point prior to the time of St. Optatus, men had wrongfully and universally imposed a visible hierarchy on the Church, treating what Christ had established to be something invisible, as though it were something visible and essentially unified in a visible hierarchical structure. The Protestant who seeks to remain Protestant must propose that the essential unity of the hierarchy of the Church and the role of the Chair of St. Peter in that hierarchical unity, to which St. Optatus refers in his writings against the Donatists, are man-made constructs that were universally imposed on the Church at some point after the death of the Apostles and prior to the time of St. Optatus.” Bryan Cross, “St. Optatus on Schism and the Bishop of Rome,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, June 1, 2011, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2011/06/st-optatus-on-schism-and-the-bishop-of-rome/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[29] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Cyprian of Carthage, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">On the Unity of the Church</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 4, 422. “The Lord speaks to Peter, saying, ‘I say unto thee, that thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound also in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.’ And again to the same He says, after His resurrection, ‘Feed my sheep.’ And although to all the apostles, after His resurrection, He gives an equal power, and says, ‘As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you: Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they shall be remitted unto him; and whose soever sins ye retain, they shall be retained;’ yet, that He might set forth unity, He arranged by His authority the origin of that unity, as beginning from one. Assuredly the rest of the apostles were also the same as was Peter, endowed with a like partnership both of honour and power; but the beginning proceeds from unity.” [Here is interpolated]: “And the primacy is given to Peter, that there might be shown one Church of Christ and one See; and they are all shepherds, and the Rock is one, which is fed by all the apostles with unanimous consent.” . . . “Does he who strives against and resists the Church”—[Here is interpolated]: “Who deserts the chair of Peter, upon whom the Church is founded,”—“trust that he is in the Church, when moreover the blessed Apostle Paul teaches the same thing, and sets forth the sacrament of unity…”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[30] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Bryan Cross, “St. Cyprian on the Unity of the Catholic Church,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, n.d., http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2010/09/st-cyprian-on-the-unity-of-the-church/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[31] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">José Grau, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Catolicismo Romano: Orígenes y Desarrollo, Tomo I</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Segunda Edición (Barcelona: Ediciones Evangélicas Europeas, 1987), 77. Translation mine. Original: “Cualquier obispo podía dirigirse a la Iglesia de Roma de igual a igual, como colega, y pedir la revisión de su opinión particular sobre una cuestión en la que otras Iglesias se habían pronunciado diferentemente. Por supuesto que, de la misma manera que Roma no podía imponer sus decisiones a las demás cristiandades, así tampoco éstas podían exigir a Roma un cambio de actitud u opinión si ésta no accedía a ello por su propia voluntad. No hemos de olvidar nunca el contexto histórico de cada acontecimiento. La Iglesia del siglo III, eminentemente episcopal y conciliar, encontraba expresada su unidad en la mutua comunicación e intercambio libre de las diferentes comunidades entre sí.” For quotes from Cyprian demonstrating this point, see, for example, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Epistle 72</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 26 (to Jubaianus): “These things, dearest brother, I have briefly written to you, according to my abilities, prescribing to none, and prejudging none, so as to prevent any one of the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02581b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">bishops</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> doing what he thinks well, and having the free exercise of his judgment”; and </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Epistle 71</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 3 (to Stephen himself): “We have brought these things, dearest brother, to your </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08673a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">knowledge</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, for the sake of our mutual </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07462a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">honour</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> and sincere affection; believing that, according to the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">truth</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> of your religion and </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">faith</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, those things which are no less religious than </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15073a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">true</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> will be approved by you. But we </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08673a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">know</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> that some will not lay aside what they have once imbibed, and do not easily change their purpose; but, keeping fast the bond of peace and concord among their colleagues, retain certain things peculiar to themselves, which have once been adopted among them. In which behalf we neither do </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15446a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">violence</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> to, nor impose a law upon, any one, since each prelate has in the administration of the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Church</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> the exercise of his will free, as he shall give an account of his conduct to the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06608a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Lord</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[32] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Campos, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Obras de San Cipriano</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 53–54, quoted in Grau, 77–78. Translation mine. Original: “Para él (Cipriano), pues, la cátedra de Pedro es el principio y origen de la concordia episcopal. Tiene cierta actitud de deferencia respetuosa, como debiendo notificar a Cornelio de Roma los asuntos de mayor importancia (</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ep.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 59:9). . . . esta deferencia para comunicar a Roma las consecuencias graves de Cartago no es un reconocimiento jurisdiccional, sino el procedimiento de la comunicación concorde que notifica a otros obispos, pero sobre todo al primer obispo de la cristiandad, con preferencia a otros. . . El modo de obrar a este respecto se manifestó con toda espontaneidad y conciencia en la controversia sobre el bautismo de los herejes frente al papa Esteban, cuyas pretensiones de imponerse combatió y con su actitud enérgica arrastró con él a la Iglesia de Africa. Para apoyar su actitud trata de demostrar que Cristo al dirigirse a Pedro se refería solamente a la unidad de la Iglesia; que el poder atribuído a Pedro también fue otorgado a todos los apóstoles y de ellos pasó a los obispos, como se ha dicho en el </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">De Unitate.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> Debemos, pues, concluir y deducir que Cipriano concedía a la iglesia de Roma y a su obispo una primacía, pero de antigüedad y de preeminencia de honor, no de jurisdicción y poder. Ciertamente, no estaban claros ni definidos el carácter y límites de esta preeminencia general, que desde su germen evangélico, que alega varias veces él mismo irá germinando y consolidándose como signo y centro visible de la unidad de la Iglesia universal, de la que fue defensor acérrimo.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[33]</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Cyprian of Carthage,</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> Epistle 74</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, 6 (From Firmilian to Cyprian): “But that they who are at Rome do not observe those things in all cases which are handed down from the beginning, and vainly pretend the authority of the apostles; any one may know also from the fact, that concerning the celebration of Easter, and concerning many other sacraments of divine matters, he may see that there are some diversities among them, and that all things are not observed among them alike, which are observed at Jerusalem, just as in very many other provinces also many things are varied because of the difference of the places and names. And yet on this account there is no departure at all from the peace and unity of the Catholic Church, such as Stephen has now dared to make; breaking the peace against you, which his predecessors have always kept with you in mutual love and honour, even herein defaming Peter and Paul the blessed apostles, as if the very men delivered this who in their epistles execrated heretics, and warned us to avoid them. Whence it appears that this tradition is of men which maintains heretics, and asserts that they have baptism, which belongs to the Church alone; </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Epistle 74</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, 17: “And in this respect I am </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08571c.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">justly</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> indignant at this so open and manifest folly of Stephen, that he who so boasts of the place of his </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05001a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">episcopate</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, and contends that he holds the succession from Peter, on whom the foundations of the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Church</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> were laid, should introduce many other rocks and establish new buildings of many churches; maintaining that there is </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02258b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">baptism</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> in them by his authority. . . . Stephen, who announces that he holds by succession the throne of Peter, is stirred with no </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15753a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">zeal</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> against </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07256b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">heretics</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, when he concedes to them, not a moderate, but the very greatest power of </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06689a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">grace</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> . . . And now he hesitates in vain to consent to them, and to be a partaker with them in other matters also, to meet together with them, and equally with them to mingle their </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12345b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">prayers</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, and appoint a common altar and </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/13309a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">sacrifice</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">; </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Epistle 74</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, 24: “For what strifes and dissensions have you [Stephen] stirred up throughout the churches of the whole world! Moreover, how great </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">sin</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> have you heaped up for yourself, when you cut yourself off from so many flocks! For it is yourself that you have cut off. Do not deceive yourself, since he is really the schismatic who has made himself an </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01624b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">apostate</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> from the communion of </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">ecclesiastical</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> unity. For while you think that all may be </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05678a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">excommunicated</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> by you, you have </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05678a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">excommunicated</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> yourself alone from all”; </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Epistle 74</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, 25: “How carefully has Stephen fulfilled these salutary commands and warnings of the apostle, keeping in the first place lowliness of mind and meekness! For what is more lowly or meek than to have disagreed with so many </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02581b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">bishops</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> throughout the whole world, breaking peace with each one of them in various kinds of discord: at one time with the eastern churches, as we are sure you </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08673a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">know</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">; at another time with yon who are in the south, from whom he received </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02581b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">bishops</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> as messengers sufficiently patiently and meekly not to receive them even to the speech of an ordinary conference; and even more, so mindful of </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">love</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> and charity as to command the entire fraternity, that no one should receive them into his house, so that not only peace and communion, but also a shelter and entertainment, were denied to them when they came! This is to have kept the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, to cut himself off from the unity of </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09397a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">love</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, and to make himself a stranger in all respects from his brethren, and to rebel against the sacrament and the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05752c.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">faith</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> with the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08041a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">madness</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> of contumacious discord! With such a man can there be one Spirit and one body, in whom perchance there is not even one </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10321a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">mind</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, so slippery, and shifting, and uncertain is it?”; </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Epistle 74</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, 26: “And yet Stephen is not ashamed to afford patronage to such in opposition to the </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03744a.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Church</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, and for the sake of maintaining </span><a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07256b.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">heretics</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> to divide the brotherhood and in addition, to call Cyprian a false Christ and a false apostle, and a deceitful worker.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[34] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Grau, 88.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">[35] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 89–90.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[36] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 104.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[37] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Comment from Bryan Cross in response to Matt Yonke, “‘Too catholic to be Catholic?’ A Response to Peter Leithart,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, May 24, 2012, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2012/05/too-catholic-to-be-catholic-a-response-to-peter-leithart/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[38] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Grau, 111.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[39] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ibid., 112–13. See also Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Lumen gentium</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Vatican Web site, November 21, 1964, </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, sec. 22.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[40] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Grau, 134–35. Translation mine. Original: “Atanasio apela a la Escritura, a los antiguos padres, a los concilios y, sobre todo, a Nicea, pero nunca al juicio infalible del obispo de Roma. . . . Atanasio no sólo era ignorante del magisterio infalible del obispo romano, sino también de su supremacía y jurisdicción.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[41] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">For a long list of quotes along this line, see Bryan Cross, “The Chair of St. Peter,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, February 22, 2011, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2011/02/the-chair-of-st-peter/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[42] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Grau, 183.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[43] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Ibid., 185. Translation mine. Original: “León I recogió toda esta herencia de privilegios y aspiraciones, y aprovechando las especiales coyunturas de su tiempo histórico pudo empezar a bosquejar aquella grandiosa institución del Papado que en la Edad Media se impuso como regla universal a la Iglesia.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">[44] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Though, undeniably, from a Catholic perspective, the Great Schism of 1054 is a crucial, and even watershed, development, since this paper focuses particularly on the development of the concept of unity as it relates specifically to relationships between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, we will bypass further comment on it at this time.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[45] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Wendell Holmes Rone, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Baptist Faith and Roman Catholicism</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Middletown, Ky.: Western Recorder, 1952), 32–33. Cf. Grau, 254–59.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[46]</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> The terms </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">visible</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> and </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">invisible</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, while commonly used to describe the differences between Catholic and Protestant approaches to unity, are problematic inasmuch as they are potentially misleading and tend to obscure the fact that for Protestants so-called </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">invisible</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> unity has </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">visible</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> repercussions with regard to real relationships with real people and even church structures. The following statement from ECT captures much of this nuance as well: </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Although Catholics believe that the Church is visible in its universal dimension and not only in local congregations, we as Catholics and Evangelicals together affirm the statement of Amsterdam 2000: ‘The Church is the people of God, the body and the bride of Christ, and the temple of the Holy Spirit. The one, universal Church is a transnational, transcultural, transdenominational, and multi-ethnic family, the household of faith. In the widest sense, the Church includes all the redeemed of all the ages, being the one body of Christ extended throughout time as well as space. Here in the world, the Church becomes visible in all local congregations that meet to do together the things that according to the Scripture the Church does. Christ is the head of the Church. Everyone who is personally united to Christ by faith belongs to his body and by the Spirit is united with every other true believer in Jesus.’” Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Communion of Saints,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">First Things</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> (March 2003), http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/the-communion-of-saints-17. The following quote from ERCDOM is also helpful on this point: “Evangelicals, like Catholics, recognize the value of worldwide fellowship, but because of different theological presuppositions and different interpretations of certain biblical passages, they have a different view of the relationship between the universal church and local churches. Evangelicals understand by ‘universal church’ all those everywhere and in all ages who believe and trust in Christ for salvation. ‘All’ includes believing Roman Catholics. Evangelicals have made use of Luther’s distinction between the church invisible and the church visible. They affirm the universal church whose bond of unity, the Spirit of Christ, is invisible (Eph 4:3-4); they stress incorporation by ‘faith alone,’ a faith by which all share in the gift of the Spirit (Gal 3:2). Christ, however, also willed the founding of visible churches into which people are incorporated by (water) baptism. While primarily local, these congregations may seek federations and alliances as means to express the universal character of the church’s nature and mission.” </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The International Consultation between the Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (1993 - 2002), </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Church, Evangelization, and the Bonds of Koinonia</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, A Report of the International Consultation between the Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (1993–2002), Vatican Web site, December 20, 2011, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/evangelicals-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20111220_report-1993-2002_en.html, sec. 33.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[47] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">See, for example, Scott Manetsch’s reference to Calvin on this point: </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Because of this understanding of the Church, Calvin strenuously rejects Catholic claims that the Protestant reformers are schismatics or innovators. In Calvin’s view, the Protestants did not break the spiritual unity of the Christian Church; rather, they are defending the Apostolic message of the gospel and the purity of Christ’s Church. Calvin makes this point forcefully in his treatise </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">On the Necessity of Reforming the Church</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">: ‘It is not enough, therefore, simply to throw out the name of Church, but judgment must be used to ascertain which is the true church, and what is the nature of its unity. And the thing necessary to attend to, first of all, is, to beware of separating the Church from Christ its head. When I say Christ, I include the doctrine of his gospel, which he sealed with his blood. . . . [The] uniform characteristics of a well-ordered Church are the preaching of sound doctrine and the pure administration of the Sacraments.’” Scott M. Manetsch, “Is the Reformation Over? John Calvin, Roman Catholicism, and Contemporary Ecumenical Conversations,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Themelios</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> 36, no. 2 (August 2011), http://thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/article/is_the_reformation_over_john_calvin_roman_catholicism_and_contemporary. Cf. Hammett, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, 53. “While the schism called unity into question, the Reformation made some reformulation of the mark of unity a necessity. The Protestant Reformers continued to affirm their faith in the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, but they gave the four marks an interpretation quite different than that of the Catholic Church. They were not in fellowship with the bishop of Rome, but they claimed a spiritual unity with all those who were part of the invisible church, composed of all those truly saved.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[48] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Cf., on this point, however, Cross, “St. Cyprian on the Unity of the Church”: </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">This is why there is no such thing as being a small ‘c’ catholic, rather than a Catholic. The idea of being a small ‘c’ catholic presupposes that visible unity is not essential to the Church’s unity, and hence that one can simply pick and choose from whichever historical doctrines and traditions that agree with one’s own interpretation of Scripture. The person claiming to be a small ‘c’ catholic is affirming an invisible-church ecclesiology, and thus reducing the faith to an arbitrarily-defined ‘mere Christianity.’”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[49] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Cross, “St. Cyprian on the Unity of the Catholic Church.” According to Cross, “Addressing the question of unity as a mark of the Church, the Catholic Encyclopedia article on this subject states the following: ‘The Catholic conception of the mark of unity, which must characterize the one Church founded by Christ, is far more exacting. Not only must the true Church be one by an internal and spiritual union, but this union must also be external and visible, consisting in and growing out of a unity of faith, worship, and government. Hence the Church which has Christ for its founder is not to be characterized by any merely accidental or internal spiritual union, but, over and above this, it must unite its members in unity of doctrine, expressed by external, public profession; in unity of worship, manifested chiefly in the reception of the same sacraments; and in unity of government, by which all its members are subject to and obey the same authority, which was instituted by Christ Himself.’” Bryan Cross, “The ‘Catholics are Divided Too’ Objection,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, November 25, 2012, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2012/11/the-catholics-are-divided-too-objection/, quoting Charles J. Callan, “Unity (as a Mark of the Church)” in </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">The Catholic Encyclopedia</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, vol. 15, (ed. Charles George Herbermann, et al.: New York: The Encyclopedia Press, 1913), 181.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[50] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">John H. Armstrong, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">A View of Rome</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 32.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[51] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Cross, “The Chair of St. Peter.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[52] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Pius IV, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Bull for the Celebration of the Council of Trent</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, EWTN Web site, November 30, 1560, http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/TRENT17.HTM.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[53] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Cf., for example, the following statements: “Thus the doctrinal condemnations of the 16th century, in so far as they relate to the doctrine of justification, appear in a new light: The teaching of the Lutheran churches presented in this Declaration does not fall under the condemnations from the Council of Trent. The condemnations in the Lutheran Confessions do not apply to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church presented in this Declaration”; “Nothing is thereby taken away from the seriousness of the condemnations related to the doctrine of justification. Some were not simply pointless. They remain for us ‘salutary warnings’ to which we must attend in our teaching and practice.” Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Vatican Web site, October 31, 1999, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_31101999_cath-luth-joint-declaration_en.html, sec. 41–42.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[54] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Pius IX, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Mortalium animos, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">First dogmatic constitution on the Church of Christ, EWTN Web site, July 18, 1870, </span><a href="http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/V1.htm#6" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/V1.htm#6</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, Chapter 4, “On the infallible teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[55] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Gustave Weigel, S.J., </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">A Catholic Primer on the Ecumenical Movement</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Woodstock Papers No. 1; Westminster, Md.: The Newman Press, 1959), 36.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[56] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 48–49.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[57] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Cf. ibid., 50–51: “The Catholic takes seriously the prayer of Christ ‘that all may be one.’ But he desires thereby the ever greater union of Catholics among themselves and the introduction of the ‘other sheep,’ Christ’s by uncovenanted mercies, into the one fold, so that there will be but one fold and one shepherd. By Catholic faith every Catholic is intensely ecumenist. However, when ecumenism is understood as the current phenomenon best observed in the World Council of Churches, then Catholic ambivalence begins to manifest itself . . . He need not see the World Council as something strange and disturbing; for the Instruction of the Holy Office did not hesitate to call it the fruit of the inspiration of grace. In consequence, the Catholic’s love, good wishes, and prayers move toward the World Council. But here the ambivalence goes to work. He does not want the World Council to continue in definitive existence. He wants it to bring all of its churches into the Catholic Church. He considers the Council good and grace-inspired insofar as it will bring the ‘other sheep’ into the fold of the one Shepherd, visibly represented by His one vicar. He does not at all consider it good if it will only serve to stabilize the alienation of the ‘other sheep.’”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">[58] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">John Paul II, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, Encyclical letter on commitment to ecumenism, Vatican Web site, May 25, 1995, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint_en.html, sec. 3. The Council’s Decree on Ecumenism reads: “The Sacred Council exhorts all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and to take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism.” Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Unitatis redintegatio</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, Decree on Ecumenism, Vatican Web site, November 21, 1964, http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html, sec. 4.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[59] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Unitatis redintegratio</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 1.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[60] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Ibid., 3.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">[61] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid. This same section of the Decree on Ecumenism also affirms the Catholic doctrine of baptismal regeneration: “All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ’s body.” What is not specified is whether those (such as Baptists) who do not believe that justification occurs in baptism itself are included in this number. Sec. 22, treating with further detail the subject of baptism and salvation, states that, in order to be considered valid, baptism must be “duly administered as Our Lord instituted it,” and “received with the right dispositions.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[62] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Unitatis redintegratio</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 3; Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Lumen gentium</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 15, echoes this same line of thought.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[63] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Lumen gentium</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">, 16.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">(64] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 14.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[65] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Bryan Cross, “Baptism, Schism, Full Communion, Salvation,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Principium Unitatis</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, October 11, 2008, http://principiumunitatis.blogspot.com/2008/10/baptism-schism-full-communion-salvation.html.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[66] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">John Paul II, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 11; cf. Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Unitatis redintegatio, 13, 15.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> For this reason, there are more open avenues for ecumenical advance between the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Churches than Protestants in general, and Protestant groups that teach baptismal regeneration (i.e. Lutherans) than those that do not (i.e., Baptists).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[67] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Unitatis redintegatio</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 4. For additional references on the special priority of and guidelines related to common prayer, see sec. 8; John Paul II, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 21–22.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[68] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">Unitatis redintegatio, 12.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline;">[69] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ibid., 4. Notice, in this context, however, the following statement by Avery Dulles: “The goal of corporate reunion, leading to a single religious family, is quite legitimate for groups that have a large common heritage, as do, for example, Orthodox and Catholics. But that goal is neither realistic nor desirable for communities as widely separated as evangelicals and Catholics. For the present and foreseeable future the two will continue to constitute distinct religious families.” Avery Dulles, S.J., “The Unity for Which We Hope,” in </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (ed by. Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus; Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995), 143. On the present impossibility and ultimate goal of celebrating the Eucharist together with all Christians, see also John Paul II, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 45; John Paul II, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ecclesia de Eucharistia</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Encyclical letter on the Eucharist and its relationship to the Church, Vatican Web site</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">,</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> April 17, 2003, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/special_features/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_20030417_ecclesia_eucharistia_en.html, sec. 44.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[70] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Alan Schreck, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Catholic and Christian: An Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Ann Arbor, Mich.: Servant Books, 1984), 136; cf. Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Lumen gentium</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 3; Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Unitatis redintegatio</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 2; John Paul II, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ecclesia de Eucharistia</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 40.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[71] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Cf. Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Lumen gentium</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 8: “This is the one Church of Christ which in the Creed is professed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic, which our Saviour, after His Resurrection, commissioned Peter to shepherd, and him and the other apostles to extend and direct with authority, which He erected for all ages as ‘the pillar and mainstay of the truth’. This Church constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity.” Cf. also John Paul II, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 18: “Taking up an idea expressed by Pope John XXIII at the opening of the Council, the Decree on Ecumenism mentions the way of formulating doctrine as one of the elements of a continuing reform. Here it is not a question of altering the deposit of faith, changing the meaning of dogmas, eliminating essential words from them, accommodating truth to the preferences of a particular age, or suppressing certain articles of the </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Creed</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> under the false pretext that they are no longer understood today. The unity willed by God can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God who is Truth.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[72] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Lumen gentium</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 13. The Council was also careful to emphasize the role of each of the bishops in maintaining unity at the level of local churches. See Ibid., 23.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[73] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The reign of John Paul I lasted only 33 days.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[74] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, “Ecumenism in Pontificate of John Paul II,” EWTN Web site, October 15, 2003, http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/ECUMENSM.HTM.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt;">[75] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">John Paul II, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, 42. He also broadens the terminology slightly by referring to them as “other Christians,” “others who have received Baptism,” and “Christians of other Communities,” and to the groups they represent as “Churches and Ecclesial Communities that are not in full communion with the Catholic Church.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[76] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 2. Cf. sec. 38: “In this regard, ecumenical dialogue, which prompts the parties involved to question each other, to understand each other and to explain their positions to each other, makes surprising discoveries possible. Intolerant polemics and controversies have made incompatible assertions out of what was really the result of two different ways of looking at the same reality. Nowadays we need to find the formula which, by capturing the reality in its entirety, will enable us to move beyond partial readings and eliminate false interpretations.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[77] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 40.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[78] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 55. Cf. sec. 77, 88, 94, and 97 for statements reaffirming the visible unity of the Church as manifested through communion with and submission to the Bishop of Rome.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[79] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 14.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[80] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Benedict XVI, “First message of Pope Benedict XVI at the end of Mass with the Cardinal electors,” Vatican Web site, April 20, 2005, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/pont-messages/2005/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20050420_missa-pro-ecclesia_en.html, sec. 5.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[81] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Ibid., 1, 2, 5, 6.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[82] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The International Consultation between the Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (1993–2002), 21.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[83] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Armstrong, 113. It is important to point out that Armstrong has softened his view quite a bit since writing these words! Loraine Boettner’s words (echoing the beliefs of many others), however, are even more forceful: “[Rome’s] interpretation of the Scriptures is so erroneous, and its principles are so persistently unchristian that over the long period of time its influence for good is outweighed by its influence for evil. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">It must, therefore, as a system, be judged to be a false church</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">.” Loraine Boettner, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Roman Catholicism</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Philadelphia: Presbyterian & Reformed, 1962), 459.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">[84] </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Charles Hodge, “The General Assembly,” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Princeton Review</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> 17 (July 1845): 471, cited in Mark A Noll and Carolyn Nystrom, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Is the Reformation Over?</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), 44.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[85] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">i.e., the Nicene Creed, the Apostles’ Creed, and Athanasian Creed, although the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodox_Church" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Eastern Orthodox Church</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> accepts the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Nicene Creed</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, but does not use the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostles%27_Creed" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Apostles’ Creed</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> or the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasian_Creed" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Athanasian Creed</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Methodist_Church" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">United Methodist Church</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> accepts</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle%27s_Creed" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Apostles’ Creed</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nicene Creed but</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> does not use the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athanasian_Creed" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Athanasian Creed</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Also, certain phrases, however, such as “I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins,” are understood differently by different groups of Christians.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[86] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Southern Baptist Convention, “Resolution on Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics,” SBC Web site, June 1994, http://sbc.net/resolutions/amResolution.asp?ID=964.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[87] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The International Consultation between the Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (1993–2002), 20.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[88] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Keith A. Fournier, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A House United?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Colorado Springs: Navpress, 1994), 220–21.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[89] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Southern Baptist Convention, “Resolution on Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[90] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[91] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals & Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First Things</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (May 1994), http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/evangelicals--catholics-together-the-christian-mission-in-the-third-millennium-2.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[92] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Prologue to the Catechism states its role in determining authoritative Catholic doctrine: “This catechism aims at presenting an organic synthesis of the essential and fundamental contents of Catholic doctrine, as regards both faith and morals, in the light of the Second Vatican Council and the whole of the Church’s Tradition.” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Catechism of the Catholic Church</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 2</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">nd</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> ed., 11. A later section defines heresy: “</span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/2/J3.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Heresy</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is the </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/4/8R.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">obstinate</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/2/62.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">post-baptismal</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/3/LC.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">denial</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> of some </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/3M.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">truth</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> which must be </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/QA.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">believed</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> with </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/2N.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">divine</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/AR.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">catholic</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/1C.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">faith</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, or it is </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/VE.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">likewise</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> an </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/4/8R.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">obstinate</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/1/5Z.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">doubt</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/RF.HTM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">concerning</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> the same” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Catechism of the Catholic Church</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 2</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">nd</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> ed., 2089. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[93] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Unitatis redintegatio</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 11.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[94] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Schreck, 9–10. On this point, see also, George Carey, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A Tale of Two Churches: Can Protestants and Catholics Get Together?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1985), 160; Peter Kreeft, “Ecumenical Jihad,” in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Reclaiming the Great Tradition</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (ed James S. Cutsinger; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 26.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[95] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Schreck, 10.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[96] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">From a Catholic perspective (informed by years as a Lutheran), Richard John Neuhaus minimizes this difference: “In two thousand years of Christian history, the gospel has been construed in different ways. Different ways does not mean conflicting or incompatible ways.” Richard John Neuhaus, “The Catholic Difference,” in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (ed. Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus; Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995), 205.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[97] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Basil Meeking and John Stott, eds., </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission 1977-1984: A Report</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1986), 89.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[98] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Five Solas,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Theopedia, an encyclopedia of Biblical Christianity</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, n.d., http://www.theopedia.com/Five_Solas.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[99] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">C. Michael Patton, “What Sola Scriptura Does NOT Mean,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Parchment & Pen Blog</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, October 28, 2011, http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2011/10/what-sola-scriptura-does-not-mean/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[100] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See, for example, Paul VI, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Dei verbum</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, Dogmatic constitution on divine revelation, Vatican Web site, November 18, 1965, http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19651118_dei-verbum_en.html, sec. 11: “Since everything asserted by the inspired authors or sacred writers must be held to be asserted by the Holy Spirit, it follows that the books of Scripture must be acknowledged as teaching solidly, faithfully and without error that truth which God wanted put into sacred writings.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[101] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For a good list of quotes from Early Church Fathers supporting </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sola Scriptura</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, see C. Michael Patton, “Early Church Fathers on Sola Scriptura,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Parchment & Pen Blog</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, November 26, 2012, http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2012/11/early-church-fathers-on-sola-sciptura/; for a Catholic perspective, see Sean Patrick, “Is Scripture Sufficient?,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, October 15, 2010, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2010/10/is-scripture-sufficient/..</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[102] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thomas G. Guarino, “Catholic Reflections on Discerning the Truth of Sacred Scripture,” in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Your Word Is Truth</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (ed. Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 92–93.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[103] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Chris Castaldo, “Why Catholics and Protestants Convert”, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Chris Castaldo</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> blog, November 20, 2012, http://www.chriscastaldo.com/2012/11/20/why-catholics-and-protestants-convert/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[104] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Five Solas.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[105] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Noll and Nystrom, 237.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[106] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Meeking and Stott, 43–44.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[107] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Friedrich Schleiermacher, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Christian Faith</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Edinburgh: T and T Clark, 1928), 103, cited in Neuhaus, “The Catholic Difference,” 208. Neuhaus gives his perspective on the Catholic position as follows: “The gospel is not a theological proposition or a free-floating idea that touches down here or there, bringing into being the Church wherever it momentarily rests. The gospel is the memory, the message, and the lived experience of a determinate people through time, and that people is the Church. The gospel is God in Christ continuing to reconcile the world to himself through that part of the world that is the Church, the body of Christ.” Ibid. Regarding different understandings of the church, cf. “Your Word Is Truth: Evangelicals and Catholics Together.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[108] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lumen gentium</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 14.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[109] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Five Solas.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[110]</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> See, for example, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Catechism of the Catholic Church</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 2</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">nd</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> ed., 2008, 2010, and 2011. Cf. Schreck, 27. “Catholics understand that our ‘good works’ or ‘merits’ are really God’s gifts or graces”; Fournier, 218. “Merits are the good works we perform by God’s grace through the virtues of faith, hope, and love. These virtues are supernatural gifts. Therefore, whatever flows from them occurs because God has made it possible”; Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 20. C. Michael Patton voices an Evangelical (and comparatively conciliatory) perspective on this point: “Put it this way: Heaven will not be inhabited by anyone who contributed to their justification. Some will get to heaven and they will find out how radical grace really was. In fact, I think all Christians will be overwhelmed by grace. The sanctification process, in some ways, can be summed up as this: the progressive realization that grace (undeserved and unmerited favor) is our only hope. I don’t think any of us really grasp this. Therefore, both Protestants and Roman Catholics will stand before God with a greater realization and confidence that our works had nothing to do with our present state of eternal blessedness. Roman Catholics will have a bigger learning curve than Protestants, in my opinion, but both of us will be overwhelmed by what grace really is. Most Roman Catholics will have a sudden realization that it truly was their faith in Christ </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">alone </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">that justified (</span><a href="http://www.esvbible.org/search/Eph.%202.8-9/" style="text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Eph. 2:8-9</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">).” C. Michael Patton, “Are Roman Catholics Saved?,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Parchment & Pen Blog</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, March 28, 2012, http://www.reclaimingthemind.org/blog/2012/03/are-roman-catholics-christian/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[111] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Though many Evangelicals would not concede the point that the Catholic Church does, in fact, teach </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sola gratia</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, the issues at stake are more readily grasped through the lens of the discussion of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sola fide</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and the ancillary issue of the efficacy and need for sacraments as channels of grace. Thus, I will leave the discussion on </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sola gratia</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> very brief and inconclusive, for the time being.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[112] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Five Solas.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[113] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See, for example, Schreck, 24: “Receiving the sacraments, observing church teaching, and using the other means of grace are meaningless without a living faith in God”; and 26: “The Council of Trent affirmed that the first and most important way to receive God’s gift of salvation or justification is through faith.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[114] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We will revisit the nuances involved in the Catholic affirmation of </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sola fide</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in a subsequent discussion of the documents of Evangelicals and Catholics Together.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[115] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Justification</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 1. For a brief discussion on the origin of the phrase </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, see Justin Taylor, “Luther’s Saying: ‘Justification Is the Article by Which the Church Stands and Falls’,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Between Two Worlds</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, August 31, 2011, http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2011/08/31/luthers-saying/.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[116] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Alister McGrath gives the following explanation: “For the Roman Catholic . . . justification means both the event by which the Christian life is initiated and the process by which the believer is regenerated. In other words, the Catholic understands by justification what the Protestant understands by justification and sanctification taken together. Thus, theologically, Protestants and Roman Catholics, more or less, believe the same things regarding God’s active role in both initiating and sustaining the Christian life; however, this convergence is obscured by the different understandings of the term justification.” Alister E. McGrath, “A Review of the New Catholic Catechism,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Christianity Today</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (December12, 1994): 28–32.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[117] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Schreck, 23. See also </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Catechism of the Catholic Church</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 2</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">nd</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> ed., 1229</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“From the time of the apostles,</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">becoming a Christian has been accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[118] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Neuhaus, “The Catholic Difference,” 204, 210.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[119] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See, for example, Thomas Guarino’s discussion of Colson’s notion that the Catholic Church has actually changed its position on </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">sola fide</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in Thomas G. Guarino, “A Catholic Appreciation of Chuck Colson,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First Things: On the Square</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, May 1, 2012, http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/05/a-catholic-appreciation-of-chuck-colson.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[120] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Manetsch, “Is the Reformation Over?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[121] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Neuhaus, “The Catholic Difference,” 207.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[122] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Armstrong, 36. Cf. J. I. Packer: “What brings salvation, after all, is not any theory about faith in Christ, justification, and the church, but faith itself in Christ himself,” cited in Noll and Nystrom, 180.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[123] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Noll and Nystrom, 180.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[124] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kreeft, 27.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[125] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See, for example, Michael S. Horton, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals, Catholics, and Unity</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Escondido, Calif.: White Horse Inn: 2012); R. C. Sproul, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">(Grand Rapids: Baker, 1995). William Webster, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Salvation: The Bible and Roman Catholicism</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Edinburgh: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1990).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[126] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Robert M. Zins, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">On the Edge of Apostasy</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Huntsville, Ala.: White Horse Publications, 1998), 259.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[127] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Catechism of the Catholic Church</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 2</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">nd</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> ed., 1129.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[128] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Schreck, 119.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[129] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Seventh Session, Canon VI, reads: “If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law do not contain the grace which they signify; or, that they do not confer that grace on those who do not place an obstacle thereunto; as though they were merely outward signs of grace or justice received through faith, and certain marks of the Christian profession, whereby believers are distinguished amongst men from unbelievers: let him be anathema”; Canon VIII: “If any one saith, that by the said sacraments of the New Law grace is not conferred through the act performed, but that faith alone in the divine promise suffices for the obtaining of grace; let him be anathema.” “The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent,” in Philip Schaff, ed. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Creeds of Christendom: With a History and Critical Notes</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, Vol. II (rev. David S. Schaff; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1983), 120–21.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[130] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Armstrong, 70.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[131] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Catechism of the Catholic Church</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 2</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">nd</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> ed., 1213. Cf. 1267.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[132] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Unitatis redintegatio</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 22.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[133] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See Fifth Session, Canon V; Seventh Session, Canon IX; On Baptism, Canons III, V, and XIII, in “The Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent,” in Schaff, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Creeds of Christendom</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, Vol. II, 87–88, 120, 122–25. The preponderance of references on the issue from post-apostolic early church sources, admittedly, favors the Catholic teaching on baptismal regeneration. Bryan Cross, for example, provides a substantial list of quotes to back this up: Bryan Cross, “The Church Fathers on Baptismal Regeneration,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, June 15, 2010, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2010/06/the-church-fathers-on-baptismal-regeneration/. A notable exception is the argument put forth in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">An Anonymous Treatise on Re-baptism</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (ANF 5:669–676).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[134] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See footnote 55.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[135] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Note, for example, the following statement: “We have been agreeably surprised to discover a considerable consensus among us that repentance and faith, conversion and baptism, regeneration and incorporation into the Christian community all belong together, although we have needed to debate their relative positions in the scheme of salvation.” Meeking and Stott, 57. A. A. Hodge describes the </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ordo salutis</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> from Roman Catholic and Evangelical perspectives as follows: “The </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ordo salutis</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, therefore, according to the Catholic system, is, (1) Baptism; (2) The cleansing away of pollution of sin; (3) The infusion of gracious habits; (4) The exercise of these gracious habits in the doing of good works, which merit the favor of God, increase of grace, and finally eternal life; (5) The sacrament of penance in this life, and after death purgatory, by the pains of which the penalties incurred by our sins and the imperfections of our obedience are liquidated, and our guilt expiated, and the legal accounts of our souls finally adjusted. The order observed in the application of redemption in the theology of the Reformers is, (1) Regeneration; (2) Faith; (3) Justification.” A. A. Hodge, “The Ordo Salutis,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Princeton Review</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> 1 (1878): 305.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[136] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The language of Baptist–Roman Catholic dialogues on this point, though generally polite and conciliatory, bears this out. See, for example, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Baptist Roman Catholic International Conversations (1984-1988)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, Vatican Web site, July 23, 1988, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/Bapstist%20alliance/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_19880723_baptist-convers_en.html, sec. 18.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[137] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">J. O. Hosler, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Baptismal Regeneration/Believer’s Baptism Debate</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Infinity Publishing.com, 1999), 202–03.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[138] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Five Solas.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[139] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Vatican Web site, http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/index.htm.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[140] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In some cases, this overlap is greater, and in other cases, less..</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[141] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lutheran World Federation and Roman Catholic Church, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Justification</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 13.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[142] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid., 15.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[143] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See Ibid., 11, 25, 28. Zins, for example, is especially direct in his criticism of both Rome and Luther on the point of baptismal regeneration: “It makes it almost impossible to torpedo the Roman ship of sacramental regeneration when one is worried about taking out Luther as well”; “We also think it unwise to call upon Luther as a bridge to help us adjust to Romish thinking and to lend an air of credibility to Rome. . . . Likewise today, it is not that Rome is closer to the Gospel because some Lutherans believe similarly to Rome. Rather, it is that some Lutherans have strayed farther from the truth in their desire to enter into affinity with heresies of Rome.” Zins, 91, 96.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[144] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Noll and Nystrom, 141. As Hosler has also observed, “Though Wesley correctly distinguished between baptism and regeneration, he clearly believed that regeneration and salvation began at baptism.” Hosler, 209.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[145] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hosler, 214.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[146] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">According to one ECT statement, “It must be added that ECT is an unofficial initiative. We speak from and to the communities of which we are part, but we do not presume to speak for them. We wholeheartedly support the several official theological dialogues between Evangelicals and Catholics. ECT is an ancillary initiative, serving as a kind of advance scouting party to explore possibilities, and, as such, has received much appreciated encouragement from many sources, both Evangelical and Catholic.” Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Communion of Saints.” Also, “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As in previous statements, we wish to emphasize that we speak from and to, not for, our several communities, and that we are determined honestly to engage differences between our communities, recognizing that the only unity pleasing to God, and therefore the only unity we may seek, is unity in the truth.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">” Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “Do Whatever He Tells You: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Christian Faith and Life,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First Things</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (November 2009), http://www.firstthings.com/article/2009/10/do-whatever-he-tells-you-the-blessed-virgin-mary-in-christian-faith-and-life.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[147] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Communion of Saints.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[148] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Charles Colson, “The Common Cultural Task: The Culture War from a Protestant Perspective,” in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (ed by. Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus; Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995), 36</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[149] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[150] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Neuhaus, “The Catholic Difference,” 179.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[151] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[152] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">J. I. Packer, “Crosscurrents among Evangelicals,” in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (ed by. Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus; Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995), 165.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[153] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus, eds., </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1995), xi. See also, Noll and Nystrom, 152–54.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[154] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Colson and Neuhaus, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, x–xi; Noll and Nystrom, 181.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[155] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">According to Colson, in keeping with the argument put forth previously by Abraham Kuyper and J. Gresham Machen, in light of the threat of theological and social liberalism, “the controversies that divide us are far less significant than the common threat that confronts us” Colson, “The Common Cultural Task,” 38–40. For more on the influence of Kuyper, see Ibid., 39; and Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Communion of Saints.” J. I. Packer also puts forth the argument that the divide between theological conservatives and liberals is greater than that between traditional Protestants and Catholics. See Packer, “Crosscurrents among Evangelicals,” 171–72.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[156] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Communion of Saints.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[157] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals & Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[158] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Colson, “The Common Cultural Task,” 3. Cf. Pope John Paul II, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 43: “It happens more and more often that the leaders of Christian Communities join together in taking a stand in the name of Christ on important problems concerning man’s calling and on freedom, justice, peace, and the future of the world. In this way they ‘communicate’ in one of the tasks which constitutes the mission of Christians: that of reminding society of God’s will in a realistic manner, warning the authorities and their fellow-citizens against taking steps which would lead to the trampling of human rights. It is clear, as experience shows, that in some circumstances the united voice of Christians has more impact than any one isolated voice.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[159] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Colson, “The Common Cultural Task,” 36–37.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[160] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See, for example, Catholic ECT signatory Fournier: “I also believe that as we work together on social issues, we will discover how much we really do have in common. Our activist efforts will also open much-needed dialogue among us over our differences, and I pray that will eventually lead to the end of much, if not all, of the current suspicion, misunderstandings, and ill feelings between all too many of us. Then, perhaps, we will carry the gospel throughout the world as a single Body,” 267.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[161] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Packer, “Crosscurrents among Evangelicals,” 172.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[162] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fournier, 75.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[163] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Colson, “The Common Cultural Task,” 15–16.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[164] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">George Weigel, “Faith, Freedom, Responsibility: Evangelicals and Catholics in the Public Square” (ed by. Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus; Dallas: Word Publishing, 1985), 45–80; Kreeft, 23–24, 28–29, 33. The initial ECT statement on “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium” is more ambivalent on the subject of Islam, calling out the comparative lack of religious freedom in Muslim contexts, while at the same time advocating “Mutually respectful conversation between Muslims and Christians,” with the objective of opening “the door to Christ”; Evangelicals & Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[165] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Richard John Neuhaus, “A New Thing: Ecumenism at the Threshold of the Third Millennium,” in </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Reclaiming the Great Tradition</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (ed by. James S. Cutsinger; Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1997), 54.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[166] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[167] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Colson, “The Common Cultural Task,” 16.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[168] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[169] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Gift of Salvation,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First Things</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (January 1998), http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/09/001-the-gift-of-salvation-28.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[170] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Neuhaus, “The Catholic Difference,” 200.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">]171] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Noll and Nystrom, 159.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[172] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Gift of Salvation.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[173] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[174] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Communion of Saints.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[175] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Benedict XVI, “General Audience,” Vatican Web site, November 19, 2008, http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20081119_en.html.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[176] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Thomas G. Guarino, “A Catholic Appreciation of Chuck Colson,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First Things</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (May 1, 2012), http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/2012/05/a-catholic-appreciation-of-chuck-colson.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[177] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Call to Holiness,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First Things</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (March 2005), http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/the-call-to-holiness--4. “Our different traditions, notwithstanding their doctrinal differences, agree that faith and baptism, as the sacrament of faith, belong together. Christian faith should always lead to baptism, and baptism, conversely, should always be accompanied by Christian faith. Baptism is mandated, not optional. It is the gateway to the Christian life. Some of our traditions reckon baptism as a sacrament of constitutive importance for Christian existence. Others see it rather as a sign and expression of a new Christian life already received. But on either view, baptism involves a lifelong engagement to grow in union with Christ and labor in the service of the gospel.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[178] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[179] </span><span id="docs-internal-guid-c2e217db-7fff-2c85-361b-5b9e6537550f"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “Your Word Is Truth,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First Things</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (September 2002), http://www.firstthings.com/article/2007/01/your-word-is-truth-35.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[180] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Communion of Saints.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[181] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “Do Whatever He Tells You: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Christian Faith and Life.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[182] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Baptist Roman Catholic International Conversations (1984-1988)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 54.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[183] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid., 30.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[184] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Call to Holiness.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[185] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See Synod of Bishops XIII Ordinary General Assembly, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith: Lineamenta</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, Vatican Web site, February 2, 2011, </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20110202_lineamenta-xiii-assembly_en.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/synod/documents/rc_synod_doc_20110202_lineamenta-xiii-assembly_en.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, sec. 7. “In this context, a ‘new evangelization’ means that the Church must convincingly sustain her efforts at uniting all Christians in a common witness to the world of the prophetic and transforming power of the Gospel message. Justice, peace, living with others and the stewardship of creation have characterized ecumenism over the decades. Together, Christians can also offer them to the world as places where the question of God in people’s lives can be addressed. These places, in fact, acquire their true significance only in light of and on the basis of the word of love spoken to us in his Son, Jesus Christ.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[186] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">For a Catholic reflection on the difficulties of “common witness,” see, for example, Devin Rose, “A Catholic Reflection on John Armstrong’s Your Church is Too Small,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Called to Communion</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, March 5, 2012, http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2012/03/a-catholic-reflection-on-john-armstrong%E2%80%99s-your-church-is-too-small/</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[187] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Here is a good example from “The Communion of Saints”: “While the ancient formula ‘Outside the Church no salvation’ may lend itself to misunderstanding, we agree that there is no salvation apart from the Church, since to be related to Christ is necessarily to be related, in however full or tenuous a manner, to the Church which is his body.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[188] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals & Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[189] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Noll and Nystrom, 179.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[190] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ECT affirms this basic idea in “The Gift of Salvation”: “In obedience to the Great Commission of our Lord, we commit ourselves to evangelizing everyone. We must share the fullness of God’s saving truth with all, including members of our several communities. Evangelicals must speak the Gospel to Catholics and Catholics to Evangelicals.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[191] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals & Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[192] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The International Consultation between the Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (1993–2002), 62. For a fuller description of ERCDOM’s understanding of the term </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">proselytism</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, see p. 61.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[193] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals & Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[194] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid. Cf. also Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Call to Holiness”: “Whether as Catholics or as Evangelicals, we are spiritually responsible for fellow Christians. We should engage in mutual encouragement and correction, performing this duty with love and tact. All of us will be summoned in the end to give an account of our stewardship.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[195] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The International Consultation between the Catholic Church and the World Evangelical Alliance (1993 - 2002), 63: “If a Christian, after hearing a responsible presentation of the Gospel, freely chooses to join a different Christian community, it should not automatically be concluded that such a transfer is the result of proselytism.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[196] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Patton, “Are Roman Catholics Saved?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[197] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Armstrong, 113.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[198] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Zins, 124–25.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[199] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kreeft, 27.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[200] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fournier, 198. In similar quotes, Fournier calls Protestant missionary efforts directed toward Catholics “arrogant” (p. 195), and “terribly judgmental and narrow-minded” (p. 197).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[201] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Dave Hunt, “The Gospel Betrayed,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Berean Call</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (May 1994) 2.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[202] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fournier, 313–14.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[203] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Noll and Nystrom, 199.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[204] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See, for example, Ephesians 4:11–16.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[205] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals & Catholics Together, "The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[206] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">ECT does, however, clarify its use of these terms in other places. It is clear in the context of ECT, for example, that “Christian,” in a general sense, includes both Evangelicals and Catholics. What is not so clear is whether specific evangelistic efforts targeting individuals who regard themselves as Catholics and were baptized in the Catholic Church automatically qualifies as “proselytism.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[207] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Southern Baptist Convention, “Resolution on Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[208] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hunt, “The Gospel Betrayed.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[209] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Noll and Nystrom are particularly poignant (and pointed) on this point: “Is ECT more than an arm of the American religious Right with an add-on of theology? Does ECT’s cobelligerency equate to American conservative Republicanism?” Noll and Nystrom, 181. See also further comments along this line on pp. 181–182. Cf. Armstrong, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A View of Rome</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 111–12; 135–36. The framers of ECT I, however, plead innocent to this charge: “We reject the notion that this constitutes a partisan ‘religious agenda’ in American politics.” “Evangelicals & Catholics Together: The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.” Packer, in a soul-searching defense of his own decision to sign ECT I, acknowledges the ambiguity with regard to conversion, sacramentalism, and baptismal regeneration. Packer, “Crosscurrents among Evangelicals,” 155, 167, 169.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[210] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Michael Horton, “Can We Be Confessional and Catholic?: Prospects for Christian Unity Today,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Modern Reformation</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, vol. 14, no. 5 (Sept./Oct. 2005): 9–18. http://www.modernreformation.org/default.php?page=articledisplay&var1=ArtRead&var2=120&var3=main.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[211] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Schreck, 2.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[212] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Unitatis redintegatio</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 7.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[213] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">John Paul II, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 38.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[214] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ibid., 29.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[215] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Unitatis redintegatio</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 11.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[216] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">John Paul II, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ut unum sint</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 36.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[217] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Unitatis redintegatio</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 24.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[218] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals & Catholics Together, “The Christian Mission in the Third Millennium.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[219] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Neuhaus, “A New Thing: Ecumenism at the Threshold of the Third Millennium,” 58.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 36pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[220] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See, for example, Rose, “A Catholic Reflection on John Armstrong’s Your Church is Too Small”: “The Catholic Church teaches that the Church of Christ subsists in her. There is no ambiguity there and no way for that teaching to change. The Catholic Church teaches that full unity between Protestants and Catholics is achieved ultimately only through Protestants entering into full communion with the Catholic Church. That might be through means that allow them to retain authentic aspects of their patrimony—see the Anglican Ordinariate for an example—but it cannot mean agreeing to a unity that violates or falls short of the three visible bonds of unity, compromises any Catholic dogmas, or makes apostolic succession optional.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[221] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul VI, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lumen gentium</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, 23.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[222] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Paul VI, “Speech to the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity, Rome, April 29, 1967,” </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">National Catholic Reporter</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, May 10, 1967.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[223] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gustave Weigel, 64–65.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[224] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See footnote 1.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[225] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">p. 64.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[226] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This once again raises the question mentioned in footnote 1 regarding the definition of Evangelical. Though several broad-based representative self-defined “Evangelical” organizations (such as the World Evangelical Fellowship, the Lausanne Movement, etc) have official doctrinal statements, as do various denominations and congregations that identify themselves as Evangelical, there is no official “Evangelical” doctrinal statement. What qualifies as Evangelical therefore inevitably involves a certain degree of subjectivity, though there is a large degree of agreement among leading groups of Evangelicals on the essentials.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[227] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Gustave Weigel, 59–60.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[228] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">See Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> (Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway, 2011).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[229] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Rose, “A Catholic Reflection on John Armstrong’s Your Church is Too Small.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">[230] </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Evangelicals and Catholics Together, “The Communion of Saints.”</span></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>BIBLIOGRAPHY</div><div><br /></div><div>Ankerberg, John, and John Weldon. <i>Protestants and Catholics: Do They Now Agree?</i> Eugene, Ore.: Harvest House, 1995. </div><div><br /></div><div>Armstrong, John H. <i>A View of Rome</i>. 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</div>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-51737736501351699362022-06-26T17:43:00.002-05:002022-06-26T17:43:54.615-05:00Morality, Politics, and a Broken HeartWritten on Nov. 11, 2008 <div><br /></div><div>It would appear that in many ways those who view themselves as fighting the battle for morality in America are losing ground. Although with the passage of Proposition 8 in California and similar measures in Florida and Arizona, homosexual marriage is banned for the present, the general trend in America, at least in matters of sexual morality, is towards greater and greater licentiousness. With the election of Barack Obama, and his stated intention to push forward the Freedom of Choice Act, the pro-life movement has undoubtedly been dealt a major blow for years to come. Whether or not there was ever any substance to the implied claim behind the name, the existence of a bona fide “moral majority” in America seems to be on the fast track to becoming a relic of the past. In a democratic system, the opinions of the majority rule. And as much as we might hate to admit it, the results of the recent election make it clear that the majority in America are not prepared to give those with a consistently biblical worldview a mandate to carry out their convictions through the legal system and governing institutions of our nation. </div><div><br /></div><div>In other areas, there are encouraging signs of moral and ethical advance. Although we are still clearly light-years away from totally obliterating the blight of racism from among us, the general tendency does seem to be toward equalization and reconciliation. I have personally been deeply impacted on the several occasions I have visited the National Civil Rights Museum on the premises of the old Lorraine Motel in downtown Memphis, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was brutally assassinated in 1968. The walk down the symbolic corridor of the history of civil rights is a living memorial to the fact that when people stand up for what is right and refuse to cave in to the pressures around them it is indeed possible to effect change for the better. I believe that in many ways the election of Barack Obama is, as it were, the crowning jewel on the long trail of struggles and accomplishments towards the goal of racial equality and justice. </div><div><br /></div><div>As Christians, however, we are called to be more than moral and ethical crusaders. As the Body of Christ, we are called to take upon ourselves the father heart of God for a corrupt, dying, and desperate world that has lost its way on the path of truth and justice. It is also true that we are called to take a prophetic stance toward the evil and unrighteousness we see around us, and that at times this may involve a righteous indignation similar to that shown by Jesus when He overturned the tables of the money-changers in the temple courts. But I believe there is one element that determines whether our words and actions in support of morality and ethical justice truly reflect the heart of God or not. And that element is a broken heart. </div><div><br /></div><div>In some ways, a moral and political agenda driven by a broken heart can be hard to distinguish from one that is not. On many occasions, the actual votes that are tallied may end up being the same on both accounts. But, deep down, at a root level, they are worlds apart. To illustrate, I believe we could well add another verse to the beginning of 1 Corinthians 13: I<i>f I have a 100% “moral report card” rating, and give all my time, all my efforts, and all my money to support all the right causes, but have not love—if I am not motivated at the core of my being by a humble, contrite spirit, and a broken heart before the Lord—I am nothing, and I gain nothing.</i> </div><div><br /></div><div>In the world of politics, the key is expediency. In order to move your agenda forward, you must know how to form coalitions. You must be loyal to the party platform. You must know how to use the media and the power of persuasion. If given the chance, you must know how to “stick it” to your opponent. For us, as citizens of the Kingdom of God, I see a special danger in taking our cues from those in the public media who may share a commitment to certain planks of our moral agenda but who do not share our commitment to the lordship of Christ, and who are not motivated at the core of their being by a broken heart. </div><div><br /></div><div>In practical terms, how does this play out? I believe that the following questions may help us to sort a good bit of this out:</div><div><br /></div><div>On the issue of abortion, what is it that truly drives us? Do we really and truly grieve the tragic loss of millions of innocent lives? Do we feel the pain of mothers and fathers who are deceived by the enemy into sacrificing the precious life of their unborn children? Are we sympathetic to the social and economic plight of many, which in one way or another plays into their deception?</div><div><br /></div><div>On the issue of gay rights, do we really and truly “hate the sin and love the sinner”? Do we feel compassion for those who sense they did not choose to be the way they are (whether we agree with this assessment or not)? Are we really and truly broken-hearted for the children that might possibly suffer the negative consequences of being raised in a home without a healthy mother-and-father parenting team?</div><div><br /></div><div>On the issue of racism and civil rights, are we truly moved by a desire for friendship, understanding, repentance, and reconciliation with those who are different than us? Do we feel the pain of those who have been systematically discriminated against and whose lot in life has been pre-determined to one degree or another by the color of their skin, their national or ethnic background, gender, or religious beliefs? </div><div><br /></div><div>On the issue of war, do we truly mourn the casualties—not only the deaths, but also the physical, psychological, social, and economic trauma—suffered on both sides of the conflict? Independently of what we feel are the best means to accomplish it, are we motivated more by a desire for freedom, justice, and protection of oppressed people around the world from the cruel hands of tyranny and terrorism than by a desire for vengeance and defense of our national pride?</div><div><br /></div><div>On the issue of the economy and social welfare, do we really and truly desire a society in which the weak and helpless are taken care of with dignity and compassion? Independently of what we feel may be the best path to get there, do we honestly long for an economy that is able to provide a worthy job, a decent education, adequate housing, and basic health care for everyone? Do we want to see a system in place in which everyone who is physically and mentally able is encouraged to work productively with the hands and minds God has given them in order that they might have a healthy sense of well-being and accomplishment?</div><div><br /></div><div>On the issue of the environment, does it sadden us to see God’s creation selfishly exploited for the unfettered advance of commercial interests? Do we really and truly take to heart the stewardship God has given us to care for the world around us as well as we possibly can?</div><div><br /></div><div>On the issue of immigration, independently of what we think may be the best solution, do we feel compassion for the plight of those born and raised in contexts that do not allow them the same privileges and opportunities we enjoy as native-born Americans? Do we feel genuine sympathy for those who are doing the best they can to scrape together enough to provide for the basic needs of their family? Are we truly generous and big-hearted with the blessings God has showered upon us as a nation?</div><div><br /></div><div>On the issue of crime, are we motivated by a sense of grief for the pain inflicted upon the victims, and the losses they suffer? Provided the rights and well-being of the victims are taken care of, do we also have a heart that desires the repentance, forgiveness, restitution and rehabilitation of those who have given in to the temptation of the devil and ended up committing criminal acts against their fellow man? </div><div><br /></div><div>In the end, we may never know for sure the political consequences of our actions and approach. It may well be that God Himself is working against our efforts for moral reform in the political arena with a view towards bringing His judgment upon America. However, none of that takes away from our responsibility to do what is right, and even more importantly, to do what we do with an attitude of humility and brokenness before God. It may well mean losing many more elections. For the captives of Judah in Babylon, God had determined a period of 70 years. Personally, I do not believe we have biblical warrant to expect true and lasting peace, justice, and morality on the earth until Jesus Himself comes back to establish His kingdom. But in the meantime, we do have a biblical command to be salt and light in the midst of this morally insipid and dark world in which we live.</div><div><br /></div><div>It may just be that some of those who are put off by the smug, sarcastic, and arrogant attitude of some of the moralists around us will eventually be won over by a kinder and gentler approach, and a heart that really cares. I certainly hope so. But, then again, we can never be sure of that. After all, the same world that opposes us and our efforts for good ended up crucifying the One who embodied more than anyone who has ever lived a genuinely broken heart for the griefs and woes of fallen humanity.
</div>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-74513090704321819162022-06-14T21:47:00.014-05:002023-11-22T13:55:52.941-06:00The Title, Office, and Function of “Pastor”<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px; text-size-adjust: auto;">Places in the Bible where church leaders are called “pastors”:</span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Ephesians 4:11-13 (ESV). “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">pastors</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> and teachers,</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;"> </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Ezekiel 34 also uses a form of the Hebrew verb </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">ra’ah</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> (“to shepherd”) to refer in a general sense to spiritual leaders in Israel.</span></p></blockquote><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Passages where the term “pastor/shepherd” is used as a verb:</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">1 Peter 5:1-4 (ESV). “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;"> shepherd</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">John 21:16 (ESV). “He said to him a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘</span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">Tend</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> my sheep.’” </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Acts 20:28 (ESV). “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to </span><span class="s2" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleEmphasizedBody; font-weight: bold;">care for</span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”</span></p></blockquote><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Many Bible scholars have pointed out that in Acts 20:28 the terms “overseer” and “pastor/shepherd” (used as a verb) are used to refer to the same person, and that in 1 Peter 5:1-4 the terms “elder,” “overseer” (as a verb), and “pastor” (as a verb) are all used to refer to the same person. Strictly speaking, the title of the person in this passage is “elder,” and two of the functions of this person are “overseeing” and “pastoring” (or “shepherding”).</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Based on these observations, many Bible students (and I among them) have concluded that the terms “elder,” “overseer,” and “pastor” may be used interchangeably to refer to the same person. Of the three terms, “elder,” “overseer,” and “pastor,” the one that is least common in the Bible to refer to a church leader is the term “pastor.” In modern-day church life (at least in many circles), however, the term that is most widely used is the term “pastor.” This anomaly has created a good deal of confusion. Different churches and traditions sometimes use different terminology to refer to the same thing, and the same terminology to refer to different things.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">To make things even more confusing, Ephesians 4:11, the only passage that appears to refer to church leaders as “pastors/shepherds” as a noun also links “pastors/shepherds” to the noun “teachers,” thus implying that they are two aspects of the same role.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">All of this leads us to ask a few pointed questions: </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 21px;">Is it biblically permissible for a woman to teach? I would say that it depends on the context. First Timothy 2:11-12 informs us that, according to Paul, it is not permitted for a woman to “teach or to exercise authority over a man.” Yet Colossians 3:16 generally enjoins all Christians to “teach and admonish one another in all wisdom.” Acts 18:26 informs us that both Aquila and his wife Priscilla “took [Apollos] aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.”</span><br /><span style="font-size: 21px;"><br /></span><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">What is the function of an overseer? First</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"> Timothy 3:1–7 not only lays out for us the qualifications for someone who occupies the office of overseer; it also tells us something of the function of those who occupy this office:</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”</span></p></blockquote><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">A few observations: The masculine pronoun is used exclusively here to refer to those who occupy the office of overseer. Also, one of the qualifications listed is that he must be “the husband of one wife.” I believe this evidence is sufficient to demonstrate that for Paul the office of overseer was to be limited to qualified males. </span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">In addition, though the majority of the qualifications for overseers have to do with personal character, we also learn something here of the function of overseers. First, they are to be “able to teach.” And if they are required to be able to teach, it is a pretty safe assumption that at least part of their job description involved teaching. Next, they are to care for God’s church. The only other time the Greek word translated “take care of” here is used in the New Testament is in the parable of the Good Samaritan when the Samaritan took the beaten up man to the roadside inn/hospital and “took care of” him. The idea is that overseers have a special responsibility to look out for the welfare of the congregations in which they serve. Acts 20:28 (mentioned above) also says that overseers are to “care for the church of God,” though the Greek word in this case means “to shepherd” or “to pastor.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">This thought also calls to mind Hebrews 13:17a, which although not specifically using the terms “overseer,” “elder,” or “pastor,” appears to refer to those occupying that office: “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The parallel passage is Titus 1:5–9, in which Paul instructs his apostolic assistant Titus in Crete in much the same way he instructed his apostolic assistant Timothy with regard to his role in Ephesus: </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">“This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you—if anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.”</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span></p></blockquote><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">One of the first things to notice here is that Paul appears to use the terms “elder” and “overseer” interchangeably. He does not, however, use the term “pastor,” either as a noun or as a verb. Also, just as in 1 Timothy 3, he uses the masculine pronoun to refer to elders and overseers, and he stipulates that an elder should be “the husband of one wife.” Once again, in addition to various matters of personal character he is to be qualified to “give instruction in sound doctrine.”</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">From all the above, I think we can safely infer that among the functions of those occupying the office of “overseer/elder/pastor” are teaching and caring for others in a pastoral sense, similar to the way a shepherd takes care of sheep. What is not quite so clear, however, is the idea that </span><span class="s3" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleItalicBody; font-style: italic;">only </span><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">overseers/elders/pastors are to teach or to care for church members. They may well have a special official responsibility to do so. But others who do not also occupy the office of “overseer/elder/pastor” also sometimes teach and sometimes care for members pastorally.</span></p><p class="p2" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 26px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"></span><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">All this begs the question of whether it is ever appropriate to refer to someone who does not occupy the office of “overseer/elder/pastor” and who exercises the ministry of caring for others in the church by the title “pastor.” I agree that in our current 21st-century church milieu, using the term “pastor” in that sense may give rise to a certain degree of confusion and misunderstanding. It is probably, therefore, unwise to do so. But I do not believe it is technically unbiblical or heterodox to do so. Therefore, in order to determine if a church that refers to women by the title “pastor” is doctrinally aberrant, it will be necessary first of all to determine whether they are using that term to refer to someone who occupies the biblical office of “overseer/elder/pastor” or not.</span></p> <script>
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</script>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-17312017394858899342022-04-24T14:58:00.001-05:002022-04-24T15:03:40.094-05:00Christianity Is a Group Activity<p><span class="s5" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">In 2010, American Sociological Review</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> published a groundbreaking study entitled </span></span><a href="http://www.asanet.org/images/journals/docs/pdf/asr/Dec10ASRFeature.pdf" style="font-size: 18px;"><span class="s6" style="color: blue; font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">“Religion, Social Networks, and Life Satisfaction,”</span></span></a><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> carried out by </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Chaeyoon</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> Lim of the University of Wisconsin, and Robert D. Putnam of Harvard University. According to Lim and Putnam, many previous studies indicate a statistical correspondence between religious belief and a general sense of </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">well-being</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> in life. However, up till then, it had been difficult to put a finger on the precise causes for this. As a result of their analysis of a 2006 telephone survey of a representative sample of 3,108 adults, though, they believe they successfully identified an important additional factor contributing toward this correspondence. </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">According to Lim and Putnam, there is significant statistical evidence to point not merely to religious faith, in and of itself, as a primary cause of life satisfaction, but more specifically religious faith coupled with active involvement in a religious community, including especially a significant core of personal relationships with other members of the same community. Interestingly, they claim the evidence does not point toward a significant increase in life satisfaction as a result of religious faith practiced outside of the context of friendships within a religious community, nor as a result of close relationships maintained outside of a specifically religious community. It is only when these two factors are combined that there is a corresponding significant increase in life satisfaction. As they say at the conclusion of the study, “It is neither faith nor communities, per se, that are important, but communities of faith. For life satisfaction, praying together seems to be better than either bowling together or praying alone.” </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Before we get all excited, and look to this study as the foolproof way to convince people to become active in our church, however, it is important to point out, in the interest of honesty, that the results of the study do not point to a significant divergence of life satisfaction among the faithful of different religious communities. As Lim and Putnam observe, “For life satisfaction, what matters is how involved one is with a religious community, not whether that community is Baptist, Catholic, or Mormon.” It is also important to point out that it is not church attendance, in and of itself, that makes the difference, but rather friendships and relationships within a congregation. As a matter of fact, according to Lim and Putnam, “Our analysis also suggests that people who belong to a congregation but have no friends there are even less satisfied than individuals who do not attend religious services or who have no congregation. In short, ‘sitting alone in the pew’ does not enhance one’s life satisfaction.” </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">It is also very interesting to note that, apart from significant involvement with a group of close friends in a religious community, “Strength of religious faith does not appear to be an important factor, either. People who believe in God or heaven with an absolute certainty do not differ significantly from those who have less certain views. Another interesting finding is that private religious practices, such as prayer and holding religious services at home, are not significantly related to life satisfaction. It is revealing that the collective experience of religion in a congregation is more closely linked to life satisfaction than are private practices and individual experiences of religion.” </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">What does all this </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">mean</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> for us as committed Christians? First of all, I would say that a sociological study, no matter how scientific the methods used, or how accurate the results, is not a sufficiently reliable source upon which to base our beliefs or practice. For </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">us, the only infallible guide of faith and practice is the Bible itself. Next, I would say that, according to the revelation we have received in the Word of God, happiness, in and of itself, is not the end-all of life, </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">nor</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> the sole criterion upon which to base our decisions. As my father, Adrian Rogers, said, “God is not so interested in making you happy and healthy as He is in making you holy.” However, there is a sense in which authentic biblical Christianity ought to be accompanied by a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction in life. As John Piper says, “God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him.” Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Joy and peace are both fruits of the Spirit. </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">According to Lim and Putnam, the study does not measure happiness per se, but rather life satisfaction: “In general, ‘happiness’ tends to tap a short-term, transient assessment of mood, whereas ‘life satisfaction’ reflects more stable evaluations of personal well-being.” Thus, while neither happiness nor life satisfaction ought to be our ultimate aim in life, I think we are right to view life satisfaction, as measured by Lim and Putnam’s study, as a significant factor when evaluating spiritual health. Supposed “Christians” who are consistently dissatisfied with their </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">lives are not a good testimony to </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">the authenticity of their faith, and the type of “Christianity” that does not produce satisfied Christians is, at the very least, defective in some way or another. </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">All this leads me to the following thesis: Authentic, healthy Christianity is a group activity—and not just an activity practiced in the context of any group, but more specifically, it is a small group activity, or at least, an activity in groups that facilitate close personal relationships and friendships. </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">All this relates, at least in some respect, to the discussion about small churches and large churches. In small churches, it is harder to get lost in the shuffle. I am of the opinion, though, that it is entirely possible for large congregations, even mega-churches, to do a good job at facilitating the types of relationships that Lim and Putnam’s study indicates lead to greater satisfaction in life. But, in order to pull it off, they must be intentional and strategic about it. And dysfunctional small churches can also fumble the ball and do a poor job of creating an environment in which healthy relationships flourish. No matter the size of the church, though, it is crucial we do everything we can to see to it that no one falls through the cracks and goes through the motions of religion without the blessing of quality relationships with fellow believers. </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">If we are honest, we must admit there is a tendency in American evangelical life to minimize the importance of group life. As Americans, in general, we live in a very individualistic society. More specifically, as American evangelicals, we put a big stress on such things as inviting Jesus to be our “personal Savior.” We teach the importance of having a “personal quiet time.” We preach the virtues of “personal evangelism.” </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">While all of these emphases have a certain degree of validity, I believe it is important to not forget, at the same time, the biblical emphasis on community or </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">koinonia</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">. The Lord’s Prayer doesn’t say, “My Father, who art in heaven…” but “Our Father…” The </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">one </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">anothers</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> of the New Testament are an integral part of what biblical Christianity is all about. I suppose that, at least in theory, it is possible to over-emphasize fellowship at the expense of other aspects of healthy church life, such as solid Bible teaching and discipleship. </span></span></p><p><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">Actually, according to Lim and Putnam, the results of their study suggest “that congregational friendships have little effect on individuals who do not consider religion very important to their sense of self. By contrast, among individuals with strong religious identities, friendships in a congregation have a dramatic effect on life satisfaction.” In other words, at least as viewed from an evangelical Christian perspective, solid discipleship is also an important factor contributing to an overall sense of </span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">well-being</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> in life. But a balanced package of Christian discipleship is only truly effective when it includes as integral parts the discipline of </span></span><span class="s5" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; font-style: italic; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;">koinonia</span></span><span class="s2" style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10px; line-height: 12px;"><span class="bumpedFont20" style="font-size: 2em; line-height: 24px;"> and the discipline of friendship.</span></span></p>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-72390320125110440612021-09-26T17:45:00.006-05:002021-11-14T18:41:57.822-06:00The Arc<p>The stated or implied objective of many organizations and Christian ministries is “to change the world.” But ambitious plans for global transformation must reckon with the fundamental truth that the heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. While certain projects and initiatives may help in one way or another to alleviate human suffering—and the aim to alleviate human suffering is not in and of itself a bad thing—any initiative that bypasses the human heart and the problem of personal sin will only be temporary and transitory. </p><p>A careful study of church history shows that even those places in the world that have experienced seasons of revival and spiritual awakening, and along with them a modicum of moral and cultural uplift in broader society, have with time eventually returned to a deeply embedded pattern of ungodliness and in many cases surpassed pre-revival levels of societal sin. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, the Mediterranean Basin, Europe, Great Britain, North America, and to a large extent today Latin America, Africa, and Asia—each of them have had, or are having, their day in the sun, so to speak. But in spite of the many souls saved, disciples made, churches planted, and worthwhile ministry endeavors undertaken, sin still runs rampant in broader society in all these places today. </p><p>In essence, the same crowds that shouted “Crucify him!” when Jesus was being tried by Pilate are still with us today. In the spiritual realm, the same Roman Empire that washed its hands from the crucifixion of our Lord is still with us today. The same religious authorities that wanted to protect their power base and their national pride are still with us today. Indeed, in many ways, after 2,000 years of gospel ministry, the world has not been transformed.</p><p>What are we to glean from this observation? Unitarian theologian and minister Theodore Parker penned the following words:</p><p>“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.” </p><p>These same words served as an inspiration to Martin Luther King, Jr., who on several different occasions said something along the lines of, “The arc of the moral universe may be long, but it bends towards justice.” But as time moves on, is the world really becoming a better place? </p><p>While we may well see progress here and there, I find it hard to say that the world is truly better now than it used to be at any other time in history. Thank God, chattel slavery is now deemed unconstitutional in the United States. But human trafficking still runs rampant in many places around the world, including right here at home. If reports are true, Roe v. Wade may be on the verge of being overturned by the Supreme Court. But according to recent polls, support for the freedom to choose abortion appears to be expanding, both in the States and around the world as well. In a lot of ways, as far as the moral and cultural transformation of society at large is concerned, it looks to me like the general pattern is two steps forward, three steps back.</p><p>As Christians, it is true, we may be certain that the day is coming when God’s justice will be done on earth as it is heaven. And as Christians, we are indeed called to be bold and faithful advocates for justice and goodness right here and now. But my understanding of biblical eschatology and the vision it presents for our expectations as Christians down through human history does not lead me to be overly optimistic with regard to the gradual and ultimate triumph of truth and righteousness up until the end of the age.</p><p>Jesus shared several parables that appear to speak to this question, and that may be interpreted—and have been interpreted—in different ways. Some interpreters interpret the parable of the leaven as referring to the power of the gospel to gradually transform the whole world just like leaven little by little spreads throughout a whole loaf of bread while it is baking. Others, however, have pointed out that leaven is almost always a symbol of evil or corruption in the Bible, and claim that the parable of the leaven speaks to the spread of false doctrine and corruption within historic Christendom over the centuries. In a similar way, the parable of the mustard seed is viewed by some as an illustration of the power of the gospel to accomplish great, world-changing things, even though its beginnings may be small like the mustard seed. Others point to the reference of the birds that roost in the branches of the tree that sprouts from the implanted mustard seed as another reference to the spread of evil and corruption that generally coincides with the growth of the church.</p><p>I am not dogmatic on my interpretation of either of these two parables. But my reading of the broad, underlying message of the Bible is that the gospel will indeed be proclaimed throughout all the earth, and the church will indeed be successful in its mission of making disciples of all nations. Some, however, have interpreted this discipling of all nations as transforming the cultures of all the nations of the earth or Christianizing the world. Indeed, the Greek term is literally “discipling the nations.” I think it is important to note, however, that the two activities that make up the disciple-making process—baptizing and teaching—are directed toward individuals, not structures or institutions. In other words, you don’t baptize or teach structures and institutions; you baptize and teach individuals.</p><p>All in all, I don’t think the Bible leads us to expect a Christianized world when Jesus returns. In Jesus’ day the gate was narrow and the road that led to life was hard, and there were few who found it. And as I read it, there is nothing in the Bible that leads us to expect that situation is to drastically change as time goes on.</p><p>If anything, the Bible tells us that “in the last days there will come times of difficulty” and that in that time “people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Timothy 3:1–5). The power of the Anti-Christ will arise in the last days. Deception will be rampant. The kings of the earth and the merchants of the earth will join in league together against the Rider on the White Horse (Revelation 18–19). And the Bible doesn’t say anything about Christian kings, Christian merchants, or Christian nations as over against “the kings of the earth” and “the merchants of the earth.” A plain reading of the text leads us to suppose that “the kings of the earth” pretty much includes all the kings of the earth.</p><p>This leads us to ask, “What about our work for the advance of the gospel? Is it all in vain, then?” </p><p>The Bible clearly gives us the answer to this question in 1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” So our efforts for the progress of the gospel are not in vain. Could it be, however, that we’ve gotten a bit confused regarding our ultimate objective? I think that may indeed be the case. </p><p>I don’t think that the Bible teaches that we are actually called to transform the world. It says, rather, that we are to preach the gospel and make disciples from among all the different nations (or people groups) of the world. And as we live out our calling, we can rest assured that some will obey the gospel, and others will choose to disobey. Revelation 7:9–10 does lead us to expect, though, that when it’s all said and done, there will be at least a remnant from every nation, tribe, people, and language who will embrace the gospel and become authentic worshipers of Jesus.</p><p>In the meantime, I believe we are called to set up outposts of the Kingdom of God among all the nations and to be light-posts of love, mercy, and righteous living in the various places we presently live as pilgrims and exiles on this earth. Indeed, our good deeds, neighborly love, and advocacy for peace and justice all will be richly rewarded in this age and in the age to come. I also believe that the principles behind the Lord’s admonition to the Judahite exiles in Babylon by way of His prophet Jeremiah apply to us as well: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7). And as our Lord Jesus said, “Whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42). </p><p>So, be encouraged. Even though it may seem like truth and righteousness are not progressing in our nation and around the world as we hoped they would, God’s agenda is not failing. The establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth is on it’s way. Indeed, it is right on schedule. And as my father, Adrian Rogers, used to say, “Praise the Lord, it’s getting gloriously dark!”</p>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-85998755630562884412021-06-12T09:53:00.000-05:002021-06-12T09:53:47.266-05:00Adrian Rogers & SBC21<p>What would my father, Adrian Rogers, say regarding SBC21?</p><p>The truth is, none of us knows for sure regarding every detail. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since he left us back in 2005, and a lot of new issues have arisen that he never had the occasion to address directly.</p><p>As his son, I had the privilege to know him up close and to speak with him at length on various occasions about matters such as theology and denominational politics. We all know that he was a champion for the authority of the Word of God. We know that he stood for integrity and righteousness. And we know that he was a key leader in the Conservative Resurgence of the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, and that he chaired the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 Committee.</p><p>As we approach the SBC Annual Meeting in Nashville next week, a lot of controversial issues are in the air, and there has been sharp disagreement among many Southern Baptists over these issues. Ironically, from what I gather, key representatives of each of the different sides of these issues all hold my father in high esteem and regard him as a spiritual hero. Unfortunately, some of these leaders have accused those on the other side(s), despite holding to biblical inerrancy and all the other matters spelled out in the BFM 2000, of “drifting leftward” and compromising on biblical and social imperatives.</p><p>I know that my father was good friends with many of the leaders on different sides of these issues. I imagine some who read these words may well have had personal conversations with him in which he expressed his opinions on various matters related to the SBC. I was not privy to all these conversations, and I imagine some opinions were expressed in them that go beyond matters I had the opportunity to discuss with him. But I do know of one specific conversation I had with him in the summer of 2005 a few months before he passed away. </p><p>In this conversation, he expressed to me his apprehensions about the future of the SBC. While he did not budge one inch on his convictions regarding the issues spelled out in the BFM 2000, and did not regret his role in the Conservative Resurgence, he told me that the one thing that worried him the most about the future SBC was the rising influence of a group of people he colloquially called the tire-slashers. </p><p>The tire-slashers, according to my father, were the foot-soldiers of the Conservative Resurgence who were so enthusiastic in their support of the conservative cause that in the midst of their zeal for correct doctrine they forgot about Christian charity and treating those with whom they disagreed with decency and respect. They were those who were willing to cut ethical corners in their words and actions, all for the advance of the cause. Another name he sometimes called this same group was the Young Turks.</p><p>One of the most oft-quoted statements of my father is the following:</p><p>“I’m willing to compromise about many things, but not the Word of God. So far as getting together is concerned, we don’t have to get together. The Southern Baptist Convention, as it is, does not have to survive. I don’t have to be the pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church. I don’t have to be loved; I don’t even have to live. But I will not compromise the Word of God.”</p><p>While I am quite confident that, were he still with us today, he would say the same thing without reservation, it is important to understand the context of this statement. He by no means was minimizing the importance of Christian unity or of agreeing to disagree agreeably over secondary and tertiary doctrinal matters. By way of the BFM 2000, the BFM 2000 Committee decided to codify or “set forth” certain doctrinal distinctives that Southern Baptists believe, and at the same time they decided not to include others, thus distinguishing between denominational doctrinal essentials and non-essentials. </p><p>Make no mistake about it, my father was not willing to compromise on any of the essentials. But he most certainly also believed in unity and charity on the non-essentials. Personally, I believe he would be heartbroken by the lack of unity and charity demonstrated by certain Southern Baptist leaders today toward those who disagree with them on non-essentials.</p><p>Nate Akin very perceptively describes here a big part of what I believe is happening in SBC life today (listen to the podcast linked below for the full context):</p><p>“There are two things I’m burdened about, and I think it’s maybe a part of the issues we’re facing. One is how driven we are by politics. So one of the things that I’ve noticed in all of these fights right now is that politics is uniting people—when you think about who’s united, it’s uniting people who have radically different soteriologies and ecclesiologies, but because they have a very similar political position. And it’s dividing others who have a similar or same soteriology and ecclesiology. And I think that is awful and I think that is sad. If anything should unite us, it should be soteriology and ecclesiology, and not politics. And yet it is uniting and dividing based upon political lines. And not even just political lines, how you view how we should be involved in politics and how you view, basically, I would say, cultural engagement, which I think is the big issue that people are missing. There’s a difference in how we think we should engage culture. And it doesn’t make one of us right or wrong. But it is kind of what’s dividing us. But when it does make it wrong is when you look at the person across the aisle who views cultural engagement different than you, and then you call them a liberal because they view it that way.”</p><p>Once again, my father is not here to speak for himself. But based upon conversations I had with him, I believe he would say amen to Nate’s words here.</p><p><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/baptist-21/id1441454363?i=1000524720539">https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/baptist-21/id1441454363?i=1000524720539</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-77826027105160789612021-02-18T15:55:00.011-06:002021-02-18T16:22:09.050-06:00Discerning the Body: A Biblical Defense of Modified Open Communion<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Who should
be allowed to participate in the Lord’s Supper in a Baptist church, and who
should not? Some leading views advocated by Baptists are close, closed, open,
and the view I personally take, modified open communion. I do not consider
myself technically to be an advocate of open communion since I don’t believe
the Lord’s Supper should be offered indiscriminately to anyone and everyone,
nor even to all those without exception who profess to be Christians. Paul had
some pretty serious words to say about taking the bread and the cup in an
unworthy manner. And he relates taking the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner
to a failure to “discern (or recognize) the body of the Lord”:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks
the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the
body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of
the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without <b>recognizing
the body</b> of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many
among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we
judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment. When we are judged by the
Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for each other. If
anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you meet together it may
not result in judgment.</i> (1 Corinthians 11:27–34, NIV) </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">*other versions
translate the phrase “recognizing the body” here “discerning the body.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Thus, I
believe it is very important that we not participate in the Lord’s Supper in an
unworthy manner and that we encourage those who are participating with us not
to participate in an unworthy manner. However, neither do I agree with the close
communion position, which requires Baptist churches to only admit to the Lord’s
Supper those who have been immersed in water after their profession of faith in
Christ. And I do not agree with the closed communion position, which requires
that Baptist churches only admit fellow members of the particular local
congregation in which the Lord’s Supper is being served. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Lest for
some reason anyone think differently, let me make perfectly clear that I do
think that those who profess faith in Christ should be baptized shortly
afterward and that only truly born-again people should participate in the
Lord’s Supper. So I am in agreement that the normal order would be conversion,
baptism, and then participation in the Lord’s Supper. However, when we think of
the Lord’s Supper and who should be permitted to participate, we need to think
first of all about just what it is and what we are celebrating when we
celebrate the Lord’s Supper. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">At the core, the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of
what Jesus did for us—not of what we have done for Jesus; that is, a memorial
of and witness to our salvation won by Jesus on the cross of Calvary—not a
witness to our obedience to the command to be baptized, nor of our meeting the
requirements for local church membership. In addition to this, the Lord’s
Supper is also a celebration of the unity of the Body of Christ, the Church.
Consider the words of Paul in 1 Cor. 10:16-17: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we
give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that
we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we,
who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The Lord’s
Supper is not just a celebration of the unity of the local church. Neither is
it a celebration of the unity of all of those who have their doctrine right
concerning baptism. It is a celebration of the unity of the entire Body of
Christ. Paul says clearly, “We, who are many, are one body”—not many different
autonomous bodies. And when we don’t admit folks to the Lord’s Supper, we are
in effect telling them we don’t believe they belong in the Body of Christ. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Among
Baptists, the traditional understanding of the phrase “discerning the body” in
1 Cor. 11:29 has to do with the responsibility of taking the Lord’s Supper in a
respectful manner, realizing that what we are doing at that moment is
commemorating the death of our Lord Jesus and that it is a solemn occasion, not
one for joking, jesting, or behaving in a flippant manner. Certainly, there is
an important element of truth here. In the overall context of 1
Corinthians, however, I believe that “discerning the body” also has a very
important application to our stance with regard to our fellow brothers and
sisters in the Body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 10:16–17, Paul links the two
senses of the body of Christ—physical and mystical—and it appears that in 1
Cor. 11:29 he does so again. The specific sin pointed out by Paul in 1
Corinthians in relation to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper was a sin
against one’s fellow members in the Body of Christ. Notice chapter 11, verses
18–22: </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">In the first place, I hear that when you
come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I
believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of
you have God's approval. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper
you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody
else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don't you have homes to eat and
drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have
nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? Certainly not!</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What was the
problem at Corinth? It was primarily a problem of division within the Body of
Christ. Specifically, some of the people (presumably the more wealthy) were
despising those who had nothing (i.e. the poor). Essentially, what they were
doing was treating certain bona fide members of the Body of Christ like
second-class citizens. One chapter later, in chapter 12, Paul develops this
same theme further (vv. 12–27): </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The body is a unit, though it is made up of
many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is
with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews
or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the
body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I
am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease
to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an
eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to
be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of
hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as
he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it
is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I
don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need
you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are
indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with
special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special
modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has
combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that
lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts
should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part
suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you
are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.</i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In the
context of the specific abuses of those taking part in the Lord’s Supper, Paul is
pointing out a particular division: the division between the rich and the poor
within the congregation at Corinth. He makes a special point to show that, whether
we be slaves or free, members who are humanly speaking “less honorable” or
members who are “more honorable,” we are all part of the same Body. In the
overall context of 1 Corinthians, he also decries divisions based on loyalty to
certain teachers—i.e. Peter, Apollos, and Paul himself—what we might call today
a denominational or sectarian spirit. Whatever the cause behind it, though,
Paul is saying there is nothing that should come between us as brothers and
sisters in Christ if indeed we are truly members of Christ’s Body. Because of
this, it is vitally important for us to know, to the degree it is possible to
know this side of heaven, who is a part of Christ’s Body and who is not. And as
I understand it, this is an important part of what it means to correctly
discern the Body of Christ. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">How do we
discern who is truly a part of the Body of Christ and who is not? Paul in 1
Cor. 12:13 tells us how. All of us who were baptized by one Spirit and given
the one Spirit to drink were baptized (by the same Spirit) into one body—that
is, the very same group to whom Paul addresses the letter of 1 Corinthians when
he says in chapter 1, verse 2, “To the church of God in Corinth, to those
sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those
everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.”</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Notice that
for Paul the “church of God in Corinth” is one and the same with all
“those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy”—that is to say, every
single born-again believer in the city of Corinth. Notice, also that he does
not treat them as an independent group unto themselves, but rather as a
local representation, or expression, of a broader group: “all those everywhere
who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Along with
most Baptist students of Scripture and church history, I agree that in the
context of the NT it would have likely been very rare, if not impossible, to
find individuals who had been baptized by the Spirit yet who had not yet been
baptized appropriately in water. However, in the context of today, due to the
tragedy of divisions and false teaching within the Body of Christ, sadly that
is no longer the case. There are many paedobaptist brothers and sisters in
Christ who, though mistaken (as I understand it) in their understanding and practice
of water baptism, have nonetheless been baptized by the very same Spirit as we
(as Baptists) have. And when we attempt to discern the Body and we notice there
is not an exact correlation between the group of all those who have been
appropriately baptized in water and the group of all those who have been
baptized by the Spirit, we come to the conclusion that the group of those who
truly comprise the Body of Christ is made up not just of those who have been
baptized both by the Spirit and in water, but rather of all those who have been
baptized by the Spirit. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Now it is
true that if someone has studied out what the Bible teaches on baptism and has
come to the understanding that Jesus has commanded them to be baptized in
water, and yet in spite of this has not yet followed through with what they
understand, then they are living in disobedience and need to get their baptism
on the right side of their salvation. In such a case, we need to warn them
about the danger of participating in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner,
which includes allowing any known, un-repented-of sin in one’s life, no matter
what that sin may be. At the same time, however, an objective consideration of
the reality present in Christendom today leads us to the conclusion there are
many authentically born-again Christians, who are sincerely endeavoring to be
obedient to Jesus in everything, including baptism, yet for one reason or
another understand baptism differently than we do as Baptists and as a result
have not been immersed in water subsequent to their profession of faith in
Christ. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Some claim
that maintaining a practice of close communion serves as a good opportunity to
proclaim to the unbaptized their duty to be obedient to Christ’s command,
causing them to reflect on the reason for their exclusion from the Lord’s
table. However, while this perspective may have an element of truth to it, two
wrongs do not make a right. I personally agree that it is wrong for believers
not to be immersed after professing faith in Christ. And I agree that the
celebration of the Lord’s Supper is indeed an opportune moment to remind people
of their need to be obedient to the command to be baptized. But at the same
time, on the basis of my understanding of Scripture, I also believe it is wrong
to deny true believers—whether they have been biblically baptized or not—access
to the Lord’s Supper, which is a celebration of the unity of the entire Body of
Christ, not just a part of it. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">There are
other ways to proclaim to the unbaptized their need to be baptized without at
the same time despising the unity of the Body of Christ by denying them a place
at the Lord’s table. The question has been raised how someone who is presiding
the celebration of the Lord’s Supper in the context of a Baptist church can
follow through with what I am saying here without at the same time being
disloyal to the Baptist distinctive of believers baptism by immersion. However,
I don't think this is necessarily a problem. The following is an example of
what I have said, when I have presided the Lord’s Supper: </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“The Bible
teaches that before partaking of the bread and the wine we are to examine our
hearts. I believe this includes examining ourselves to see if there is any
known sin we have not confessed or for which we have not repented. Before
sharing together with us in the Lord’s Supper today, I ask, and indeed urge,
you to examine the condition of your own heart before the Lord. If the Holy
Spirit convicts you of any sin, please make it right before Him before
partaking in the Lord’s Supper. This is a very serious matter. The Word of God
says that some in the congregation in Corinth had ‘fallen asleep’ (that is,
they died) as a result of not taking this admonition seriously. I would also
add that in our congregation we believe that Jesus commanded each believer
after truly repenting of their sin and placing their faith in Christ to seal
their surrender to Christ by means of believers baptism, or being immersed in
water, after having been saved, in obedience to the Lord’s command. If you have
not been obedient to Jesus’ command to be baptized, I urge you to not put off
any longer doing so. At the same time, I am aware that there are some who have
sincerely repented of their sin and placed their faith in Christ alone for
their salvation and yet believe, as they have examined Scripture, that their
baptism before they were saved is an authentic and biblically condoned baptism.
Though in this congregation we believe and teach differently on this matter, we
consider the Lord’s Supper to be a celebration of the unity of the entire Body
of Christ, not just of those who agree with us on this particular matter. In
any case, I urge you to carefully and prayerfully study the Scripture and
examine your own heart on this matter. If you are convicted you need to be
biblically baptized, don’t put it off any longer. If you before the Lord have a
clear conscience about being obedient to the Lord’s command in this area, then
follow before the Lord the dictates of your conscience. In any case, if you
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are attempting to the best of your ability
to serve and obey Him, we warmly embrace you and accept you as a fellow member
of the Body of Christ.”</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;">*What do you
believe about who should participate in the Lord’s Supper? </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></p>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: medium; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: JA; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">*What is the practice in the churches in which you
have been a member, and/or the churches you are aware of?</span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-90665995365236446712020-05-25T12:02:00.002-05:002020-05-25T12:34:30.909-05:00Christ the Faithful Suffering Servant in the Midst of Culture<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times";">What perspective should we as Christians take toward culture? What is the basic task to which we as Christians have been called here on Earth? How should we relate in our attitudes, actions, and priorities to the world around us? Should Christians be involved in politics? What is the ultimate goal of Christian missions? The answers to these questions are complex. And there is nothing close to unanimity among those who claim to follow Christ as to how best to answer them. Yet the repercussions are very significant and affect at a fundamental level many of the choices we make in our everyday life as Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">The Background of the Discussion</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">I am not the first to think and write about these questions. Far from it! One of the most significant and influential contributions to the ongoing discussion is H. Richard Niebuhr’s classic, </span><span style="font-family: "times";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christ-Culture-Torchbooks-Richard-Niebuhr/dp/0061300039/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268602181&sr=8-1" style="color: purple;">Christ and Culture</a></span><span style="font-family: "times";">, published in 1951. More recently, D. A. Carson advanced the discussion with the 2008 release of </span><span style="font-family: "times";"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christ-Culture-Revisited-D-Carson/dp/0802831745/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268602181&sr=8-2" style="color: purple;">Christ and Culture Revisited</a></span><span style="font-family: "times";">. As I have mulled over these questions, I have come up with some thoughts I would like to offer for discussion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">Niebuhr, in his seminal work that has framed much of the subsequent discussion, describes five general approaches that Christians of various stripes throughout the centuries have adopted, which he calls <i>Christ against Culture</i>, <i>The Christ of Culture</i>, <i>Christ above Culture</i>, <i>Christ and Culture in Paradox</i>, and <i>Christ the Transformer of Culture</i>. One of the most significant observations to be gleaned from Niebuhr is that even though we are not always aware of it, each of us comes from one general perspective or another on these particular questions that colors the way we approach the specifics—and if we are able to understand the model from which one is operating, we will have significant insight into the motives behind the positions he/she takes on various issues. Rather than taking the space here to review each of these different models and potentially misrepresent or oversimplify Niebuhr’s thesis, I refer you to </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times";"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0061300039/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_6Y.YEb4JR6DT5" target="_blank">Niebuhr’s book itself</a></span><span style="font-family: "times";"> or <u><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Culture-Revisited-D-Carson/dp/0802867383" style="color: purple;">Carson’s review of Niebuhr’s models in his book</a></span></u>. A briefer synopsis of Niebuhr’s thesis can be found </span><span style="font-family: "times";"><a href="https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/content/christ-and-culture-five-views" style="color: purple;">here</a></span><span style="font-family: "times";">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">The <i>Transformationist</i> Model</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">Most (not all) Christians today would be in agreement that the first two models—<i>Christ against Culture</i> and <i>The Christ of Culture</i>—are overly extreme, one being overly reactionary and the other overly accommodating. According to Carson (and, no doubt, many others), the model favored by Niebuhr himself (though he seeks to maintain a semblance of personal detachment in his presentation), and one that has become increasingly popular among Christians of various theological and political convictions both on the Right and the Left in recent years, is the <i>Transformationist</i> model. The basic premise of this model is that as Christians, though we live in a fallen world in which evil exerts a great amount of influence, we are called to be salt and light, exercising a redemptive influence over the structures of this world, letting the leaven of Christian ethics and morality work its way through the lump and contributing toward the progressive and eventual Christianization of culture and society.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">As I understand it, the extreme version of this model on the Right is that of the Reconstructionists/Dominionists/Theonomists, and on the Left that of Liberation Theology. However, there are many others a step or two toward the middle, both among conservatives (“Culture Warriors,” and “Seven Mountains” crusaders), as well as among more liberal versions of Christianity (some “Emerging” Christians, and even some—not all!—who would prefer the label “Missional”), who would not answer strictly speaking to either of these descriptions, yet who in their basic approach to these issues follow a <i>Transformationist</i> model.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">The <i>Christ the Faithful Suffering Servant in the Midst of Culture</i> Model</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">Personally, as I study Scripture and reflect on what it says, I am not totally convinced by the <i>Transformationist</i> model. In what follows, I would like to present an alternative model that I call <i>Christ the Faithful Suffering Servant in the Midst of Culture</i>. Though the name itself and the description I give of this view are mine, I don’t pretend the basic ideas behind anything I say here are original. If they are truly biblical, they cannot at the same time be truly original. Besides this, various others have already articulated a view, which, though not using the exact same language, is very similar in many aspects to mine. From what I have read and listened to of Carson, for example, I would consider him to be among these.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">Our Understanding of the Terms <i>Christ</i> and <i>Culture</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">Key to a good understanding of the various perspectives one may take on Christ and Culture is the definition given to the terms <i>Christ</i> and <i>culture</i> themselves. In the model I am proposing, I take as determinative for our understanding of the term <i>Christ</i> the commission of Jesus to His disciples and consequently to the Church throughout the centuries in John 20:21, in which He sends them to carry out the same task with which the Father had sent Him. As the Body of Christ on Earth we are His hands, feet, eyes, and ears, continuing on through the power of the Holy Spirit the same work that He inaugurated in His first advent. We do not yet, however, represent Christ in His post-second-advent role as sovereign Ruler, which remains to be manifested at a later date.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">As far as <i>culture</i> is concerned, I see a significant parallel between culture and what the New Testament in many passages* calls <i>the world</i>, encompassing the structures, thought systems, and godless values that comprise the present world order. This, however, does not preclude the appropriation and use of such cultural elements as music, art, and literature for the glory of God. For example, when we speak of <i>Christ against Culture</i>, we do not mean to imply that Christ is opposed to music, art, and literature, etc., in and of themselves as independent categories. These are, rather, neutral elements that may be used equally in the service of Christ and His Kingdom as well as in the propagation of the godless value system we call <i>the world</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">Called to Suffer</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">Having made that clear, the first aspect of the <i>Christ the Faithful Suffering Servant in the Midst of Culture</i> approach is the recognition that as Christians we are called to suffer here on this earth. Though there have been certain times and places down through history in which professing Christians have been more accepted and less persecuted than at other times and in other places, and there have been assorted seasons of spiritual awakening impacting the general attitude toward Christianity in a given time and place, this is not the norm, either from the standpoint of history or the Bible. At times, the advance of Christendom has, ironically, been accompanied by a corresponding increase in the persecution of authentic Christian disciples. Bible prophecy, as I understand it, does not present a view of the end-times that would lead us to expect this reality to one day disappear or gradually diminish as history progresses. It would appear that Jesus’ words describing the path that leads to life as narrow and those that find it few are just as applicable in the end-times as they were in the time He first pronounced them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">Called to Rescue the Perishing</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">The next aspect of this approach is the call to “seek and to save those which are lost,” rescuing them from the cruel dominion of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and calling them to come out and be separate from the ungodly structures and systems of the world, symbolically depicted in Revelation 16–19 as Babylon the Great. However, those who are rescued are not rescued solely for an existence of eternal bliss in the fully consummated Kingdom of God in the age to come. They are also called to live this present life as signposts of the coming Kingdom as members of an alternative community in which they grow together in faith, hope, and love, continually experiencing spiritual healing and ministering it one to another in the therapeutic community that is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">Called to Serve</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">Closely related to the call to “rescue the perishing” is the call to serve. It is at this juncture that the <i>Christ the Faithful Suffering Servant</i> model departs significantly from the <i>Christ against Culture</i> model. While it is true that <i>culture</i>, inasmuch as we equate it with the structures and systems of this world, will almost always set itself up in opposition to uncompromising Christian discipleship, the calling and purpose of Christians in this present dispensation is not to condemn those who are presently subject to this world but rather to lead them to salvation through faith in Christ, who came to “give his life as a ransom for many.” As those sent out by Jesus, in the same way as He Himself was sent by the Father, we identify with His call “not to be served, but to serve” and to direct this service to the very ones among whom we are to live as candles in the midst of the darkness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">In the Midst of Culture</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">As the old saying goes, and as Jesus makes clear in John 14:14–18, we are called to be in the world but not of the world:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.</i></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">As faithful suffering servants, we do not isolate ourselves from the world around us and from the dire condition of those who groan under the oppression of its cruel taskmasters. We are not passive quietists living our own lives and minding our own business, separated from those we are seeking to rescue. No! The love of Christ constrains us to actively and enthusiastically pour ourselves out in acts of service and practical kindness, following the example of our Lord, who healed the sick, set the captives free, and graciously showered His love upon them during His first advent here on Earth.</span><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times";">Called to Be Faithful</span></b><span style="font-family: "times";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">As faithful suffering servants, we also patiently wait for the consummation of the Kingdom in the day when our Lord returns to judge the wicked and the just and establish His visible rule over all the cultures and structures of this earth. In the meantime, we refrain from seeking to forcibly introduce the Kingdom of God with its ultimate implications ahead of time, cognizant of the fact that on those occasions when Christians have sought to exercise dominion over the structures of this world independent of the physical presence of Jesus Himself to take charge and rule the nations with an iron rod of justice, the end result has more often than not proven disastrous for the true advance of kingdom values.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">None of this means that in the meantime we refrain in any way from actively rescuing the perishing, diligently working toward the edification of the community of the redeemed, and passionately serving the needy and oppressed in our midst to the very best of our ability, with the strength and wisdom the Holy Spirit gives us. Indeed, we seek to be the most faithful stewards we possibly can, knowing the way we live our lives here on Earth will have momentous consequences for eternity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times";">*See, for example, Matthew 4:8; Luke 12:30; John 8:23, 12:31, 15:18, 16:33, 17:6–19, 18:36; Romans 12:2; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 11:32; 2 Corinthians 10:1–6; Galatians 4:3, 6:14; Ephesians 2:2, 6:12; Colossians 2:8, 20; James 1:27, 4:4; 2 Peter 1:4, 2:20; 1 John 2:15–17; 3:1, 13; 4:1–6; 5:4–5, 19.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-70880809742179854212019-12-08T21:35:00.001-06:002020-06-09T18:51:29.953-05:00God, God's Kingdom, and God's People First<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItzf3kF7pmT8944z6dp5Rca0oLteTHzKEAp1Ak6HwyNW4GvOCfhuSzq8hBPp1OlmNJf4318VraRmbbKqCwzAFSG0zGQ9Oxj70g0pcQWAR86AIoRiiyC9Wy_fXYqi1wV-BYhwq/s1600/f6db7c_9a1fa5ebf04f478c9bfe019fc8a29649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItzf3kF7pmT8944z6dp5Rca0oLteTHzKEAp1Ak6HwyNW4GvOCfhuSzq8hBPp1OlmNJf4318VraRmbbKqCwzAFSG0zGQ9Oxj70g0pcQWAR86AIoRiiyC9Wy_fXYqi1wV-BYhwq/s1600/f6db7c_9a1fa5ebf04f478c9bfe019fc8a29649.jpg" /></a></div>
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<br />
As followers of Jesus, our first love and priority commitment in all of life must be directed toward God Himself, His Kingdom, and His People, our brothers and sisters in Christ. Consider the following passages:<br />
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Jesus replied, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:37–38) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:10)</blockquote>
It is relatively easy to accept this teaching when we contrast our loyalty to these things with our loyalty to bad things, things of the world, our fleshly desires, our greed and selfishness, etc. It may not be quite so easy to follow through with these things, but at least it is easy to understand why we are called to put our love for God, His Kingdom, and His People in front of these things. But it can easily rub us the wrong way when we apply this truth to other loyalties in our life, loyalties we normally think of as healthy and positive—our loyalty toward our family, our community, or our nation. Yet Scripture has some very specific things to say to us about putting our loyalty toward these things in front of our loyalty to God, His Kingdom, and His People. <br />
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Let’s think first about family. Now it’s true that God places us in families and instructs us to love, honor, and take care of our family members. The following passages come to mind: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.” (Exodus 20:12) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church.” (Ephesians 5:28–29) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting for those who belong to the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly. Children, always obey your parents, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not aggravate your children, or they will become discouraged.” (Colossians 3:18–20) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God.” (1 Timothy 5:3–4) </blockquote>
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“But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.” (1 Timothy 5:8) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone.” (1 Timothy 5:16)</blockquote>
So, lest anyone understand differently, I am NOT suggesting we should not obey these verses about loving, honoring, and taking care of our families. <br />
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However, there is another series of passages that warn us against placing our loyalty and devotion toward our family above our loyalty and devotion for God, God’s Kingdom, and God’s People. Consider the following: </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. But he replied to the man who told him, ‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” (Matthew 12:46–50) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they couldn’t get to him because of the crowd. Someone told Jesus, ‘Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to see you.’ Jesus replied, ‘My mother and my brothers are all those who hear God’s word and obey it.’” (Luke 8:19–21) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, ‘I will follow you wherever you go.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.’ He said to another person, ‘Come, follow me.’ The man agreed, but he said, ‘Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.’ Another said, ‘Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.’ But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:57–62) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine.” (Matthew 10:37) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)</blockquote>
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Without a doubt, these are very difficult passages to swallow. But with respect to putting obedience to God above our love for our families, the Bible is even more radical yet, as we see in that most radical of passages, that passage in Genesis 22 that tells us of God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Even though other parts of Scripture make plain that God did not intend for Abraham to ultimately follow through with His command to sacrifice Isaac, the implication is very clear that God tried Abraham’s faith in order to make sure he was willing to do so and that Abraham did not put his love for his son in front of his supreme love and loyalty toward Him. <br />
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Let’s think a bit now about national loyalty. Once again, even though it is perhaps not quite as explicit as it is with respect to the command to love, honor, and take care of our families, the Bible has a few things to say that commend a healthy love and respect for one’s own community and nation, along with its leaders. <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:7) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” (Matthew 22:21b) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.” (Romans 13:1) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.” (Romans 13:7) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.” (1 Timothy 2:1–2) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king.” (1 Peter 2:17)</blockquote>
There are also various passages, especially in the Old Testament, that speak positively of the patriotic love that God’s Old Testament people, the people of Israel, had for their nation. From a New Testament perspective, though, these passages apply more for us as followers of Christ with respect to the special love we are to have toward the New Testament people of God, the Church, than toward the specific country of which we are citizens on earth. There are a whole set of other New Testament passages, however, that make very clear that our ultimate allegiance is not to be toward nations here on earth but toward God’s Kingdom and toward God’s people who transcend the nations of our earthly citizenship:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Jesus answered, ‘My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.’” (John 18:36) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“But Peter and the apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than any human authority.’” (Acts 5:29) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.” (Philippians 3:20) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. Obviously people who say such things are looking forward to a country they can call their own. If they had longed for the country they came from, they could have gone back. But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:13–16) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.” (Hebrews 13:14) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.’ Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.’ Dear friends, I warn you as ‘temporary residents and foreigners’ to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.” (1 Peter 2:9–11) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“And they sang a new song with these words: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9–10)</blockquote>
What’s more, there are also a few passages that appear to imply that the entire collective of earthly nations and their rulers will one day unite in opposition to God, God’s Kingdom, and God’s People, yet will ultimately be defeated by Jesus and His followers. Consider the following passages: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“In your vision, Your Majesty, you saw standing before you a huge, shining statue of a man. It was a frightening sight. The head of the statue was made of fine gold. Its chest and arms were silver, its belly and thighs were bronze, its legs were iron, and its feet were a combination of iron and baked clay. As you watched, a rock was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. It struck the feet of iron and clay, smashing them to bits. The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth.” (Daniel 2:31–35) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever. That is the meaning of the rock cut from the mountain, though not by human hands, that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. The dream is true, and its meaning is certain.” (Daniel 2:44–45) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“One of the seven angels who had poured out the seven bowls came over and spoke to me. ‘Come with me,’ he said, ‘and I will show you the judgment that is going to come on the great prostitute, who rules over many waters. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her, and the people who belong to this world have been made drunk by the wine of her immorality.’” (Revelation 17:1–2)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“A mysterious name was written on her forehead: ‘Babylon the Great, Mother of All Prostitutes and Obscenities in the World.’ I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of God’s holy people who were witnesses for Jesus. I stared at her in complete amazement.” (Revelation 17:5–6) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“And this woman you saw in your vision represents the great city that rules over the kings of the world.” (Revelation 17:18) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splendor. He gave a mighty shout: ‘Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen! She has become a home for demons. She is a hideout for every foul spirit, a hideout for every foul vulture and every foul and dreadful animal. For all the nations have fallen because of the wine of her passionate immorality. The kings of the world have committed adultery with her. Because of her desires for extravagant luxury, the merchants of the world have grown rich.” (Revelation 18:1–3) </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies.” (Revelation 19:19–21) </blockquote>
Are you beginning to see a pattern here? There is indeed a place for love and loyalty to our families and to our countries; but we had better be extra specially careful to never let our love and loyalty for family and country surpass the love and loyalty we are to have toward God, God’s Kingdom, and God’s People. <br />
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Indeed, I would say that God gives us our families and communities (or nations) as a stewardship through which we are given the opportunity to demonstrate our supreme love toward Him in practical ways. <br />
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As parents, we are called to be God’s priests for our families in order to intercede for them and to guide them in God’s ways. As husband and wife, we are joint heirs together of the gift of life and are called to help each other grow more and more like Christ. As children, we demonstrate our ultimate submission to God’s authority as we submit to the authority He delegates to our parents. Indeed, when we truly love God first, we are able to love our families better. <br />
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As Christian citizens, we are ambassadors of Christ, called to represent the values of God’s Kingdom among the various human institutions in our midst, even though during this already-but-not-yet time while we await Jesus’ return when He will establish His earthly reign from the New Jerusalem we are not led to expect anything beyond outsider and immigrant status. Yet, we are to love our neighbors, and we are to love them well. <br />
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So as followers of Christ, in order to truly keep God, His Kingdom, and His People in their proper place in our hearts, we must be aware of the other things that compete for our allegiance, the other things that may well end up becoming idols in our life. <br />
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For some of us, it may at times be something as mundane as our fandom for our favorite sports team. Now there’s nothing wrong with being a loyal sports fan. But there should never be any doubt as to where our true loyalties lie. Simple enough. <br />
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For some of us, it may be a political party, or our cultural tribe, or our team or side in the culture wars. Once again, there may not be anything wrong in and of itself with party affiliation or joining forces with likeminded people to advocate for certain moral or cultural causes. But we must always be on guard to make sure our loyalty toward these things never replaces the place in our heart we are to keep reserved for God, His Kingdom, and His People alone. <br />
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We may feel a special love toward our people group, whether that be defined ethnically, racially, or nationally. We may have a special love for our city. Some of this is natural. And there are positive ways we can channel this special love for our own people into an effective way of showing God’s special love for each of the people groups of the earth. Our hearts may ache for the wounds of our people and we may seek to see those wounds healed by God’s grace and love. But we must always remember that our ultimate allegiance is to lie with the entire People of God, made up of individuals called out from among every tribe, language, people, and nation. <br />
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Finally, we are called to lay down our lives in sacrificial love for our families. There is no doubt about it—this is not an option, but a mandate from God. But this deep, heartfelt love we are to have for our families is, nevertheless, to look like hate when we lay it side by side and compare it to the supreme love and loyalty we are to render uniquely to God, His Kingdom, and His People.<br />
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* All Scripture quotations from the New Living Translation</div>
David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-48985032017800082502019-08-15T19:52:00.000-05:002019-08-15T19:52:50.563-05:00Macroeconomics and the Bible<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">* originally posted October 12, 2011, at sbcimpact.org</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></i></span>
<div class="postdetails">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Even though, way back when, I took college introductory courses on both
micro- and macroeconomics, I freely confess that I have never had a very good
understanding of either one. Since then, I have spent quite a bit of time
studying other subjects, such as the Bible and theology, but I freely confess
to having a whole lot to learn on all that as well. As far as I am able to
tell, though, the Bible does not have a whole lot to say about macroeconomics—<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microeconomics">microeconomics</a>, yes, but
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macroeconomics">macroeconomics</a>, not
so much.</span></div>
<div class="postdetails">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="postdetails">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">So why am I writing about macroeconomics and the Bible? Not to argue in
favor of one theory of macroeconomics over another. My main beef is with those,
from all sides of the spectrum, who talk and act as if the Bible had a lot more
to say about macroeconomics than it really does. The ideologues, in this
regard, are the advocates of dominion theology (on the right) and liberation
theology (on the left), but there are a lot of folks in between these extremes
who are swayed to one degree or another by their arguments.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The book of Proverbs has a lot to say about microeconomics. No argument from
me here. It clearly teaches basic principles of financial integrity, frugality,
sound investing, and strategic saving. In addition, the Bible, all through its
pages, in both the Old and New Testaments, has a lot to say about honesty and
generosity. Jesus himself talked a lot about personal finances, and the
importance, as God’s children, of being good stewards of the resources He
commends into our hands.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As far as I can tell, though, the closest thing to a particular theory of
macroeconomics advocated in the Bible is found in the civil law given to the
theocratic society of Old Testament Israel. With respect to the economic
practices of kings and other civil magistrates, the main revelatory content has
to do with general principles of justice in favor of the poor and
underprivileged, and against corruption and vice on the part of the rich and
powerful. All in all, though, in spite of the arguments of the dominionists and
liberationists, there is extremely little that can be adduced to conclusively
support contemporary theories of economics such as free-market capitalism,
neo-liberalism, or socialism.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If anything, certain practices, such as the year of Jubilee, the third-year
tithe for the poor, the law of gleaning, and the sharing of material resources
in the Jerusalem church, appear to lend support to certain aspects of
socialism. In both the OT and NT, however, there also seems to be an assumption
of private ownership of property. But, as I understand it, reading support in
the Bible for any one theory of macroeconomics as practiced in modern-day
nation-states is anachronistic and intellectually inconsistent. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Though it is
true that in many modern contexts, socialism has been linked to atheism, and
espoused by evil totalitarian regimes, as far as economic theory in and of
itself is concerned, this is not inextricably so. From what I can tell, from a
strictly biblical point of view, government-facilitated redistribution of
wealth, in and of itself, is neither as inherently reprehensible as many
dominionists and right-wing Christians make it out to be, nor as virtuous as
many liberationists and left-wing Christians make it out to be.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the New Testament, there are several obvious reasons why there is very
little, if any, instruction given to Christians with regard to macroeconomics.
Decisions made with regard to issues such as macroeconomics are normally made
by those with the power to make them. And for the most part, New Testament
Christians were not included among this group. For Christians, as well as for
practically everyone else in the historical milieu of the New Testament,
decisions on public policy regarding taxes, government spending, the coining
and circulation of money, international trade, interest rates, ownership of
property, hiring and firing of employees, etc. were totally out of their hands.
In addition, it is unlikely that even those who did have the power to make such
decisions thought through these issues in any way close to the manner that
modern-day government officials do.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Fast-forward 2,000 years and a lot of things have changed. In modern
democracies today, we as Christians (along with everyone else) have the
opportunity to speak meaningfully into issues such as macroeconomics. We also
have the possibility of speaking into questions of public ethics and morality.
Even though we, as individual Christians, may not hold any public office, we
have the opportunity—and many would argue, the responsibility—by way of our
vote, to influence the establishment of public policy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">This is an eventuality that the Bible does not appear to take into account.
A lot of times I find myself wishing the Lord had revealed more in his Word
concerning these matters. In the end, however, I trust he knew perfectly well
what he was doing. Nevertheless, there are some things that seem pretty clear
to me. For instance, if I as a Christian can make a difference through my vote
and participation in the political process to counteract the sacrifice of
innocent human life through abortion, it seems pretty clear to me that I ought
to do what I can. Exactly how I should go about it may not be so clear, but, at
least, I think it is pretty clear I should do something. The principle of the
sanctity of human life is sufficiently clear in the Bible. Many other matters
debated in modern-day partisan politics, though, are not nearly so well defined
in the Bible. Equally sincere and orthodox Christians may legitimately argue
both sides of many issues.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Most today would agree that the questions of macroeconomics are among the
most significant issues of contemporary politics. As that erstwhile and
once-successful political candidate Bill Clinton poignantly summed it up, “It’s
the economy, stupid.” My personal thinking on this is that, from a certain
perspective, the economy is indeed really important. Politicians do well to
major on these issues. It is good that we have people who spend time studying
these issues and developing theories on how to best make the economy prosper on
a macro level. In no way am I denigrating the important work of those who give
their time and effort toward studying these subjects.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As Christians, though, I think it is very difficult to demonstrate a
specifically biblical basis for the superiority (whether on moral or other
grounds) of one economic theory over another. We can certainly make a sound
case for good ethics and morality. We can generally argue from the Bible
against greed and corruption, and in favor of justice and personal generosity.
But what public policy decisions best serve to grease the wheels of the
national economy and cause the nation (or the world) as a whole to prosper is a
totally different matter. There may well be (and probably are) sound principles
of economic theory that help to answer these questions, and those who study
these matters scientifically (including Christians) can help us to find these
answers, but I don’t believe the Bible itself purports to do so.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As such, I don’t have any problem with Christians espousing personal views
of macroeconomics, nor participating in the political process that helps to set
public policy influencing the national economy. What I do have a problem with
is Christians insinuating that one particular economic theory is THE Christian
view on macroeconomics, or claiming biblical support for their theories, when
there is none.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Unfortunately, more and more, as of late, a lot of high-profile Christians
in public media appear to have developed a special penchant for doing just
this. As national elections draw closer, heated rhetoric on public media in
general, but on many Christian media outlets as well, is escalating with regard
to issues such as macroeconomics. In an effort to discredit one’s political
opponents, certain views of macroeconomics are frequently held up as the
Christian or biblical view, and opposing views as anti-Christian and immoral.
This may happen from both the right as well as the left, though on the
particular media outlets I happen to listen to, I hear it more often, as of
late, from the right.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">When I hear Christian media personalities launch into their tirades on these
issues, my heart sinks. I believe this type of rhetoric, whether issued from
the right or from the left, is divisive to the unity of the Body of Christ,
counterproductive for our ultimate aim as Christians, and contrary to Jesus’
will for us as his disciples. Also, whenever we publicly mock and sarcastically
denigrate the policies and economic theories, as well as impugn the motives, of
politicians with whom we disagree (especially those currently in office), I
believe we are violating the biblical injunction to “honor the king” (1 Peter
2:17). That is not to say we cannot ever voice our views on these topics, but
we should watch our attitude and the language we use to do so.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Lest anyone misunderstand what I am saying: I am not personally opposed to
right-wing views of macroeconomics. As far as I can remember, whenever I have
voted in national elections, I have voted for Republican candidates. Certainly,
my views on the sanctity of human life and other moral issues have a lot to do
with this, and I am not ashamed or reticent of speaking out as a Christian on
these issues. But I am careful to not put forward my personal views on macroeconomics
as specifically religious convictions.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">In the Church (and in our churches), we should be united by the gospel, not
by our views on macroeconomics. It should not be perceived as in any way
scandalous when a brother or sister in Christ espouses a theory of
macroeconomics different than our own, or than that of the majority of the
members of our church or denomination. And we should not use official church or
denominational channels to advocate views of macroeconomics that do not have
specific biblical support.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Also, though I am thankful for the freedom of press we have in the United
States, and in no way would want to limit the right of broadcasters and
publishers to advocate the political views they choose to advocate, it seems to
me that, ideally, there should be a clear difference between the programming of
Christian media outlets and that of secular politically-driven media outlets.
If I want to hear someone give a defense for one theory of macroeconomics over
another (unless they are citing clear biblical principles), I would prefer to
hear them do so on a secular station, where the reputation and clear gospel
witness of the Church is not at stake.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">To paraphrase a well-known verse of Scripture, “The
kingdom of God is not a matter of <em>monetary policy,
taxes, and government spending (or the lack thereof)</em>, but
righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”</span><!--EndFragment-->
David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-19517254896118712252019-05-19T21:24:00.002-05:002019-05-19T21:27:03.212-05:00Do You Have an Abner Spirit or a Joab Spirit?It was a time of civil war in Israel.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>King Saul and his oldest son, Jonathan, had died in battle. The people of David’s native tribe of Judah had proclaimed him the new king. The prophet Samuel had anointed David years earlier and had let it be known that God had rejected Saul. But those who were loyal to Saul had rallied around Saul’s son Ishbosheth and proclaimed him as king.<br />
<br />
The rivalries were deeply seated. Those on David’s side, including his military captain, Joab, were convinced they were on the right side. They had been unjustly persecuted by Saul and his army for years. And now, they felt, justice was finally on their side. Now it was time for David, the slayer of his tens of thousands of Israel’s enemies, to take the throne.<br />
<br />
But those on Ishbosheth’s side were just as convinced that they were in the right. Ishbosheth, they thought, as the son of God’s duly anointed and appointed king, Saul, was the legitimate heir to the throne. David’s army was nothing but an upstart band of renegades and rebels. His support base was centered in his home tribe of Judah and was not as widespread as that of Ishbosheth, who commanded the loyalty of the majority of the rest of the other eleven tribes.<br />
<br />
There didn’t appear to be any sign of peace and reconciliation on the horizon.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>In a winner-take-all challenge match between twelve leading warriors of each army, they all ended up as losers, with each pair of warriors simultaneously killing each other. And then, Joab’s young, fleet-footed brother Asahel chased after Abner with the intent to kill him. But the older and wiser Abner, after pleading with Asahel to desist, ended up killing him instead, in self-defense.<br />
<br />
It was in this scenario of escalating violence and resentment that Abner shouted out to Joab, “Must we always be killing each other? Don’t you realize that bitterness is the only result? When will you call off your men from chasing their Israelite brothers?” (2 Samuel 2:26 NLT)<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
For a brief moment, Abner appeared to have gotten through to Joab, and he agreed to a short-lived truce. But before long, both sides were back at it, and the long, bitter war once again raged on.<br />
<br />
After some dicey personal matters came to light and words of disagreement were exchanged between him and Ishbosheth, though, Abner came to his senses and finally decided that enough was enough. He humbled himself, came to David, and offered terms of peace. He agreed to use his influence to convince all Israel to lay down their arms and support David as king. Finally, it appeared, there was a real opportunity for peace in the land.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
But Joab would have none of it. He secretly connived and laid a trap for Abner, and while his guard was down and he was not expecting it, he ruthlessly murdered him in revenge for his brother Asahel.<br />
<br />
Joab convinced himself he was acting out of loyalty to David. But David was profoundly heartbroken and disappointed with Joab. “Don’t you realize that a great commander has fallen today in Israel?” he told Joab and the rest of his troops. “Tear your clothes and put on burlap. Mourn for Abner.”<br />
<br />
There were still many twists and turns in the plot-line to be told before we come to the end of this sordid story, but David’s bitter wound stayed with him until the day he died. While giving his parting admonition to his son Solomon shortly before he died, David made a special point to include the following words:<br />
<br />
“And there is something else. You know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me when he murdered my two army commanders, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He pretended that it was an act of war, but it was done in a time of peace, staining his belt and sandals with innocent blood. Do with him what you think best, but don’t let him grow old and go to his grave in peace.” (1 Kings 2:5–6 NLT)<br />
<br />
Though perhaps some might find the illustration a bit extreme, I believe there are some interesting parallels between several elements of this story (which you can read about more fully in 2 Samuel 2–3) and the current atmosphere in the SBC—and to some extent in the broader evangelical world.<br />
<br />
We also live in a time of combat and combatants. We have culture warriors. We have social justice warriors. And we have many on every side who claim to just be soldiers of the cross.<br />
<br />
Everyone thinks they are on the right side. Just like Abner was convinced he was on the right side, and Joab was convinced he was on the right side, most of the warriors in our wars are sincerely convinced they are on the right side as well.<br />
<br />
And don’t get me wrong. It is important to be on the right side. It is not a matter of indifference. Ultimately, from the perspective of redemption history, we learn that David and those who supported him were on the right side, and Saul and Ishbosheth and those who supported them were on the wrong side.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<br />
It is good to have convictions. We are not called as soldiers of the cross to be wishy-washy in our convictions. Just as Paul told the Roman Christians who were grappling with divisive issues among them, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Romans 14:5 ESV)<br />
<br />
But even though Abner was ultimately on the wrong side, and even though he was not without his own flaws, in this situation he had the right spirit. He was able to recognize the writing on the wall. And he was able to lay down his own impetuosity and stubbornness. But Joab, who was ultimately on the right side, had the wrong spirit—a petty, vindictive spirit. He was more dedicated to a cause and loyal to the human champions of that cause than he was to God and the ultimate welfare of His people Israel.<br />
<br />
Hear me out well now. I am not saying that in the current discussions and conflict in the SBC (and American Evangelicalism at large) one side is Abner and the other side is Joab. I indeed have my own views on various of the issues up for discussion, and will almost certainly continue to defend these views here and there, but that is not what this post is about. I am not calling for anyone to compromise on their heartfelt convictions. What I am saying is that we may well be on the right side of a particular issue, but approach it with a Joab spirit. And a Joab spirit is not something that God can bless. It is poison. It is destructive. It is satanic.<br />
<br />
What I am attempting to do here is to echo and apply the words of Abner in our current context and hope that maybe, just maybe, it will get through to someone who needs to hear it: “Must we always be killing each other? Don’t you realize that bitterness is the only result? When will you call off your men from chasing their Israelite brothers?”David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-75864599400400148332019-04-20T19:44:00.002-05:002019-04-20T19:48:26.408-05:00A Review of A Wideness in God's Mercy, by Clark Pinnock<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Pinnock, Clark H. </span><i style="text-indent: -0.5in;">A Wideness in God’s Mercy</i><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">. Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1992.</span></div>
</div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Clark
Pinnock is a theologian, who, from his childhood upbringing in a liberal
Baptist church in Canada, to his days as a convictional defender of biblical
inerrancy at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, to his increasing
involvement in left-wing political causes, and later reversal of his political
positions (along with an increasing liberalization of his theological views),
has passed through many stages in his theological pilgrimage. Once a five-point
Calvinist and apologist for traditional evangelicalism, by the time of his
death in 2010, he had embraced Arminian soteriology, open theism,
annihilationism, and a view of Scripture that was somewhat less stringent than
traditional inerrancy (without disowning the term “inerrancy”). Though almost
voted out of the Evangelical Theology Society for his heterodox views
(especially, in regard to open theism), he continued to identify himself as an
evangelical. In addition to New Orleans, he taught, in subsequent years, at Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School, Regent College, and McMaster Divinity College. He
earned his B.A. at the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. in New Testament at
Manchester University under the supervision of F. F. Bruce. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Wideness in God’s Mercy</i>, Pinnock explores
the middle-ground between evangelical exclusivism and religious pluralism. Although
most would classify his view as inclusivist, it is hard to pin him down as embracing
entirely any of the leading views on world religions—exclusivist, inclusivist,
or pluralist. He organizes his argument around five main points, each one
occupying a chapter in his book. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Chapter
one presents his foundational point defending an optimistic stance on the ultimate
salvation of a large percent of humanity. From the perspective of Pinnock, this
optimism hinges on an objective reading of Scripture. A fairly extensive review
of passages encompassing both the Old and New Testaments reveals God’s gracious
intent to redeem a broad representation of humanity spanning different
ethnicities and cultures. A central feature of Pinnock’s scriptural argument,
often neglected by exclusivists, is the reference to a number of “pagan saints,”
who, although outside the realm of God’s specific revelation of salvation
through Christ, exhibit a faith response to the revelation they did receive. According
to Pinnock, much of biblical interpretation through the centuries has been
skewed by Augustinian restrictivism, which was not based on an objective reading
of the text, but was, rather, a response to particular historical conditions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
chapter two, Pinnock balances his initial thoughts regarding soteriological
optimism with a scriptural defense of a high Christology, including both traditional
trinitarian and incarnational understandings of Jesus. It is at this point
Pinnock most clearly distances himself from the pluralism of theologians such
as Hick and Knitter, insisting that an objective exegesis of Scripture rules
out the view that Jesus is merely one manifestation among many of divine
consciousness. At the same time, he expresses openness to the Vatican II
emphasis on the possibility of people from different cultural and religious
backgrounds relating to the same ontological Jesus through a plurality of
epistemological paths.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
chapter three, Pinnock discusses what he calls subjective religion. According
to his thesis, religion in general has the capacity for both good and evil. He
posits an ethical criterion for judging the helpfulness or lack thereof of
specific religious traditions and practices. While he never disowns his
assertions on the necessity of Christ as the ultimate basis of salvation, he
sees that world religions, in varying degrees, are used by God as vehicles for
general revelation and prevenient grace. Relying heavily on the “pagan saint”
motif presented in chapter one, he claims that people may relate to God on the
basis of three different covenants: “the cosmic covenant established with Noah
… the old covenant made with Abraham, and … the new covenant ratified by Jesus”
(105). From Pinnock’s perspective, it is through the Noahic covenant that many
(not all!) people respond in faith to the general revelation they receive,
which is at times mediated through and nurtured by the particular religious
tradition in which they are brought up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In
chapter four, Pinnock suggests that world religions are in a process of
evolution. Behind this process, God is at work bringing all things to an
ultimate eschatological destiny in which the finality of Christ is embraced by
all. Key in Pinnock’s thoughts is the idea that God is not just interested in
the redemption of human individuals, but also in the transformation and
development of human culture. In the meantime, Christians play a key role in
this process by means of honest and humble dialogue with adherents of other
faiths, pointing out their inadequacies, while at the same time remaining open
to learn from their insights. In order to effectively carry out this dialogue,
the opposing pitfalls of relativism and fideism must be avoided. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In the fifth
and final chapter, Pinnock brings to bear the observations made in previous
chapters in an attempt to discern the ultimate fate of the unevangelized. While
disavowing universalism (in the sense that all will eventually be saved), he
presses the point that people are saved by faith itself (or “the direction of
their heart”) rather than the theological content of their faith. Though not
dogmatic on these points, Pinnock also manifests sympathy toward the twin ideas
of annihilationism and the possibility of a postmortem encounter in which
individuals who do not have an adequate opportunity to hear the gospel in this
life are given that opportunity after death. His main answer to the charge that
this view diminishes the urgency of missions is that the main motivation for
missions should not be “individually oriented hellfire insurance” (177), but
rather proclaiming the kingdom of God and the corresponding cultural
transformation it brings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Within
the text, Pinnock is open about his stated purpose of writing primarily to
conservative evangelicals, hoping to convince them of the weakness of the
strict exclusivist position. In keeping with this, he attempts to give an exegetical
defense from Scripture for the ideas he presents. Though not strictly
inerrantist in his presentation (he says, for instance, on p. 89, “It appears
that the Old Testament did not always capture the divine nature with full
accuracy”), it is not primarily any lack of reverence for the sacred text that
underlies his controversial views, but rather hermeneutical concerns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Pinnock’s
relatively high view of Scripture and exegetical insight allow him to make some
forceful and convincing arguments against pluralism and universalism. The
evangelical believer seeking help in answering the ideas of Hick and Knitter
will benefit from a careful reading of Pinnock. It is regrettable that this
same incisiveness does not keep him from hermeneutical sloppiness with regard
to other questions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">It is
important, for instance, to carefully divide between God’s lavish grace which
he extends to people of every nation, tribe, people, and tongue and any
hypothetical path to salvation outside of his designated plan of redemption
through faith in Christ. Although, from a human perspective, it might well
appear consonant with the grace and mercy of God to ensure an opportunity for
everyone to either specifically accept or reject the offer of redemption
through Christ, Scripture never guarantees this. Scripture does, however,
proclaim there is none righteous, no not one, and none that seek after God (Rom
3:10–11), and, as such, all are held accountable for rejecting the light they
have received. Whether God sovereignly sees to it that the saving message of
the gospel makes it to all humanity, or just to those he chooses as the
recipients of this message, he is no less just. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Though
Pinnock references a significant amount of Scripture, his treatment of Scripture
is somewhat one-sided. For instance, he mentions Eph 2:12, in which it states
that Gentiles who were formerly separated from Christ had “no hope and were
without God in the world” (90), but avoids its implications for his thesis. The
same is true with regard to Acts 17:30, in which he emphasizes the part about
God “overlooking the times of ignorance,” but not the implications of him now
commanding “all men everywhere to repent” (101–02). He creatively reaches the
conclusion that Deut 4:19 implies God’s permission for the nations to worship
the sun, moon, and stars (101). He waters down the force of Acts 4:12,
suggesting that “<span style="color: #001320;">no other name under heaven given
among men by which we must be saved</span>” is only to be taken in a
comparative sense and not as an absolute (101). He does not even mention Rom
10:12–17, one of the clearest passages on the necessity of gospel proclamation
for the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Of all
the ideas Pinnock presents, the one which poses the biggest challenge to the
exclusivist position is that of “pagan saints” and their similarity, in several
aspects, to many unevangelized people today. As this is a theme that is not
often talked about in evangelical circles and the biblical data is somewhat
ambiguous, Pinnock’s hypothesis calls for a careful analysis, taking into
account the full scope of scriptural teaching. While it is true that Old
Testament saints were redeemed on the basis on their faith, and the content of
this faith was less specifically grounded in Christ than is the case with
post-resurrection Christians, this does not mean there was no specific content
to their faith nor that this content was not tied to Christ and his sacrificial
atonement. From the protoevangelium of Gen 3:15 and the acceptable blood
sacrifice of Abel to the law of Moses and the increasingly developed prophecies
of the prophets of Israel, both those Old Testament saints who were born into
the chosen people, as well as those who lived before the calling of Abraham,
responded to the degree of revelation they had received, which, on many
occasions, had specific content that looked forward to the sacrifice of Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Even
several of the “pagan saints” referenced by Pinnock responded in faith to what
might be classified as a mixture of general and special revelation. In some
cases, this is more explicit, and, in others, there is not enough information
to say for sure what degree of special revelation was received. However, the
New Testament makes clear that all those who attain salvation, including both
those who are members of the ethnic Israel as well as those who are not, do so on
the basis of the death of Christ (Heb 11:40–12:2). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">The New
Testament also makes clear that, now that Christ has come, the responsibility
for responding to special revelation is greater than before. Before the
Athenians at Mars Hill, Paul announces in Acts 17:30 that a change in God’s
dealing with the Gentiles has occurred. Those things he previously winked at,
he no longer winks at. He now commands all men everywhere to repent and believe
the gospel—not just a general gospel of God’s goodwill toward those who sincerely
seek after him, but the specific gospel of God’s provision of forgiveness of
sin through the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (see also Rom
10:9–17). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Of the various “pagan saints” mentioned by Pinnock, only one of
them, Cornelius, comes from a post-resurrection timeframe. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Ironically enough, though this is one
of the examples that Pinnock relies on most heavily to support his thesis, it
is perhaps the one that most conclusively contradicts it. Contrary to what
Pinnock claims, Acts 11:14 specifically says that Cornelius was saved after
Peter proclaimed the gospel to him, not before. In other words, for him to be
saved, it was necessary for Peter to preach the gospel to him. The clear implication
is that, after the resurrection of Jesus, God will ensure that those who
respond in faith to the revelation they have already received, be it general or
special, will also be the recipients of sufficient special revelation to
specifically repent and embrace the gospel of Jesus. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Short of
further biblical light on this specific question, the model of Cornelius is the
best guide we have of how God will deal with others in a similar situation in
this present dispensation. Stories of modern-day Corneliuses, such as that of
Sadhu Sundar Singh, the episodes narrated by Don Richardson in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eternity in Their Hearts</i>, and
increasingly common reports of partial special revelation received by many
Muslims (and others) by way of dreams and visions tend to confirm this. While
we will not know for sure on this side of heaven who will ultimately be there
with us, nor the precise route they take in order to get there, we have good
reason to believe that all those who respond positively to the revelation they
receive in this dispensation will also have an opportunity to respond specifically
to the gospel of Jesus in this present life. And, if they do not have this
opportunity, it is because they did not respond in faith to the revelation they
had already received. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Admittedly,
the biblical evidence either in favor of or directly against the possibility of
postmortem opportunities to respond to the gospel is scant. First Peter 3:18–20,
the main passage cited by Pinnock in support of this idea, is universally
regarded as one of the most difficult passages in all of the Bible. Taken in
isolation, there are some reasons to speculate a possible postmortem encounter
between Jesus and certain others. However, there is significant question as to
whether the message preached by Jesus is one of judgment or an invitation to
repentance and faith. Additionally, the “spirits” to whom this message is
proclaimed are those from the time of Noah, not those from the
post-resurrection time period. Anything beyond this is pure speculation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">On the
other side of the question, passages such as Heb 9:27 and Luke 16:25–26 appear
to indicate no second chances for repentance after death. While, admittedly,
this idea is not stated as directly as it could be, the overall weight of
biblical evidence seems to militate against postmortem opportunities for
repentance. Ultimately, the answer is in God’s hands. However, this should not
give cause for Christians to in any way attenuate the urgency for evangelism
and missions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">In the
end, it all boils down to the sovereignty of God. Those who respond positively
to revelation, no matter the degree of specificity, are those God sovereignly
draws to himself, and the rhyme and reason of his choices are known to him
alone. Whether or not it is only an Augustinian control belief that leads one
to come to such a conclusion (as Pinnock insinuates), each student of Scripture
is responsible for reading and interpreting what it says on these matters as carefully
and objectively as possible. It is my opinion, on the basis of my attempt at
doing this, that Pinnock is wrong in his opposition to evangelical exclusivism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="mso-element: footnote-list;">
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<br />
<div id="ftn1" style="mso-element: footnote;">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" style="mso-footnote-id: ftn1;" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-special-character: footnote;"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Information
compiled from the following online sources: </span><a href="http://pilgrimpathways.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/r-i-p-clark-h-pinnock-03-feb-1937-to-15-aug-2010/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://pilgrimpathways.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/r-i-p-clark-h-pinnock-03-feb-1937-to-15-aug-2010/</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">; </span><a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/augustweb-only/43-22.0.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/augustweb-only/43-22.0.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-37899732970521291162019-02-16T11:40:00.001-06:002019-02-16T12:04:29.948-06:00Ministerial Ordination<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><i>* originally posted August 25, 2008, at sbcimpact.org</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "times";">*Knowing
this is a potentially controversial topic, I want to make clear right from the
top that I am, by no means, dogmatic on this, and am totally open to gaining
any further insight from Scripture any of you may have to offer on this.</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: 10pt;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">I <b>do not</b>
believe that ministerial ordination, as traditionally practiced in Baptist
churches, has a biblical basis. I also believe that it can end up having an
adverse effect on the advance of God’s Kingdom. I <b>do</b> believe, however,
in publicly setting apart individuals called by God to a particular ministry,
laying hands on them, praying for them, and commending them to that ministry. I
believe this is biblical and has a generally positive effect on the advance of
God’s Kingdom. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">In traditional
Baptist practice, there is a three-fold recognition of God’s call on the life
of an individual and commendation to ministry: first, <b>license</b> to
preach; next, <b>ordination</b>; and next, <b>installation</b> into a specific
ministry role. I believe that what is symbolically communicated by such a
practice flies in the face of the biblical doctrine of the priesthood of all
believers. It props up the idea that “professional ministers” are, in one way
or another, a class apart. Historically, it has its roots in the Roman Catholic
concept that certain members of the Church, by virtue of their ordination (“holy
orders”), have prerogatives and abilities to carry out certain spiritual tasks
(“sacraments”) that others do not. Some historical justification for this is
also at times adduced from the Old Testament practice of ordaining priests,
insinuating that Christian ministry is essentially a continuation of the Old
Testament priesthood. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">I am not
arguing against recognizing specific individuals and commending them to certain
ministry tasks or roles such as those of elder, deacon, missionary, evangelist,
teacher, etc. This is what is normally done in a ministry installation ceremony
or missionary commissioning service. I believe that biblically, in the Body of
Christ, each of us is “licensed” to preach and “ordained” to ministry, in a
general sense, at the moment of our conversion. Most ministry roles or offices,
however, are specific to local church contexts. I believe it is generally a
good thing for those in modern “para-church” ministry roles to be subject to
local church accountability as well. When someone is installed as the new
pastor at a local church, they are accountable specifically to that local
church for the exercise of that particular ministry. When someone is “ordained
to gospel ministry,” however, the idea communicated is that they are recognized
as legitimate, authentic “gospel ministers,” whether they have a specific role
or office through which they carry out their ministry or not. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><b>Scriptural Evidence</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">The following
are the New Testament passages I have found that seem to speak one way or
another to the question of ordination and/or ministry installation. I have
included my own comments and observations on each passage… </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2010&version=31"><span style="color: blue;">Matthew 10</span></a>; <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%203:13-19;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Mark 3:13–19</span></a>, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%206:7-13;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">6:7–13</span></a>; <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%206:12-16;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Luke 6:12–16</span></a>, and <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%209:1-6;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">9:1–6</span></a>, Jesus Himself personally commended the
twelve apostles to <b>specific ministry tasks</b> as well as appointed them to
the <b>specific ministry role</b> they were to carry out in the church. Judas
was later disqualified from his appointment after his betrayal of Jesus and
subsequent death. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%201:15-26;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Acts 1:15–26</span></a>, we learn that Matthias was named to
take his place through the process agreed upon by the other eleven. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%206:1-7;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Acts 6:1–7</span></a>, seven men (commonly regarded as the
first deacons) were chosen by the members of the Jerusalem church to oversee
the daily distribution of food. The apostles prayed for them and laid their
hands on them, apparently commending them publicly to this <b>specific task</b>.
In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2013:1-3;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Acts 13:1–3</span></a>, Barnabas and Saul were prayed for,
set apart with the laying on of hands, and sent off for the <b>specific task</b>
to which the Holy Spirit had called them. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2014:23;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Acts 14:23</span></a>, Paul and Barnabas <b>appointed</b> <b>elders
for the churches they had planted</b>, praying and fasting for them, and
committing them to the Lord. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2015:40;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Acts 15:40</span></a>, Paul was “commended by the brothers
to the grace of the Lord,” together with Silas, as he set out on his second <b>missionary
journey</b>. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2020:28;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Acts 20:28</span></a>, Paul instructed the elders in the
church at Ephesus: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he
bought with his own blood.” In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2020:32;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">v. 32</span></a>, Paul also committed these same elders “to
God and to the word of his grace.” A legitimate question can be asked at this
point if the elders were elders exclusively of the church at Ephesus or also
elders of the entire church of God throughout the world. While church history
does indicate that there was a relationship of collegiality and mutual respect
and recognition among church leaders in various locations, there is no reason
to assume an official <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">connectionalism</i>
between local churches or a trans-local leadership hierarchy at this time. In <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%204:14;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">1 Timothy 4:14</span></a>, Paul writes to Timothy, “Do not
neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the
body of elders laid their hands on you.” Also, in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%201:6;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">2 Timothy 1:6</span></a>, Paul writes something similar: “For
this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you
through the laying on of my hands.” It is unclear exactly what the context of
this event was. However, it would appear that Paul knew that Timothy had at one
time been commended to a <b>specific ministry</b>, which in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%204:5;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">2 Timothy 4:5</span></a> he calls “the work of an evangelist.”
Likewise, the specific context of <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Timothy%205:22;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">1 Timothy 5:22</span></a>—“Do not be hasty in the laying on
of hands, and do not share in the sins of others”—is unclear, though it is
possible, given the general context of the book, to link it to the appointment
of elders. Finally, <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Titus%201:5;&version=31;"><span style="color: blue;">Titus 1:5</span></a> indicates that Titus was given the task
by Paul of <b>appointing elders</b> in every town on the island of Crete.
Nothing is said explicitly, however, as to whether or not this involved a
public recognition and commendation of these men, setting them apart to this <b>specific
ministry</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><b>Some Final Comments</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">It is
evident that the action of laying on of hands was known and commonly practiced
in New Testament churches. There were also special moments in which certain
individuals were publicly recognized, prayed for, and commended to a specific
ministry. However, there is nothing to indicate that the significance of such
an action was the same as that conveyed in modern Baptist “ordination”
ceremonies. There is no indication in the New Testament that anyone was ever
publicly recognized and set apart for “at large” ministry. Whenever this
occurred, it was always with regard either to a specific ministry
responsibility linked to the direct accountability of a local church or to
being commissioned for itinerant missionary or evangelistic ministry. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">At this
point, although one may agree there is no specific New Testament justification
for the practice of ministerial ordination, the question still remains: What
harm does it cause? While I am reluctant to in any way cast stones at all those
who in good faith and with very noble intentions carry out or submit to
traditional Baptist ordination practices, I see the following potentially
negative consequences for doing so: </span></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">The idea is symbolically and
falsely communicated that there are two separate spiritual classes within
the Body of Christ: “clergy” and “laity.”</span></li>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">The idea is also
communicated of a professional ministry “club” or “guild,” for which the
official initiation ceremony is ordination.</span></li>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">Ordinary “lay people” are
led to believe that there are certain tasks in the Body of Christ that
should generally be reserved for “ordained clergy,” and are thus in many
cases encouraged to remain passive and not put to use the spiritual gifts
that God has given them.</span></li>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">There is a potential conflict
of interest with respect to discipline and ministry accountability between
the congregation that initially ordains a minister and the congregation in
which he later serves and/or becomes a member.</span></li>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "times"; font-size: large;">Church leaders who fall into
sin and are disqualified from specific ministry roles and tasks they
previously occupied in a specific local church setting many times continue
to maintain their “ministerial credentials” and take advantage of this
circumstance to dupe those in other local churches who are unaware of
their moral failure.</span></li>
</ol>
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</style><span style="font-size: large;"> </span>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-13630502387403108182018-11-18T22:27:00.003-06:002018-11-18T23:00:29.378-06:00The World Is a Waffle<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "-webkit-standard" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">* originally posted Sept. 23, 2007, at
sbcimpact.org</span></i><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Many people approach evangelism
and missions as if the world were a pancake. When you pour syrup on a pancake,
it spreads out evenly and without having to cross any barriers eventually
covers and saturates the entire pancake. When you pour syrup on a waffle,
though, it first fills up each individual square one by one before it spreads
square by square to cover and saturate the entire waffle<i>.</i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In this illustration, we can say
that the syrup is the gospel message itself. As evangelical Christians, we are
committed to the immutability of the fundamentals of the gospel. Salvation by
grace through faith on the basis of the forgiveness and reconciliation with our
Heavenly Father gained through the substitutionary atonement of Jesus on the
cross of Calvary is a non-negotiable. We are not interested in covering, as it
were, the waffle of the world with spiritual honey or jam. We are committed to
the proclamation of the gospel. Having made that clear, however, we must not
forget that in order to extend the syrup of the gospel in such a way so that it
fills each and every waffle square of the world, it will take different methods
of spreading the gospel and perhaps even different containers that facilitate
the use of these different methods </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As Americans, and especially as
Southern Baptists, we have not always been the best at putting this principle
into practice. David Dockery, in his brilliant essay entitled <i>A Call for
Renewal, Consensus, and Cooperation: Reflections on the SBC since 1979</i> in
the <a href="http://www.uu.edu/dockery/BuildingBridges.pdf"><span style="color: blue;">Building Bridges booklet</span></a> distributed at the Southern
Baptist Convention in San Antonio, observes: </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-style: italic; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The
SBC world in which many of us were nurtured—Bible drills, GAs, RAs, Training
Union, WMU, Brotherhood…, not to mention uniform Sunday School lessons, the
Baptist hymnal, and similar worship patterns—no longer exists in every SBC
church. For almost five decades Southern Baptists followed the same
organizational patterns, the same programs, and the same Sunday School lessons.
These practices were to Southern Baptists what the Latin Mass was to Roman
Catholics. It provided all within the SBC a sense of continuity and security.
This programmatic uniformity all hung together around a ubiquitous commitment
to missions and evangelism, expressed in giving through the Cooperative Program
and support for Lottie Moon and Annie Armstrong. It was absolutely ingenious.
Throughout most of the 20th Century, being a Southern Baptist had a cultural
and programmatic identity to it unlike anything else. This kind of intactness
provided Southern Baptists with a denominational stability unmatched by any
other denomination in the country. Martin Marty was not exaggerating when he
said that Southern Baptists were the Roman Catholic Church of the South because
its identity was so intact, its influence so pervasive, providing an umbrella
over the entire culture in almost every dimension of life. We were a very
practical people, with heart religion—carried out in rather uniform pragmatic
and programmatic expressions.</span><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span></div>
</blockquote>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Beyond this, as American
evangelicals in general, we are great at inventing and marketing
one-size-fits-all methods: the Four Spiritual Laws, the Jesus Film, Evangelism
Explosion, FAITH, the EvangeCube… In and of themselves, none of these examples
is a bad thing. Indeed, much gospel syrup has successfully reached many, many
waffle squares of the world as a result of these methods. The problem comes
whenever we begin to see any particular method as the panacea for the challenge
of world evangelism and missions. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is probably a pretty safe bet
to say the majority of evangelical Christians today would not have any serious
misgivings with this principle as I have enunciated it so far. The problem in
many cases is one of successfully putting into practice what we recognize in
our heads to be true. In international, cross-cultural missions, this principle
has long been recognized, even if only intuitively.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In recent years, the missional
movement in the United States and other Western countries has begun to speak of
the need to practice this principle at home as well. If we are going to
successfully penetrate the various people-group segments that exist even within
our own society, cookie-cutter methods just won’t cut it anymore. It is for
this reason that I believe in so-called niche marketing in our evangelistic
approach and strategy. As Paul said, we must “become all things to all men so
that by all possible means [we] might save some” (1 Corinthians 9:22). We must
study and seek to understand other people’s cultural presuppositions. We must
give diligent effort to not only proclaim the message of the gospel, but also
to seriously listen to others in order to adequately answer the questions they
are really asking. We must adapt our methods in many cases not only to
different people groups and cultural contexts but also to different individuals
within those groups. We must be radically incarnational, striving to be Jesus
to them in a direct, personal, one-on-one manner. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">At the same time, though, as we
work towards truly making disciples of those to whom we proclaim the gospel, we
must not neglect the crucial truth of the essential unity of the Body of
Christ. We must learn to fellowship, and practice the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one anothers</i> of the New Testament with believers of different
races, ages, social status, and cultural background. If not, we are in the end
practicing a defective Christianity that is different from the message that
Jesus and his original disciples taught. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I personally believe this truth
has an important application in the way we relate to believers in other groups
and denominations as well. I don’t have the direct quote—perhaps one of you can
help me find it—but from what I understand, Count Zinzendorf taught that God
has distributed a certain portion of his truth to each different denomination,
and it is only as each one makes its own unique contribution to the fulfillment
of the Great Commission that we will really see the full realization of his
purpose on the earth. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am not saying that doctrine
does not matter. We should all be as diligent as possible to obey each and
every one of Christ’s commands to us. However, we must at the same time remain
humble enough to realize that God hasn’t given any one of us a monopoly on
understanding and proper interpretation of the truth. I believe this is
something of what Paul had in mind when he said, in Ephesians 3:10–11<i>, </i><span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">“His intent was that now, through the
church, the manifold </span>(or multi-faceted, many colored)<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"> wisdom of God should be made known to the
rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose
which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”</span> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">One day, we will stand before the
throne of the Lamb of God as “a great multitude that no one [can] count, from
every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9). On that day, the syrup
of the gospel will have reached each and every waffle square of the world. We
will all be there in all our diversity, with all our idiosyncrasies, but yet
marvelously one, all together in a beautifully designed tapestry of grace that
God will have masterfully woven down through the corridors of time.</span></div>
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</style> David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-85261817270231535882018-11-18T22:01:00.002-06:002018-11-18T23:00:02.187-06:00The Role of the American Church in World Missions<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "-webkit-standard" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">*originally posted Sept. 8, 2007, at
sbcimpact.org</span></i><br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "-webkit-standard" , "serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As a nation, we in the United
States of America have undoubtedly been greatly blessed. Quite apart from the
on-going discussion on the religious beliefs of the founding fathers, there is
no denying the fact that from an evangelical perspective God has richly
showered his grace and mercy upon us in many, many ways.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Down through our comparatively
brief history, somewhat reminiscent of what the book of Acts tells us about the
growth of the early church, “the word of the Lord [has] spread widely and [has
grown] in power” (Acts 19:20). We have on various occasions seen outpourings of
mighty spiritual revival. Towering spiritual giants such as Jonathan Edwards,
Dwight L. Moody, and Billy Graham (not to mention thousands of, no doubt,
equally anointed men and women of God), have grown up on our shores and
faithfully ministered the gifts God has given them in our midst. Great
movements, ministries, and local churches have been birthed and come to be
effectual channels of the manifold riches of God’s grace among us.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">But “from everyone who has been
given much, much will be demanded” (Luke 12:48). And even though, as Oskar
Schindler lamented at the end of the film <i>Schindler’s List</i>, there is
always reason to consider what we have <i>not</i> accomplished, and what more
could have been done had we only been <i>more</i> faithful, in a very real way
God has used the American church mightily to be a blessing to the nations. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Following the lead of visionary men like Count Zinzendorf, William Carey, and
Andrew Fuller in Europe, our evangelical forebears in America soon came to set
the pace in terms of commitment in action towards the fulfillment of the Great
Commission around the world. More specifically as Southern
Baptists, our heritage in world missions gives us ample motive for gratitude
and healthy pride. Only eternity will tell how many lives have been touched and
how much strategic ground gained for the advance of the kingdom of God as a
result of the faithfulness of Southern Baptists to the task God has given us,
both on the part of the missionaries overseas, as well as the churches and
members who through their prayers and sacrificial giving back home have
faithfully held the ropes. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In the 21<sup>st</sup> century,
however, we have reached a stage in the development of the world Christian
movement in which, by many measures, the focus has been taken off of the church
in the West (and more specifically the United States), and placed upon the
surging and vibrant churches of the two-thirds world. Penn State University
history professor Philip Jenkins has strikingly chronicled this astonishing
development in his monumental books<i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Next-Christendom-Coming-Global-Christianity/dp/019518307X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-0147110-9578551?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189114254&sr=1-1"><span style="color: blue;">The Next Christendom</span></a></i> and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Faces-Christianity-Believing-Global/dp/0195300653/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-0147110-9578551?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189114142&sr=8-1"><span style="color: blue;">The New Faces of Christianity</span></a></i>. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Along with these changes in the
world religious landscape, I believe that the role God is giving us as his
church in America is also changing. On the home front, we have due reason to be
alarmed about the moral decay and spiritual lethargy that appear to be
overtaking us on all sides. At the same time, however, I cannot conceive how it
could possibly be God’s will for us to entrench within our spiritual fortresses
and shift into defense mode. Jesus’ prophecy that, as the church, the gates of
hell would not prevail against us (Matthew 16:18), has been adequately
demonstrated by others to refer to a church on the offensive that is called to
invade the realm of the enemy, rather than merely hold the fort.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">At the same time, I believe an
equally dangerous sidetrack that we as the American church must avoid with regard
to world missions is that of triumphalism. As Americans, in general, we are
used to being number one. Indeed, we have come to be, if not by the grace of
God, at least by his permissive will, the most powerful and wealthy nation in
the history of the earth. As American Christians, it can be easy to fall into
the temptation of regarding ourselves as God’s brightest and best. I am
convinced, however, that a proper understanding of God’s Word will lead us to
forcefully repudiate this idea with all of its implications (Luke 10:21; 1
Corinthians 1:26-28, 12:21-25). Rather, we must respond to these changes with
an attitude of <b>humility</b>. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In certain aspects, God may well
have chosen us as Americans to fulfill a special role in the advance of his
kingdom at particular moments of salvation history. In some regards, however,
it is possible the role we think we have filled may not always be as
comparatively special as we like to sometimes believe. There may well be some
big surprises when we get to heaven and the rewards are handed out. Especially,
however, I believe that in <b>today’s</b> world we need to be emotionally and
spiritually prepared to yield, as it were, the center stage of God’s work
around the world to those from places that have traditionally been considered as
less privileged than us and in certain aspects less sophisticated. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">More than anything, I am
referring here to questions of attitude that defy measurement on graphs and pie
charts. We must come to consider our brothers and sisters around the world as
better than ourselves (Philippians 2:1–11). We must be willing to learn from
them and to see them as equal partners in the task of fulfilling the Great
Commission. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Already, all around the world, amazing things are happening that
not long ago would have never been dreamed possible in world missions. From
Latin America, largely under the covering of the <a href="http://www.comibam.org/"><span style="color: blue;">COMIBAM</span></a>
movement, a vibrant contingent of cross-cultural workers are spreading out into
the most challenging mission fields and seeing God’s blessing upon their
efforts. In Africa, Great Commission workers are being trained, mobilized, and
sent out to places like India and the Middle East. House church believers in
China are totally convinced that God has given them the vision to take the
gospel message across the borders to the various unreached people groups of the
10-40 Window all the way <i><a href="http://www.backtojerusalem.com/"><span style="color: blue;">Back to Jerusalem</span></a></i>, where Jesus first issued
the Great Commission. In recent days, the missionary zeal of our brothers and
sisters in Christ in South Korea has been in the news, as two choice servants
of God were martyred for their faith and twenty-one others held captive for six
weeks in Afghanistan. And these are only a few examples of the myriad of
surprising things God is doing around the world. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Does this mean that we in the
States should just sit back and relax and observe what God is doing? By no
means! Each one of us will one day be called to give an account of the talents
that God has entrusted into our hands and our degree of faithfulness in putting
them to the best use possible for the advance of his kingdom. But it does mean,
as I understand it, that we should approach our obedience to the Great
Commission from a different perspective. More than ever before, we will be
called upon to assume a role of <b>servants</b>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In many places around the world,
I am convinced that the best thing we can do is to assume a role of quiet,
behind-the-scenes support of God’s new frontline workers. This includes,
without a doubt, generous sharing of the financial resources with which God has
so richly blessed us. We must be extra careful, at the same time, to do this in
a way that does not facilitate unhealthy dependency and paternalism, and
inhibit believers in other countries from being good stewards of the resources
God has given them. It also includes a continued sharing of other resources,
such as technology, creative ideas, and missionary personnel. More and more,
though, I believe this must be done not so much from a perspective of
"what we have to offer you," but rather of "what we all, as
fellow team-members, bring to the table as we work together to fulfill the task
before us." </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Without a doubt, one of the most
remarkable developments in world missions in recent years, especially from a
North American perspective, has been the avalanche of short-term mission trips
to the four corners of the globe. Most certainly, this has been a great
blessing, as many more people than ever before have had direct exposure to the
marvelous things God is doing around the world and have been able to put their
spiritual gifts to use. However, I think it is crucial, if God is to really use
this as fully as possible for his glory, that these new endeavors be undertaken
with a spirit of <b>humility</b> and <b>servanthood</b>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Of course, we want to be faithful
to boldly proclaim the gospel message, and not shrink back from declaring “all
the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). However, it is important to remember, at the
same time, that the Great Commission does not enjoin us to make converts, or to
register spiritual decisions, but rather to make disciples of all nations. In
the long run, what will count most for eternity will not be the number of
people we report to our sending churches back home who lifted their hand in an
evangelistic meeting or who filled out a commitment card. It will be <i>bona
fide</i> disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ who fully integrate into indigenous
churches that live out the gospel, day in and day out, in a culturally
appropriate and holistic manner amongst the people that surround them. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As American Christians, do we
still have a role to play in all of this? Most certainly. But more and more,
our effectiveness in doing so will be commensurate with our ability to form
authentic partnerships, and relate to our national brothers and sisters in
Christ in the nations of the world from a perspective of <b>humility</b> and <b>servanthood</b>.</span></div>
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David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-33443347750036375852018-11-18T21:30:00.001-06:002018-11-18T22:57:07.476-06:00World Evangelism Is a Team Sport<i><span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">* originally posted Oct. 21, 2007,
at sbcimpact.org</span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">During the last half-century or
so, much has been made of the importance of personal evangelism. This emphasis,
no doubt, has had many positive effects. For example, whenever you gather
together a group of evangelical Christians and ask them to raise their hand,
indicating how they came to know Christ, almost invariably, the great majority
respond that the influence of a friend or family member who shared Christ with
them personally was of primary importance. In the overall scheme of things,
personal evangelism has proved more effective than crusade evangelism, mass
media evangelism, or many other similar methods. However, I think it is
possible that, at least in some circles, we have done an overkill on personal
evangelism.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As Americans, we have a cultural
tendency to be very <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">individualistic</span>.
We also have a tendency to be task-oriented as opposed to
relationship-oriented. There are certain individuals with a natural ability to
make cold turkey conversation with people, explain the gospel to them, and lead
them to make a decision to follow Christ. Many of these may also have an
authentic spiritual gifting as an evangelist. I believe it is very important
that these people be encouraged and empowered in the use of their gifts. In
church planting ministry, for example, a key factor in numerical growth early
on is having at least one person (preferably more) in the group who is gifted,
encouraged, and empowered as a personal evangelist. The problem, many times,
however, is when these people practice <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gift
projection</i> and begin to insinuate that if everyone else were as spiritual
as they are, they would regularly share Christ in the same way as them and
likely have the same results.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I think a more balanced view is
to recognize that God made each of us differently and has given a different
combination of spiritual gifts to each one. And while it is true that some may
be more gifted than others at a certain style of evangelism, the Great
Commission was not given to us as individuals, but rather as fellow members of
the Body of Christ. This means that in order to truly carry out Jesus’ command,
we must learn to <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">work</span> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">together</span>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12,
“<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I
don’t need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet ‘I don’t need you!</span>’”
The <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Becoming a Contagious Christian</span>
course, written by Mark Mittelberg, Lee Strobel, and Bill Hybels, does a great
job of driving home this point. It teaches that while each one of us as
individuals is called to play a part in the proclamation of the gospel to lost
souls, different members of the Body of Christ have different styles of
evangelism in which they operate most naturally. Some are more gifted at a more
direct, confrontational style. Others are better at building long-lasting
friendships with people that serve as a helpful platform for sharing Christ.
Some are especially talented at reaching out to others through acts of kindness
and service. Others find it very natural to invite their friends and neighbors
to special activities at which they know the gospel will be shared in an
appropriate manner. Still others are best equipped to answer difficult
questions and help unsaved people work through intellectual doubts. The most
effective evangelism, though, is when each one of these works together as a
team with others who may have different gifts and preferred styles.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">One very practical point in
relation to this is that it is very often quite strategic, whenever we have a
spiritual burden for a lost friend, to introduce them as soon as possible to
other members of the Body of Christ. It has been noted, for example, that the
average person, before coming to faith in Christ, has around seven different
meaningful encounters in which the gospel is shared in one way or another with
them. Many times, where we ourselves may not be successful at helping our
unsaved friend to cross the line of faith, another member of the Body of Christ
may be able to follow up our witness and bring them to this point. It has also
been demonstrated that the probability of new converts leaving out the back
door of the church within the first year after making a decision is directly
inverse to the number of meaningful relationships they had within the church
before making that decision. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">On a similar note, I believe that
God has especially designed it so that the Great Commission and the task of
world evangelism cannot be successfully accomplished by the efforts of any one
segment of the Body of Christ working in isolation from the rest. As Southern
Baptists, God has used us greatly in world missions and evangelism. But we
cannot say we do not have need of the other parts of Christ’s Body, whether in
our own backyard or around the world. As American Christians in general, we
have the same need of working together with our brothers and sisters in Christ
from other countries and people groups. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">On a baseball team, each team
member has a unique role to fulfill. The leadoff hitter is normally gifted at
getting on base and stealing bases. The clean-up hitter, though, is normally
more gifted at driving in runs and hitting the ball out of the ballpark. In the
same way, the pitcher, and each of the various fielders, has a unique role to
play that contributes in a special way to the overall success of the team
effort. In our local evangelistic efforts, some are great leadoff hitters. They
are able to meet new people with ease and first introduce them to the Body of
Christ. Others may be more gifted as clean-up hitters, able to tackle the difficult
questions some of the leadoff hitters may be baffled by. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In world missions, some
organizations may be great at translating the Bible into new languages. Others
may specialize at reaching university students and intellectuals. Certain
denominations, for one reason or another, seem better suited than others for
reaching people of certain socio-economic groups. In the past, God has allowed
the American church to be especially used in sending out cross-cultural workers
from amongst themselves to the far corners of the earth. In recent years,
though, it seems like a good part of the gifting and anointing as foot-soldiers
in the task of fulfilling the Great Commission is being sovereignly distributed
by God to believers in the two-thirds world. At the same time, the relative
priority responsibility of the American church to financially underwrite the
world missions enterprise does not seem to be diminishing. That is not to
imply, though, that the American church should intentionally send out fewer
cross-cultural workers. It <span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">is
generally not a <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">bad</span> thing for
your leadoff hitter to hit home runs</span>. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The implications of this are far
too broad to discuss them all here. The important point to remember is that God
especially delights in using <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">all</span>
of the various members of Christ’s Body to accomplish the tasks He has given
us. “<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">There are different kinds of
gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same
Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them
to all men”</span> (1 Cor. 12:4–6). In our positive and necessary emphasis on personal
evangelism, may we not at the same time fall into an overly individualistic
approach to evangelism and world missions. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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</style> David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-36289503319231007792017-05-31T21:09:00.000-05:002017-05-31T21:52:50.707-05:00Preaching to the ChoirBack in the heyday of hippie revolution in the late 1960s, iconic rock band Buffalo Springfield released the song “For What It’s Worth,” which contains the following lines:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There's battle lines being drawn<br />
Nobody's right if everybody's wrong<br />
Young people speaking their minds<br />
Getting so much resistance from behind </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What a field-day for the heat<br />
A thousand people in the street<br />
Singing songs and carrying signs<br />
Mostly say, hooray for our side</blockquote>
<br />
Fast-forward to the year 2017 and there is still a propaganda tug-of-war going on in the court of public opinion of American society. The preferred medium nowadays—even though the protest marches of yesteryear have not totally disappeared—is public media, including radio, tv, newspapers, and magazines, but especially online social media. What has not changed is that many of the loudest voices on both sides (or on every side?) of the conversation are saying, in essence, little more than “hooray for our side.”<br />
<br />
To a certain degree, this is understandable and predictable. It is a reflection of our human nature. We tend to take sides. And we tend to become cheerleaders for the side we take. But as Christians, I believe, it behooves us to ask ourselves to what degree “preaching to the choir” is an effective or Christ-honoring communication style.<br />
<br />
Sure, it makes us feel good to pat ourselves on the back and point out all the ways our perspective on the political, social, and cultural issues of the day is the morally and intellectually superior perspective. It can be even more emotionally satisfying to get in a few choice jabs and digs at those who see things differently than we do. Sometimes that perfect zinger with just the right turn of a phrase can make us feel so good. Those who share our point of view will no doubt cheer us on and our posts will garner a good number of “likes.” But if all we are doing is “preaching to the choir,” I believe we may need to ask ourselves what we are really accomplishing.<br />
<br />
If we, as Christians, are hoping to influence others toward the acceptance of truth, we need to learn how to engage them in meaningful dialogue. We need to learn how to truly listen to what others are saying and let them know by our responses that we have seriously taken into consideration their perspectives. Even though we may be diametrically opposed to the ideas they espouse, we need to make people sense that we respect them as individuals created in the image of God and that we truly are interested in both their temporal and eternal well-being. Otherwise, I fear, rather than winning people over to the right side of the issues we feel are important—and, even more important, winning them over to the love and lordship of Christ—we may well be driving a wedge that only serves to put up more barriers between us and them and further close their hearts and minds to the transforming power of the gospel.<br />
<br />
With this in mind, here are a few questions to ask ourselves before posting or commenting on the issue <i>du jour</i>:<br />
<br />
1. What do I realistically hope to accomplish by posting this?<br />
<br />
2. Do I genuinely think what I am saying here (or the meme or article I am sharing) is going to help others to think through the issues and understand them better? Is it more likely to get them to listen to what I am saying or more likely to confirm their preconceived notions of what I am saying and as a result only close their minds even further than they were before?<br />
<br />
3. What emotion am I feeling inside as I write this and as I push the send button? Is it a “gotcha” or a “take that” or a “that’ll show ‘em who’s right”? Or is it a “God, may you use this for your glory” or a “hopefully this will make a positive contribution to the conversation and help someone out there to better understand the reasons for what I believe”?<br />
<br />
4. Am I prepared to humbly receive any corrections anyone may present to what I say and to do my best to listen with an open mind to any counterpoints to the arguments I am trying to make? Am I willing to entertain the thought that I may be wrong on this or that and to learn from others who may not be on my “team”?<br />
<br />
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David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-60228917242284745452015-01-14T16:20:00.000-06:002015-01-15T06:33:47.386-06:00Influence of Foreign Missions on Fellowship among ChristiansI commend to you the following article, reproduced here in its entirety, by Charles Manly, first published in the Southern Baptist <i>Foreign Mission Journal</i>, Vol. XLIX, Issue 1 (July 1898), pp. 38–39. Regretfully, not everyone involved in Southern Baptist life since Manly penned this have had either the same insight or spirit as him.<br />
<br />
This article, by the way, captures well the basic theme and thesis of my upcoming dissertation, which both chronicles and analyzes Southern Baptist efforts down through the years to successfully navigate the perilous waters between the Scylla and Charybdis of the bitter interdenominational controversies, on the one hand, and the naive push toward organic ecumenical union, on the other, on the international mission field, as referenced here by Manly.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Many readers of the Journal can well remember the controversies,
sometimes long and bitter, that were common between representatives of
different denominations, say, forty years ago. While these discussions
were not in every case an unmixed evil, neither were they always an
unquestioned good. Many times, certainly, they gave great pain to good
people on both sides, and furnished occasion for the world to indulge in
sharp comments on the absence of kindly intercourse among Christians
and on the fierceness with which rival sects were ready to spoil each
other. At the same time, the spectacle of strife and dispute led many to
urge, as a corrective, organic union among the various bodies of
Christians.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
Now, however, the old-time
controversies are hardly ever even heard of and propositions for organic
union of the denominations are very rare and have ceased to attract
attention. Instead, while distinctiveness of the work and organization
of the various bodies of Christians is not less marked than heretofore
and much remains to be accomplished in the mutual relations of Christian
bodies, there can be doubt that there has been a very great advance in
the spirit of genuine fellowship and sincere respect for each other
within the period named.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
This result is on
many accounts eminently desirable; and one of the most potent influences
in bringing it about has been the Mission work among the heathen, in
which these Christian bodies have been engaged. Their representatives in
foreign lands, far from home and country, and often alone amid the
great masses out of sympathy with them, even in the work for which they
have specially come, are drawn more closely to each other on every
opportunity for association, so as to emphasize the many points of the
"common salvation" on which they agree rather than those, often
incidental, on which they differ. Their experience, their labors, their
dangers, their hopes are much the same, and they cannot but cultivate
the spirit of sympathy and confidence towards each other. These
sentiments come back to the bodies which sent them out, and they are
themselves kindly affected toward those of whose fellowship their
missionaries speak with gratitude. And so, side by side with the
prosecution of the work of giving the Gospel to the heathen, the spirit
of Christian courtesy and affection is cultivated at home.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
The
different denominations learn to know each other and to see what is
best in each other. On every Mission field there are inspiring instances
of Christian zeal, of heroic sacrifice, of unquestionable devotion to
the honor of Christ. As these become known, true-hearted men and women
in every communion feel the force of them and rejoice in these evidences
of the power of Christ's grace and illustrations of the working of
Christ's spirit.<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
"The tidal wave of deeper souls<br />
Into our inmost being rolls,<br />
And lifts us unawares<br />
Above all meaner cares."<br />
<br data-mce-bogus="1" />
The
work of Carey, Eliot, Burns, Martyn, Moffat, Livingstone, Patterson,
Duff, Judson, Yates and others too numerous to mention, with whom the
women who labored with them in the Gospel, belongs to no one body of
Christians, but is the heritage of all who love the Lord Jesus Christ in
sincerity; and the story of their sufferings and their successes is
doing more to bring all the people of God of whatever name, into closer
sympathy and better understanding and more real harmony, than all the
schemes for organic union that ever have been or ever will be
propounded. "Whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same
rule—let us mind the same thing."</blockquote>
David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-34291006083503448502013-10-30T09:44:00.000-05:002014-09-10T20:27:50.931-05:00Links to My Posts at SBC VoicesFor the last year or two, I have been posting mainly at <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/" target="_blank">SBC Voices</a>. Here is a list of links to my posts over there:<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/the-persecuted-church-prayer-and-the-book-of-revelation/" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/an-antinomists-perspective-on-life-in-the-sbc/" target="_blank">An Antinomist's Perspective on Life in the SBC</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/the-worst-of-the-christian-right-2/" target="_blank">The Worst of "the Christian Right"</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/eschatology-and-religious-liberty/" target="_blank">Eschatology and Religious Liberty</a><br />
<br />
A Biblical Evaluation of the Homogeneous Unit Principle (<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/a-biblical-evaluation-of-the-homogeneous-unit-principle-part-1/" target="_blank">Part 1</a>, <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/a-biblical-evaluation-of-the-homogeneous-unit-principle-part-2/" target="_blank">Part 2</a>, <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/a-biblical-evaluation-of-the-homogeneous-unit-principle-part-3/" target="_blank">Part 3</a>, <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/a-biblical-evaluation-of-the-homogeneous-unit-principle-part-4/" target="_blank">Part 4</a>, <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/a-biblical-evaluation-of-the-homogeneous-unit-principle-part-5/" target="_blank">Part 5</a>)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/my-question-to-john-macarthur-what-about-1-corinthians-14-8/" target="_blank">My Question to John MacArthur: What About 1 Corinthians 1:4-8?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/the-persecuted-church-prayer-and-the-book-of-revelation/" target="_blank">The Persecuted Church, Prayer, and the Book of Revelation</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/scalia-kuyper-and-a-christian-view-of-economics-and-politics/" target="_blank">Scalia, Kuyper, and a "Christian" View of Economics and Politics</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/index-to-world-missions-overcoming-barriers-to-the-great-commission/" target="_blank">Index to World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Great Commission</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/are-biblical-tongues-a-personal-prayer-language/" target="_blank">Are Biblical Tongues a Personal Prayer Language?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/missional-boundaries-and-entangling-alliances/" target="_blank">Missional Boundaries and Entangling Alliances</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/priority-1-placing-our-people-atop-the-seven-mountains-of-culture/" target="_blank">Priority #1: Placing "Our People" Atop the "Seven Mountains of Culture"?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/denominational-loyalty-and-the-body-of-christ/" target="_blank">Denominational Loyalty and the Body of Christ</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/habemus-papam-some-observations-from-church-history/" target="_blank">Habemus Papam?: Some Observations from Church History</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/a-few-introductory-thoughts-on-gospel-proclamation-and-cultural-contextualization/" target="_blank">A Few Introductory Thoughts on Gospel Proclamation and Cultural Contextualization</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/mark-dever-the-pastor-and-the-community/" target="_blank">Mark Dever: The Pastor and the Community</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/i-voted-today-for-tim-pawlenty/" target="_blank">I Voted Today... for Tim Pawlenty</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/a-view-of-rome/" target="_blank">A View of Rome</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/revival-true-false-and-in-between/" target="_blank">Revival: True, False, and In-between?</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/hearing-god-part-2/" target="_blank">Hearing God, Part 2</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/hearing-god-part-1/" target="_blank">Hearing God, Part 1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/the-present-day-relevance-of-the-universal-church-2/" target="_blank">The Present-Day Relevance of the Universal Church</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/d-a-carson-on-angry-christians-and-the-devils-tactics/" target="_blank">D. A. Carson on Angry Christians and the Devil's Tactics</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/choosing-sides/" target="_blank">Choosing Sides</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/changing-hearts-and-changing-votes/" target="_blank">Changing Hearts and Changing Votes</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/denominational-democracy-trusting-trustees-blogs-and-dave-miller/" target="_blank">Denominational Democracy, Trusting Trustees, Blogs, and Dave Miller</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/the-mordecai-dilemma/" target="_blank">The Mordecai Dilemma</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/adrian-rogers-on-solving-the-problems-of-the-world-and-the-mission-of-the-church/" target="_blank">Adrian Rogers on Solving the Problems of the World and the Mission of the Church</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://sbcvoices.com/mormons-missionary-strategy-and-american-politics/" target="_blank">Mormons, Missionary Strategy, and American Politics</a>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-91938861759528970692013-08-16T17:13:00.001-05:002013-08-16T17:13:39.021-05:00World Missions: Overcoming Barriers to the Great CommissionI have posted a series of nine posts over at SBC Voices that presents some of my most important thoughts on missionary strategy. You can access an index to all of these posts <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/index-to-world-missions-overcoming-barriers-to-the-great-commission/">here</a>.David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-67443167006416014442013-05-25T13:19:00.000-05:002013-05-25T13:49:47.687-05:00Official Roman Catholic Positions Concerning Theology of Religions since Vatican IIThe Second Vatican Council was a watershed event for the development of the Roman Catholic approach toward non-Christian religions. That is not to say that it is the final word. Since the official sessions that opened on October 11, 1962 under Pope John XXIII, and closed on December 8, 1965 under Pope Paul VI, there has been much further discussion, clarification, and expansion of the basic concepts laid out in the documents redacted and approved at Vatican II.<br />
<br />
This paper will present an overview and evaluation of these developments. First of all, this paper will present some brief information regarding the events leading up to and during Vatican II. Next, it will present an outline of key events and personalities related to the official position of the Roman Catholic Church on non-Christian religions since Vatican II. Subsequently, it will present a review of the main theological points articulated by official representatives of the Church with regard to non-Christian religions, including reference to nuances in the ongoing development of thought on these points. In conclusion, there will be some comments of evaluation offered from a conservative evangelical perspective.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Pre-Vatican II History</b></div>
<br />
The witness of Catholic sources previous to Vatican II regarding non-Christian religions is mostly negative. Finnish theologian Miikka Ruokanen goes as far as to claim: “Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church produced no positive statements on non-Christian religions.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn1">[1]</a> Muslim analyst Mahmut Aydin observes: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Up to the Second Vatican Council the official Catholic teaching concerning non-Christian religions was mainly concerned with the possibility of the salvation of non-Christians. During that period the major issue discussed among Church authorities and individual theologians was the axiom <i>Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus</i> [there is no salvation outside the Church].<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn2">[2]</a></blockquote>
In spite of this evaluation, various sources cite a certain degree of openness on the part of some Church Fathers referencing “seeds of the Word” sown among the nations of the earth previous to the arrival of the gospel.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn3">[3]</a> Pluralist theologian Paul Knitter goes further, claiming several Church Fathers believed “an authentic revelation and possibility of salvation was offered to all peoples.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn4">[4]</a> There is some question as to whether <i>extra ecclesiam nulla salus</i> referred originally only to heretics and schismatics or to everyone, but from the time of Augustine onward, it is clear it was used in relation to non-Christians as well.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn5">[5]</a> By the date of the Council of Florence, in 1442, there was no doubt where the Church stood:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The sacrosanct Roman church . . . firmly believes, professes, and proclaims that those not living within the Catholic Church, not only pagans, but also Jews and heretics and schismatics cannot become participants in eternal life, but will depart “into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels” . . . and that no one, whatever almsgiving he has practiced, even if he has shed blood for the name of Christ, can be saved, unless he has remained in the bosom and unity of the Catholic Church.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn6">[6]</a></blockquote>
Traditionally, the Catholic Church has taught that people are born again at the moment of their baptism in water. However, there are many references from doctors and saints of the Church down through the years that both implicitly and explicitly teach the validity of a “baptism of desire,” or the application of the merits of baptism to those who, though they are sincerely contrite, and have every intention of doing so, are, for whatever reason, unable to be baptized. Traditional Catholic doctrine has also taught the validity of a “baptism in blood,” in which those who die as Christian martyrs without having first experienced water baptism, are assured of salvation.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn7">[7]</a> Each of these cases applies specifically to those who consciously embrace the Christian faith. However, Pope Pius IX, in his allocution <i>Singulari Quadam</i> (1854), opened up the question even further, adding a new caveat: “For, it must be held by faith that outside the Apostolic Roman Church, no one can be saved . . . on the other hand, it is necessary to hold for certain that they who labor in ignorance of the true religion, if this ignorance is invincible, are not stained by any guilt in this matter in the eyes of God.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn8">[8]</a> In spite of all this, prior to Vatican II, there was no official Church relationship with members of non-Christian religions, per se.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Background and Documents of Vatican II</b></div>
<br />
In many aspects, Vatican II represented a valiant effort on the part of the Catholic Church toward an aggiornamento (or a bringing up to date) of the position of the Church with the realities of the modern world. Although vanguard theologians, such as Karl Rahner, were pushing for more openness in regard to non-Christian religions, this question was not initially on the docket to be considered by the delegates of the Council. Pope John XXIII, however, sensing a need to counteract anti-Semitism in the Church, wanted the Council to make a statement clarifying the position of the Church toward the Jews. In response, various bishops, led by those from Africa and Asia, were concerned this might be interpreted as showing special favoritism toward the Jews, and pushed for a discussion on other religions as well.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn9">[9]</a> <br />
<br />
After the death of John XXIII, his successor, Paul VI, was encouraged by various bishops to ask the Council for a document on Islam, which, in turn, led to a full-blown discussion on other religions, and the subsequent promulgation of the “Declaration on the Relationship to Non-Christian-Religions,” or <i>Nostra Aetate</i>, as it is commonly known.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn10">[10]</a> Other Council documents, such as the apostolic constitutions <i>Lumen Gentium</i> and <i>Guadium et Spes</i>, as well as the apostolic decree <i>Ad Gentes</i>, also touched on questions related to non-Christian religions. <br />
<br />
The importance of Vatican II in regard to the Church’s stance toward other religions is crucial. Even controversial theologian Hans Küng, whose views on non-Christian religions are more open than those spelled out in the Council, had this to say: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Without this Council, the Church would still regard other world faiths as mainly the object of negative-polemical conflict and conquistadorial missionary strategies. There would still be enmity mainly with Islam and particularly with Judaism. . . . It cannot be overlooked: since Vatican II there has been a tremendous increase in the knowledge and respect of other faiths and especially of Judaism—in preaching, catechesis, study and conversation. Discrimination of any kind for reasons of race, skin colour, class or religion is now frowned upon.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn11">[11]</a></blockquote>
Aydin adds the following observation: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
One interesting point of the post-Vatican II period is that many years after the Council the Catholic Church authorities refer very much to its teaching by using the following phrases “as Vatican II teaches”, “the Council taught”, and “the teaching of the Council” in their statements. This would seem that the teaching of the Council is not regarded by the Catholic authorities as a starting point but as the goal for interreligious dialogue.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn12">[12]</a></blockquote>
One of the important consequences of Vatican II was the Church’s tacit endorsement of the inclusivist theology of religions of Karl Rahner. Although shortly beforehand his views were not widely appreciated, after the Council, Rahner gained prestige as a leading spokesman for the official Catholic position.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn13">[13]</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Post-Vatican II Popes</b></div>
<br />
One important way of evaluating the position of the Catholic Church during a particular time period is to look at the words and actions of the reigning popes during that same time period. Since the conclusion of Vatican II, there have been four different popes. Paul VI ascended to the papal throne after the death of John XXIII, and occupied it from June 21, 1963 to August 6, 1978. The reign of the next pope, John Paul I, lasted only 33 days, leaving him no time for significant input on the question of non-Catholic religions. However, his successor, John Paul II, served as Pope from October 16, 1978 to April 2, 2005, the second-longest documented period in Church history. The present pope, Benedict XVI, was inaugurated on April 24, 2005.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Paul VI</div>
<br />
Approximately eight months after convening the Second Vatican Council, John XXIII, who had secretly been battling stomach cancer, died at the age of 81. Upon being elected in the ensuing conclave, one of the first things the new pope, Paul VI, did was to re-open the Council. As previously mentioned, it was this pope who first led the Council to consider the question of non-Christian religions. On Pentecost Sunday, 1964, even before the promulgation of <i>Nostra Aetate</i>, the Pope took the initiative to officially launch a new department of the Roman Curia for the purpose of overseeing relationships with other religions. This organization, first called the Secretariat for Non-Christians, was later renamed the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. Three months later, he issued the encyclical <i>Ecclesiam Suam</i>, in which he publicly clarified the purpose of the Secretariat and established the guidelines of dialogue. <br />
<br />
In the years following Vatican II, in the wake of <i>Nostra Aetate</i>, there was some degree of confusion regarding the relationship of dialogue and evangelization. Influenced by conservative theologians such as Jean Danielou, and troubled by extreme statements by others such as Hans Küng, in 1974, the Pope convened a Synod of Bishops with the purpose of providing further clarity on the situation. However, they were unable to agree on a suitable statement, and remitted the task to the Pope for him to decide on his own.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn14">[14]</a> The resultant apostolic declaration <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, published on December 8, 1975, strongly reaffirmed the Church’s commitment to the deliberate evangelization of non-Christians. While rehashing earlier statements of respect and esteem for other religions, the overriding implication was the salvific insufficiency of other religions, and the continued urgency of Christian proclamation. <br />
<br />
Some have suggested this represented a step backward from the views expressed in the documents of Vatican II.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn15">[15]</a> Overall, however, it must not be forgotten that Paul VI was the first pope to travel extensively outside of Europe and that it was he who opened the door for dialogue with non-Christian religions and instituted the Secretariat for Non-Christians. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
John Paul II</div>
<br />
Following the 33-day reign of Pope John Paul I, the pontificate of John Paul II is significant with respect to the Church’s relationship to other religions, if for no other reason, because of its longevity—27 years in all. During this time, he had many opportunities to travel to other countries, meet with representatives of other religions, and speak out on the position of the Church in regard to these religions. In general, his tone in regard to other religions has been viewed as more open than that of Paul VI. Arnulf Camps observes:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
One can note different approaches in each pope depending on circumstances. When they meet a predominantly non-Christian audience, they take care not to use theological or polemical language. When meeting Christians they stress the difference between mission and dialogue and state that both are inseparable activities. Superficially considered, one could say that the teaching of Pope John Paul II does not differ from that of Pope Paul VI. However, the way John Paul writes and speaks about the value and redemptive quality of other religions is far more positive than his predecessor’s.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn16">[16]</a> </blockquote>
Among John Paul II’s fourteen encyclical messages, three stand out with regard to his views expressed on non-Christian religions. <i>Redemptor Hominis</i>, issued in 1979, shortly after his inauguration, encourages Catholics to engage in dialogue with adherents of other religions, communicates the deep esteem and respect of the Church for the spiritual values underlying other religions, and reiterates statements made in <i>Nostra Aetate</i> affirming the universal activity of the Holy Spirit.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn17">[17]</a> In 1986, <i>Dominum et Vivificantem</i>, while spelling out reasons for the upcoming Year of Jubilee, alludes to the Holy Spirit’s activity “outside the visible body of the Church.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn18">[18]</a> Finally, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, published in 1990, affirms the continued missionary mandate of the Church in light of questions as to whether the call for dialogue with other religions had superseded it.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn19">[19]</a> In this document, the Pope essentially affirmed the inclusivistic theology of Rahner, recognizing the possibility of salvation for those outside the Church, while stipulating that “this occurs not through their own religious traditions but through the hidden presence of Christ and the universal activity of the Holy Spirit in them.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn20">[20]</a> <br />
<br />
In a 1990 letter to the Bishops of Asia, John Paul II warned against the pluralist idea that Christianity is merely one path among others to salvation.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn21">[21]</a> The necessity of a Christocentric ontological basis of salvation is made even more explicit in the 1994 apostolic letter <i>Tertio Millennio Adveniente</i>, in which “the essential point by which Christianity differs from all the other religions” is identified as the Incarnation of the Word: “In Christ, religion is no longer a ‘blind search for God’ . . . Christ is thus the fulfilment of the yearning of all the world’s religions and, as such, he is their sole and definitive completion.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn22">[22]</a> <br />
<br />
In addition to his writings, John Paul II’s meetings with representatives of other religions allowed him to put his doctrine into practice. Among these activities, several that stand out are: a 1985 meeting with a large number of young Muslims in Casablanca; the 1986 World Day of Prayer for Peace, celebrated together with leaders from 11 different non-Christian religions; the 1993 Day of Prayer, held with Christian, Muslim, and Jewish leaders, focusing on the end of the war in Bosnia; and a 2002 repeat of the World Day of Prayer for Peace, this time with more than 200 leaders of a number of different religions.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn23">[23]</a> Addressing the Roman Curia, shortly after the first World Day of Prayer, he remarked that “every authentic prayer is called forth by the Holy Spirit, who is mysteriously present in the heart of every person.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn24">[24]</a> <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Benedict XVI</div>
<br />
Before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger occupied the position of Prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith, in which he was known as a hard line defender of traditional Catholic orthodoxy. In a 1996 address to the Doctrinal Commissions of the Bishops’ Conferences of Latin America, he identified relativism as the “central problem for faith today,” linking it to the pluralistic ideas of John Hick and Paul Knitter.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn25">[25]</a> During his tenure as Prefect, he issued notifications declaring the pluralistic views of Jesuit priests Anthony de Mello and Jacques Dupuis outside the bounds of Catholic orthodoxy.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn26">[26]</a> Ratzinger is also the primary author of the controversial document <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, which, while not technically contradicting the inclusivistic positions articulated in other Catholic documents, boldly declares that non-Christians are “in a gravely deficient situation in comparison with those who, in the Church, have the fullness of the means of salvation.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn27">[27]</a><br />
<br />
As pope, Benedict XVI has published three encyclicals to date. Of these, only Caritas in veritate, published in 2009, speaks directly to the question of other religions, pointing out the necessity of discernment between religions which alienate humans from one another, and those which provide a platform for love and truth to work toward the common good.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn28">[28]</a> In 2006, not long after a public speech in which he angered many Muslims, who interpreted him as equating Islam with violence, Benedict XVI made news when he became only the second pope to ever visit a Muslim mosque, and the first to ever pray inside a mosque. This gesture was taken by some to symbolize “the harmony and brotherhood that one would expect to exist between Islam and Christianity” and as a recognition that the faithful of both religions pray to the same God.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn29">[29]</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Secretariat for Non-Christians/Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue</b></div>
<br />
In addition to the popes, the Secretariat for Non-Christians, instituted by Pope Paul VI in 1964, has been one of the most important channels for communicating official Catholic views with respect to non-Christian religions, as well as for encouraging and facilitating dialogue with them.<br />
<br />
The responsibilities of the Secretariat were defined as follows in the apostolic constitution Regimini Ecclesiae: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To search for methods and ways of opening a suitable dialogue with non-Christians. It should strive, therefore, in order that non-Christians come to be known honestly and esteemed justly by Christians, and that in their turn non-Christians can adequately know and esteem Christian doctrine and life.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn30">[30]</a></blockquote>
Relations with Jews, however, were kept under the supervision of a separate organization, the Commission for Religious Relations with Jews. The Secretariat also restricted itself to religious questions, leaving socio-political issues for other Church entities.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn31">[31]</a> <br />
<br />
Since its inauguration, there have been seven different presidents, marking seven different periods of work of the Secretariat/PCID. During the first period (1965-1973), Cardinal Paolo Marella led the initial impetus for carrying out the directives given to the Secretariat by the Pope. The Secretariat published a series of booklets designed to educate Catholics regarding the practice of dialogue, as well as the beliefs and practices of their dialogue partners. At this time, different consultors groups were also set up to supervise relations with four major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and African traditional religions.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn32">[32]</a> <br />
<br />
At the first, the Secretariat was not given a high profile. Its objectives were not very clear. However, under the presidency of Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli (1973–1980), after setting up its basic structure, the Secretariat began to open up and enter more fully into dialogue with the religions of the world. Pignedoli described the work of Secretariat up to that time in the following words: “We have limited ourselves to the service of friendship toward our non-Christian brethren. This friendship is religious, based on eternal spiritual values.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn33">[33]</a> Right after becoming president, he sent a letter to each of the Bishops asking them to set up commissions for inter-religious dialogue in their respective regions, and prepared an annual program with the approval of the Pope.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn34">[34]</a> <br />
<br />
During the third period, under the leadership of Archbishop Jean Jadot (1980–1984), the Secretariat focused its attention on encouraging dialogue on a local level, with a special emphasis on Christian-Muslim relations. In 1984, on the 20th anniversary of its founding, the Secretariat published a key document entitled “The Attitude of the Church towards the Followers of Other Religions: Reflections and Orientations on Dialogue and Mission.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn35">[35]</a> <br />
<br />
As a Nigerian convert from African traditional religion, Cardinal Francis Arinze brought a unique perspective to his presidency of the Secretariat (1984–2002 ), which changed its name in 1988 to the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID). Under his leadership, the PCID published a second key document, “Dialogue and Proclamation: Reflections and Orientations on Interreligious Dialogue and the Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” jointly published with the Congregation for the Evangelization of the Peoples, going into greater detail than ever before on the relationship between interreligious dialogue and gospel proclamation. In addition, under his watch, two plenary assemblies were convened, in 1992 and 1995, with the purpose of discussing and evaluating the Church’s efforts at interreligious dialogue.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn36">[36]</a> <br />
<br />
From 2002 to 2006, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, one of the leading authorities in the Catholic Church on Islam and Christian-Muslim relations, took over as president of the PCID. In 2006, newly elected Pope Benedict XVI named Cardinal Paul Poupard president of the PCID. However, he was replaced just one year later, in 2007, by Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who continues to occupy the post at the present time. Cardinal Tauran has been particularly outspoken in his opposition to the American-led invasion of Iraq. On the other hand, in an interview with <a href="http://www.terrasanta.net/">terrasanta.net</a>, he provided a more nuanced perspective, stating that “the world is obsessed with Islam, that such an obsession is holding Christian dialogue ‘hostage,’ and that in the world of religious dialogue, there should not be first-class religions and second-class religions.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn37">[37]</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Catechism of the Catholic Church</b></div>
<br />
When considering authoritative statements of Catholic belief, one source that cannot be ignored is the <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, published in 1994 by a committee appointed by Pope John Paul II and led by Cardinal Ratzinger. Upon its publication, the Pope declared it to be “a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith.”<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catechism_of_the_Catholic_Church#cite_note-FIDEI_DEPOSITUM-1">[38]</a> In general, the Catechism echoes other Post-Vatican II voices that seek to walk a tightrope between the omnipresent work of the Holy Spirit among the nations and religions of the world, including the possibility of salvation through non-ordinary channels, and the perfect and ultimate fulfillment of God’s salvific intention in Christ and the Church.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn39">[39]</a> The specific elements of the Church’s Post-Vatican II theological perspective, including those points spelled out in the Catechism, will be considered in the following section.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>The Catholic Position: Main Theological Points</b></div>
<br />
Although not without apparent contradictions, the official Catholic position on non-Christian religions since Vatican II is, by and large, internally consistent. Even though there were times in Catholic history in which there appeared to be no room for the current understanding, further clarifications and developments of thought have helped to resolve the conflicts. Thus, the reigning paradigm of a hard line view of <i>extra ecclesiam nulla salus</i> has, in the years since Vatican II, consistently given way to an inclusivistic theology of religions more in line with the approach of Rahner. In this section of this paper, various facets of this model will be taken out and analyzed one by one, but it is important to remember they are each a part of an overall vision and only make sense as part of the whole. For each of these facets, some development of thought and differing degrees of emphasis may be observed in accordance with the particular writer discussing them and the date of writing in which they are discussed. In each case, though, the end result is generally consistent with the overall vision of the Catholic Church. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Church’s General Attitude toward Non-Christian Religions</div>
<br />
At Vatican II, the Catholic Church began to make a lot of flattering comments with respect to non-Christian religions. Much of the content of these comments is vague, but the tone is undoubtedly more positive than that used before the Council. <i>Nostra Aetate</i>, for example, makes reference to “good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among” the followers of other religions. It adds that “the Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions,” and they should be regarded with a “sincere reverence” inasmuch as they “reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn40">[40]</a> Pope Paul VI followed in the same vein in his 1975 apostolic exhortation <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, expressing the Church’s respect and esteem for those in other religions who search for God with “great sincerity and righteousness of heart.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn41">[41]</a> <br />
<br />
John Paul II picked up the same theme in 1990 in his encyclical <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, recognizing the Church’s appreciation, esteem, and respect for the “spiritual treasures” and “magnificent heritage of the human spirit manifested in all religions.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn42">[42]</a> He also exhorted the Church to have a missionary attitude of not tearing down but rather building on top of signs of Christ’s presence and of the working of the Spirit already present in other religions.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn43">[43]</a> Under his pontificate, the PCID issued their important declaration on <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, echoing the call for respect for the positive values found not only in individual believers of other religions but also in their religious traditions themselves. They cited the Pope’s acknowledgement after the World Day of Prayer for Peace in Assisi that the Holy Spirit is mysteriously present in the heart of every person and every authentic prayer is “the theological basis for a positive approach to other religious traditions.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn44">[44]</a> Archbishop Fitzgerald, speaking as president of the PCID, said in a speech on interreligious dialogue that “we cannot go to people of other religions as if we had everything and they had nothing” and “everything that is good, noble and beautiful in their rites and traditions is to be welcomed with respect and gratitude.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn45">[45]</a> The Catechism, published during John Paul II’s pontificate, echoes the words of <i>Nostra Aetate</i> with respect to treating other religions with “sincere respect” because they “reflect a ray of truth.” It also refers to the common origin and destiny of all nations and recognizes in other religions elements of goodness and truth, as well as an authentic search, albeit “among shadows and images,” for God.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn46">[46]</a><br />
<br />
Benedict XVI has on various occasions voiced a call for discernment in the Catholic approach to other religions. Yet, writing in 2000 as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he recognized, in <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, that “some elements” of the sacred writings of other religions are able to “nourish and maintain their life-relationship with God,” and echoed Vatican II’s claim that they “reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn47">[47]</a> In <i>Caritas in Veritate</i>, he emphasized the need for discernment, pointing out that not all religions are equal, and some do not embody the principle of love and truth as well as others.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn48">[48]</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Comparative Value of Catholicism and Other Religions</div>
<br />
In spite of the generally friendly tone, the official attitude of the Catholic Church toward other religions since Vatican II has not been unequivocally positive. This can especially be seen when the value of these religions is juxtaposed to that of Catholic Christianity. Paul VI, for example, was careful in <i>Ecclesiam Suam</i> to temper his words of praise for other religions, saying we cannot “adopt an indifferent or uncritical attitude toward them” or regard them as on an equal footing with Christianity, which is the “one and only true religion.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn49">[49]</a> In <i>Evangelii Nuntandi</i>, he claimed that other religions, though “they have, as it were, their arms stretched out towards heaven” are not successful at establishing an authentic relationship with God in the same way as Christianity.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn50">[50]</a> In <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, the PCID called for discernment with regard to other religions, dividing between that which is good and includes elements of grace and that which is sinful and incompatible with Christian revelation.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn51">[51]</a> The Catechism admonishes that human religious behavior often has limits and errors, and that Christians cannot accept non-Christian “revelations” that claim to surpass or correct the revelation of Christ.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn52">[52]</a> Cardinal Ratzinger, in <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, makes a nuanced distinction between theological faith, which is to be understood as a strictly Christian concept, and belief on the part of followers of other religions, who, in comparison to Christians, are in a “gravely deficient situation.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn53">[53]</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Seeds of the Word as Preparation for the Gospel</div>
<br />
A recurring theme in official Catholic views since Vatican II, closely related to the idea that the religions of the world contain good things and a ray of truth, is the idea, first suggested by several Church Fathers (see footnote 3 above), that by the presence of the Holy Spirit seeds of the Word have been planted among the cultures of the world, preparing them to receive the gospel.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn54">[54]</a> The Vatican II decree <i>Ad Gentes</i> specifies that which is good in other religions is “not lost, but is healed, uplifted, and perfected for the glory of God.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn55">[55]</a> The constitution <i>Gaudium et Spes</i> speculates further on the potential spiritual efficacy of these seeds of the Word, “not only for Christians, but for all men of good will in whose hearts grace works in an unseen way . . . the Holy Spirit in a manner known only to God offers to every man the possibility of being associated with this paschal mystery.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn56">[56]</a> In <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, the PCID extrapolates this to mean “they may in many cases have already responded implicitly to God’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn57">[57]</a> <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ordinary and Other Paths to Salvation</div>
<br />
One of the key issues at stake, not only in Roman Catholic theology of religions, but any theology of religions, is the possibility of salvation for non-Christians, and the path by which they might arrive at the destination of ultimate salvation. As previously mentioned, historically, though a surface reading of <i>extra ecclesiam nulla salus</i> seemed to close the door to this possibility, the concepts of “baptism of desire” and the lack of culpability for those in unavoidable ignorance opened a crack in the door. The documents of Vatican II leave no doubt in regard to this possibility. <i>Lumen Gentium</i> plainly declares: “Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn58">[58]</a> <i>Ad Gentes</i> chimes in: “God in ways known to Himself can lead those inculpably ignorant of the Gospel to find that faith without which it is impossible to please Him.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn59">[59]</a> Pope Paul VI, in <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, distinguished between “the ordinary paths of salvation”—i.e. by the word and life of the Son of God—and “other ways”—i.e. “by God’s mercy, even though we do not preach the Gospel to them.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn60">[60]</a><br />
<br />
Although the existence of alternative paths of salvation is not in doubt, there is still some lack of clarity as to just what these paths are. In general, however, the consistent position of the Catholic position is that, even though the recipients of grace may not be aware of it, the source of the grace needed for salvation is always mediated through Christ. Pope John Paul II, in <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, explains: “Although participated forms of mediation of different kinds and degrees are not excluded, they acquire meaning and value only from Christ’s own mediation, and they cannot be understood as parallel or complementary to his.” He elaborates further: “It is the result of his Sacrifice and is communicated by the Holy Spirit. It enables each person to attain salvation through his or her free cooperation.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn61">[61]</a><br />
<br />
Though the official Catholic position is clear that salvation to non-Christians is mediated through Christ, there is some ambiguity with respect to exactly how this occurs. Various official documents, including <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, use the term <i>mystery</i> to describe the uncertainty of this process.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn62">[62]</a> In <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, Cardinal Ratzinger admits: “Theologians are seeking to understand this question more fully.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn63">[63]</a> Several official documents, though, provide a couple of suggestions as to what this may entail: things such as “sincere practice of what is good in their own religious traditions,” “following the dictates of their conscience,” “[living] evangelical values and [being] open to the action of the Spirit,” “methods of prayer, ethical rules, rites and practices which encourage death to oneself in order to live for others,” and “[leading] a life of self-sacrifice [and] virtue.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn64">[64]</a> The Catechism describes the prerequisites for salvation by means of the non-ordinary path in the following manner: “Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of his Church, but seeks the truth and does the will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. It may be supposed that such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn65">[65]</a> Cardinal Ratzinger, however, issues some words of caution about taking this too far: “One cannot attribute to [the prayers and rituals of other religions], however, a divine origin or an ex opere operato salvific efficacy, which is proper to the Christian sacraments”; and “to hold that these religions, considered as such, are ways of salvation, has no foundation in Catholic theology.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn66">[66]</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Orthodox Christology</div>
<br />
In spite of opening up to non-Christian religions in all the ways mentioned thus far, there are certain areas of theology on which the Catholic Church has continued to insist on Christian orthodoxy, as traditionally understood. Preeminent among these is an orthodox Christology. In response to the pluralist thesis that there are two different economies—that of the “eternal Word” and that of the “incarnate Word”—active in salvation in different ways for different people, both Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger (before becoming Pope Benedict XVI) pointed out the need for the Catholic Church to stay faithful to the Christology defined in the First Council of Nicaea and the Council of Chalcedon. Accordingly, Jesus of Nazareth, fully God and fully man, is the one and only Word of the Father, through whom He brings about salvation for all humanity. The Christology of Vatican II is the same Christology of the ancient Church.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn67">[67]</a> By the same token, there is no division between the economy of the Holy Spirit and that of the Son. Both John Paul II and Cardinal Ratzinger insist, contrary to the ideas of the pluralists, that the work of the Spirit in the world is always linked to that of the Son, who opened the path of salvation by means of his incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn68">[68]</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Christ (and the Church), the Only Source of Salvation</div>
<br />
The logical consequence of this is that, even though there may be an ordinary path and other not so ordinary paths to salvation, they are all streams of the same mediation of Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church affirms the continued validity of such biblical passages as John 14:6, Acts 4:10, 12, and 1 Tim 2:5–7 that maintain only one path to the Father, “one name under heaven by which we must be saved,” and “one mediator between God and man.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn69">[69]</a> However, there is room for a nuanced “participated mediation” through other religions, as long as it is not seen as parallel or complementary to the unique mediation of Christ.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn70">[70]</a> Ironically, many of those who participate in this mediation of Christ “remain unaware that Jesus Christ is the source of their salvation,” coming to them through “the invisible action of the Spirit of Christ.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn71">[71]</a> Catholic doctrine is further complicated at this point by the belief that salvation is not mediated by Jesus alone—it is also the will of God that all people come to Christ by faith and baptism through the Church.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn72">[72]</a> Indeed, for those who are exposed to the teaching of the Catholic Church, this exposure may well prove hazardous for their eternal state: “Therefore those men cannot be saved, who though aware that God, through Jesus Christ founded the Church as something necessary, still do not wish to enter into it, or to persevere in it.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn73">[73]</a><br />
<br />
According to Indian theologian Gavin D’Costa, a particularly controversial question that remains open since Vatican II is whether or not non-Christian religions, per se, may be regarded as vehicles of salvation. From his perspective, the documents of Vatican II themselves are silent on this question, and “this silence has in fact been read in two quite differing ways by post-Conciliar theologians.” According to D’Costa, Knitter claims the majority of Catholic thinkers believe that Vatican II affirms, implicitly but clearly, that other religions are ways of salvation. Rahner, however, agrees the texts are silent on this point.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn74">[74]</a> <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Concentric Circles</div>
<br />
In light of calls for discernment in its treatment of different religions, the Catholic Church has made some observations specifying several of these religions. Pope Paul VI laid down a precedent in <i>Ecclesiam Suam</i> categorizing religions according to a model of concentric circles.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn75">[75]</a> In the first circle, closest to the Christian core (of which the Catholic Church comprises the most central place), comes the Jewish religion, which shares with Christians a common revelation in the Old Testament as well as a common worship of the one supreme God. It is this privileged position with respect to Christianity that led the Church to channel its dialogue and relations with Jews under the auspices of another entity apart from the PCID. In the next circle, in recognition of its status as the next major monotheistic religion, comes Islam. Though the PCID has focused its efforts on relations with representatives of various religions, Muslims, occupying the innermost circle of those religions within its sphere of operation, have received the most attention. Of the various interreligious encounters organized under the auspices of the Secretariat/PCID, Muslim analyst Mahmut Aydin sees the 1976 meeting in Tripoli, Libya as especially significant. Among the recommendations in the final report, two have important theological repercussions: acknowledgement of all the prophets without disparaging and discrediting them (which, according to Aydin, implies a willingness on the part of the Catholic delegation to consider the prophethood of Muhammad); and a mutual renouncement of proselytism between Catholics and Muslims.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn76">[76]</a> In Paul VI’s outer circle, after the Muslims, come the “great Afro-Asiatic religions.” <br />
<br />
The Vatican II constitution <i>Lumen Gentium</i>, published shortly after <i>Ecclesiam Suam</i>, follows the same schema, with the Jews, Muslims, and an undefined group of those who “in shadows and images seek the unknown God” occupying successive levels of relationship with the Catholic Church.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn77">[77]</a> <i>Nostra Aetate</i> goes into a bit more detail describing some distinctive qualities of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam that are viewed as positive.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn78">[78]</a> The Catechism only specifically mentions Jews and Muslims, whom it places in a special place as those who “acknowledge the Creator,” “profess to hold the faith of Abraham,” and “adore the one, merciful God.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn79">[79]</a> John Paul II, in his speech to Muslim youth at Casablanca, told them both Christians and Muslims “believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and his creatures to their perfection.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn80">[80]</a> However, in his book <i>Crossing the Threshold of Hope</i>, he focuses more on differences:<br />
<br />
In Islam, all the richness of God’s self-revelation, which constitutes the heritage of the Old and New Testament, has definitely been set aside. He is ultimately a God outside of the world, God is only Majesty, never Emmanuel. Islam is not a religion of redemption. There is no room for the Cross and the Resurrection. Jesus is mentioned, but only as a prophet. The tragedy of redemption is completely absent. For this reason not only theology but also the anthropology of Islam is very different from Christianity.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn81">[81]</a><br />
<br />
More recently, Benedict XVI, in <i>Caritas in Veritate</i>, distinguishes, without naming names, between religions that “teach brotherhood and peace” and others that “do not fully embrace the principle of love and truth.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn82">[82]</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
The Purpose of Dialogue</div>
<br />
One of the practical implications of the Church’s position toward non-Christian religions is the call to dialogue. The Catholic Church, in the Second Vatican Council, declared that Christ’s disciples should converse with the people among whom they live, “that they themselves may learn by sincere and patient dialogue what treasures a generous God has distributed among the nations of the earth.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn83">[83]</a><br />
<br />
Exactly what this dialogue implies, however, has been a question of almost constant discussion ever since. Some official statements indicate the attitude in which dialogue should be engaged. John Paul II, for example, said dialogue should be “without pretense or closed-mindedness, but with truth, humility, and frankness,” and “an attitude of a profound willingness to listen.” At the same time, he warned against “abandonment of principles” and “false irenicism.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn84">[84]</a> Cardinal Ratzinger, in <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, cautioned that although Catholics should treat adherents of other religions as equals in regard to personal dignity, they should not consider their religions as possessing equal value to Christianity.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn85">[85]</a> <br />
<br />
According to Church authorities, the participants in dialogue are to be all the faithful, including the laity, though the forms in which each one participates will vary according to the circumstances.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn86">[86]</a> The PCID spelled out four different forms in which dialogue takes place:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
a) The dialogue of life, where people strive to live in an open and neighbourly spirit, sharing their joys and sorrows, their human problems and preoccupations.<br />
b) The dialogue of action, in which Christians and others collaborate for the integral development and liberation of people.<br />
c) The dialogue of theological exchange, where specialists seek to deepen their understanding of their respective religious heritages, and to appreciate each other’s spiritual values.<br />
d) The dialogue of religious experience, where persons, rooted in their own religious traditions, share their spiritual riches, for instance with regard to prayer and contemplation, faith and ways of searching for God or the Absolute.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn87">[87]</a></blockquote>
The key issue, however, is the purpose of dialogue. The PCID sums up this purpose as follows: “In the context of religious plurality, dialogue means ‘all positive and constructive interreligious relations with individuals and communities of other faiths which are directed at mutual understanding and enrichment’, in obedience to truth and respect for freedom.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn88">[88]</a> There are, however, other more specific ways of defining the various facets of the purpose of dialogue. Pope Paul VI wrote of “mutual understanding and friendship” through which the people of the earth can “begin to work together to build the common future of the human race.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn89">[89]</a> On another occasion, he described this a little more specifically: “we desire to join with them in promoting and defending common ideals in the spheres of religious liberty, human brotherhood, education, culture, social welfare, and civic order.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn90">[90]</a> Another important purpose is collaboration toward world peace. John Paul II alluded, on various occasions, to the importance of interreligious dialogue, especially among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, as a contribution to world peace.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn91">[91]</a> On another occasion, he said dialogue worked toward “the elimination of prejudice, intolerance and misunderstandings.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn92">[92]</a>Archbishop Fitzgerald, representing the PCID, said in a speech he gave at Trinity College in Washington, DC:<br />
<br />
A further step in dialogue is to work together in the service of humankind. The problems with which our world is faced are so great that there is need of the efforts of all to thee up to them. Religions can help in providing motivation to reach out to those who are in need, to strive for a more equitable division of the world’s resources, to ensure that while natural resources are exploited the environment is protected.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn93">[93]</a><br />
<br />
Of all the purposes of dialogue, the most controversial is theological, or what the Church calls a dialogue of salvation.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn94">[94]</a> One part of this involves what Christians receive from adherents of other religions by way of dialogue. The Catechism speaks of “learning to appreciate better ‘those elements of truth and grace which are found among peoples, and which are, as it were, a secret presence of God.’”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn95">[95]</a> According to the PCID, “Interreligious dialogue does not merely aim at mutual understanding and friendly relations. It reaches a much deeper level, that of the spirit, where exchange and sharing consist in a mutual witness to one’s beliefs and a common exploration of one’s respective religious convictions.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn96">[96]</a><br />
<br />
The question has been raised by some: If interreligious dialogue is so important, has it perhaps eclipsed the need for gospel proclamation?<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn97">[97]</a> Vatican II spoke clearly to this matter,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn98">[98]</a> and the statements of Pope Paul VI are even clearer,<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn99">[99]</a> but, nevertheless, the questions have persisted. By 1990, the discussion had gathered so much steam Pope John Paul II felt, in light of the call to dialogue, that he needed to speak to the question of whether the missionary mandate of the Church was still valid. It was clear the Council and the post-Vatican II Magisterium had already said yes.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn100">[100]</a> For the Pope, although “inter-religious dialogue is a part of the Church’s evangelizing mission,” dialogue and gospel proclamation are not identical or interchangeable.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn101">[101]</a><br />
<br />
There appears, however, according to some statements of the PCID, to be some crossover between the two. Dialogue with other religions may have a prophetic role, raising questions, and even challenging shortcomings.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn102">[102]</a> Indeed, one aim of interreligious dialogue, according to the PCID, is conversion. Though this conversion is defined broadly as “a deeper conversion of all towards God,” still, according to the position of the Church, all men are expected to seek the truth, follow the dictates of their conscience, and embrace truth whenever they come to know it, “especially in what concerns God and his Church.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn103">[103]</a><br />
<br />
However, gospel proclamation—or evangelization—is more specific in its aim. Pope Paul VI was very clear on this: “There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed.”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn104">[104]</a> Understood this way, the Church has made clear, through repeated declarations, that, not only dialogue, but also gospel proclamation, is absolutely necessary, and the missionary mandate as valid as ever.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn105">[105]</a> The reasons for this are twofold. It is only through Christ, and through the Church, by means of baptism, that people discover “the fullness of truth and the fullness of the means of salvation, in order ‘to enter into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.’”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn106">[106]</a> Also, according to Catholic doctrine, once someone has come to the knowledge of the truth, the proviso that they did not have a valid opportunity to accept the truth, and a possibility of a non-ordinary path of salvation, no longer holds: they must submit to baptism and the authority of the Church to avoid eternal condemnation.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn107">[107]</a><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Conclusion: An Evangelical Evaluation</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><br /></b></div>
Upon evaluating the Catholic post-Vatican II position toward non-Christian religions from an evangelical perspective, it is necessary, first of all, to make reference to Catholic teaching on salvation in general. From an evangelical understanding of Scripture, we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Although a defense of that understanding is beyond the scope of this paper, it must remain at the foundation of any evangelical evaluation on the subject. <br />
<br />
From this perspective, the traditional Catholic understanding of the ordinary path of salvation, by way of baptismal regeneration (not to mention the requirements for remaining in a state of grace), is contrary to biblical teaching. The doctrine of “baptism of desire,” however, muddies the water a bit. The argument can be made, from an evangelical perspective, that authentic faith implicitly carries with it a sincere submission to the lordship of Christ and disposition to obey his commands. Notwithstanding discrepancies between the Catholic view and a specifically baptistic perspective on baptism, including the appropriate meaning, mode, and subject, a mutual understanding of baptism as a command of Christ leaves open the possibility of some common soteriological ground, viewed from the perspective of “baptism of desire.” There appears, however, to be some internal inconsistency between the Catholic understanding of the ex opere operato efficacy of the sacraments (including baptism) and “baptism of desire.”<br />
<br />
In addition, biblical faith, understood from an evangelical perspective, does not entail submission to the Roman Magisterium. In this sense, it can be argued that Catholic soteriology, viewed from the perspective of the ordinary path of salvation, is narrower than evangelical soteriology. From another perspective, though, the point can be made that those who are depending on Catholic prerequisites as a condition for salvation are not truly seeking salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and thus remain outside the scope of biblical salvation. It may be argued, however, that conscious belief in the doctrine of justification by faith alone is not technically a requirement for being justified by faith alone.<br />
<br />
Where Catholic soteriology is clearly more open than evangelical soteriology (at least, when this is understood to mean conservative exclusivism) is in regard to the so-called non-ordinary paths of salvation. Though maintaining a biblically orthodox Christology, and avoiding the excesses of theocentric or pneumacentric pluralism, the biblical basis for the Catholic teaching that those who are ignorant of the message of Christ and the Christian gospel are not to be held culpable for their ignorance is lacking. The Catholic attempts to describe what a non-ordinary path to salvation may look like (e.g. the sincere practice of the rites of other religions, ethical rules, and a life of self-sacrifice) appear strangely close to what evangelicals have traditionally understood as salvation by works. <br />
<br />
On the other hand, the Catholic insistence on the mediation of Christ as the only ultimate source of salvation, and the continued necessity, and indeed urgency, for gospel proclamation may be viewed as salutary. However, the possibility of a greater knowledge of the truth exposing those who may have otherwise been safely on a non-ordinary path to salvation to increased risk of condemnation cannot help but raise the question of the motivation for sharing that truth. Would it not be better to leave them in the state they were in before being exposed to the truth for which they will ultimately be held accountable? <br />
<br />
As far as interreligious dialogue is concerned, there is evidently much practical benefit to be obtained from mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation in humanitarian projects, and efforts made with a view toward the promotion of world peace. Evangelicals can also find some common ground with Catholics in the perspective of dialogue as a partner to evangelization. It is true that we should learn to listen carefully and with respect to the perspectives of those with other religious beliefs, and even that some of these perspectives may help us understand the truth of God with greater clarity and breadth. It is important to remember that, although the incarnate Word is God’s perfect revelation to man, and the written Word is “the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried,”<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn108">[108]</a> all truth is God’s truth, wherever it may be found. <br />
<br />
In the end, though, as the Catholic Church also teaches, dialogue must never become a substitute for clear gospel proclamation. The goal of Christian dialogue must ultimately be conversion. This perspective will never be popular among the leaders of other religions. Even with its greater degree of openness in regard to non-ordinary paths of salvation, the Catholic Church has been the object of criticism from representatives of other religions for its insistence on holding its ground on this point.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftn109">[109]</a> It should not be expected that the response of non-Christian religious leaders to us as conservative evangelicals will be any more charitable. True compassion for the souls of men, however, will lead us to not compromise on the exclusivity of the gospel. Furthermore, from the evangelical perspective, faithfulness to the Word of God and obedience to the commands of the Son of God demand it. <br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref1">[1]</a> Miika Ruokanan, <i>The Catholic Doctrine of Non-Christian Religions</i> (Leiden, The Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1992), 11.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref2">[2]</a> Mahmut Aydin, <i>Modern Western Christian Theological Understandings of Muslims Since the Second Vatican Council</i> (Washington: The Council for Research in Values and Philosophy, 2002), 11–12.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref3">[3]</a> Paul VI, <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, Apostolic exhortation, December 8, 1975, sec. 53 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_exh_19751208_evangelii-nuntiandi_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_p-vi_exh_19751208_evangelii-nuntiandi_en.html</a>. Also, John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Hominis</i>, Encyclical letter at the beginning of his papal ministry, March 4, 1979, sec. 11 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0218/__PC.HTM">http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0218/__PC.HTM</a>; and, Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, May 19, 1991, sec. 24 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_doc_19051991_dialogue-and-proclamatio_en.html; referencing the views of Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, and Eusebius of Caesarea.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref4">[4]</a> Paul F. Knitter, No Other Name? (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 1985), 121. Knitter references Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Theophilus of Antioch, Athenagoras, and Tertullian.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref5">[5]</a> Aydin, 12–13.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref6">[6]</a> Eugene IV, <i>Cantate Domino</i>, Papal bull, The Council of Florence, 1438–1445 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://catholicism.org/cantate-domino.html">http://catholicism.org/cantate-domino.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref7">[7]</a> A good list of sources and discussion on these points may be found online at: <a href="http://www.catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/currenterrors/bpdsir.htm#thomas">http://www.catholicapologetics.info/modernproblems/currenterrors/bpdsir.htm#thomas</a>; and at <a href="http://www.catholicessentials.net/baptismofdesire.htm">http://www.catholicessentials.net/baptismofdesire.htm</a>. These same ideas are affirmed by the current <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, sec. 1257–59 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P3M.HTM#C">http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P3M.HTM#C</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref8">[8]</a> Pius IX, <i>Singulari Quadam</i>, Papal allocution, December 9, 1854 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://geocities.ws/caleb1x/documents/singulariquadam.html">http://geocities.ws/caleb1x/documents/singulariquadam.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref9">[9]</a> Mauro Velati, “‘The Others’: Ecumenism and Religions” (trans. Paul Burns; <i>Concilium</i> 2005/4): 42; Also, Gavin D’Costa, <i>The Meeting of Religions and the Trinity</i> (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis, 2000), 102; and, Aydin, 22–23.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref10">[10]</a> Aydin, 23. Also, Ruokanen, 35–44.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref11">[11]</a> Hans Küng, “Is the Second Vatican Council Forgotten?” (trans. Natalie K. Watson; <i>Concilium</i> 2005/4): 110.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref12">[12]</a> Aydin, 86.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref13">[13]</a> D’Costa. <i>Theology and Religious Pluralism</i>, 80, 82–83; Knitter, 125; Aydin, 86.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref14">[14]</a> Aydin, 60–62.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref15">[15]</a> Ibid. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref16">[16]</a> Arnulf Camps, “Interreligious Dialogue: A Task with Many Challenges,” <i>Studies in Interreligious Dialogue</i> 10 (2000): 166–67.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref17">[17]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptor Hominis</i>, sec. 6, 11, 12.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref18">[18]</a> John Paul II, <i>Dominum et Vivificantem</i>, Encyclical letter on the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World, May 18, 1986, sec. 53 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0142/__PG.HTM">http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0142/__PG.HTM</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref19">[19]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, Encyclical letter on the permanent validity of the Church’s missionary mandate, December 7, 1990 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/edocs/ENG0219/_INDEX.HTM<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref20">[20]</a> Aydin, 67.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref21">[21]</a> John Paul II, “Letter of His Holiness John Paul II to the Bishops Delegates to the Fifth Plenary Assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference,” sec. 4 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/1990/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_19900623_vescovi-asia_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/1990/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_19900623_vescovi-asia_en.html</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref22">[22]</a> John Paul II, <i>Tertio Millennio Adveniente</i>, Apostolic letter on Preparation for the Jubilee of the Year 2000, November 10, 1994, sec. 6 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_10111994_tertio-millennio-adveniente_en.html<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref23">[23]</a> Camps, 166; “Day of Prayer,” Wikipedia article [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Prayer">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_Prayer</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref24">[24]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 27, citing John Paul II, “Address to the Members of the Roman Curia,” December 22, 1986, sec. 11.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref25">[25]</a> Joseph Ratzinger, “Relativism: the Central Problem for Faith Today,” Address during the meeting of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the presidents of the Doctrinal Commissions of the Bishops’ Conferences of Latin America, held in Guadalajara, Mexico, May 1996 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/RATZRELA.HTM">http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/RATZRELA.HTM</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref26">[26]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Notification concerning the writings of Father Anthony de Mello, SJ,” June 24, 1998 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19980624_demello_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19980624_demello_en.html</a>; Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Notification on the book Toward a Christian Theology of Religious Pluralism, by Father Jacques Dupuis,” January 24, 2001 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20010124_dupuis_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20010124_dupuis_en.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref27">[27]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Dominus Iesus, Declaration on the unicity and salvific universality of Jesus Christ and the Church, August 6, 2000, sec. 22 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20000806_dominus-iesus_en.html<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref28">[28]</a> Benedict XVI, <i>Caritas in veritate</i>, Encyclical letter on Integral Human Development in Charity and Truth, June 29, 2009, sec. 55. [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20090629_caritas-in-veritate_en.html</a>. However, in <i>Spe Salvi</i> (2007), Benedict XVI makes a passing reference to the Apostle Paul’s declaration that the Gentiles in Ephesus, although they followed after certain gods and religions, were “without hope and without God in the world” (Eph 2:12). Benedict XVI, <i>Spe Salvi</i>, Encyclical letter on Christian Hope, November 30, 2007, sec. 2 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi_en.html</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref29">[29]</a> Vimal Tirimanna, “Pope Benedict’s Prayer in the Blue Mosque,” <i>Studies in Interreligious Dialogue</i> 18 (2008): 29.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref30">[30]</a> Secretariat for Non-Christians, <i>The Attitude of the Church toward Followers of Other Religions : Reflections and Orientations on Dialogue and Mission</i>, May 10, 1984, sec. 4 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.msceurope.co.uk/Dialogie%20and%20Mission%20-%20PCID.pdf<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref31">[31]</a> <i>Profile: The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue</i> [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_pro_20051996_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_pro_20051996_en.html</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref32">[32]</a> Aydin, 51–52.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref33">[33]</a> Velati, 43.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref34">[34]</a> Aydin, 53.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref35">[35]</a> Ibid., 55.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref36">[36]</a> Ibid., 55–56.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref37">[37]</a> Reuters, “Ex-diplomat Cardinal Tauran pulls no punches now,” June 12, 2008 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/06/12/ex-diplomat-cardinal-tauran-pulls-no-punches-now">http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/06/12/ex-diplomat-cardinal-tauran-pulls-no-punches-now</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref38">[38]</a> John Paul II, <i>Fidei Depositum</i>, Apostolic Constitution on the Publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church prepared following the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, October 11, 1992, sec. IV [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19921011_fidei-depositum_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_19921011_fidei-depositum_en.html</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref39">[39]</a> <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i> [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM">http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM</a>. Sections that speak to issues relating to non-Christian religions include 67, 841–45, 856, 1149, 2104, 2566, 2569.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref40">[40]</a> Paul VI, <i>Nostra Aetate</i>, Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, October 28, 1965, sec. 2 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref41">[41]</a> Paul VI, <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, sec. 53.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref42">[42]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 6, 12.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref43">[43]</a> Ibid., sec. 12, 56.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref44">[44]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 14, 17, 27.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref45">[45]</a> Michael Fitzgerald, “Evangelization and Interreligious Dialogue,” Address delivered at Trinity College, Washington, D.C., October 25, 2003 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.bc.edu/dam/files/research_sites/cjl/texts/cjrelations/resources/articles/fitzgerald_Oct03.htm">http://www.bc.edu/dam/files/research_sites/cjl/texts/cjrelations/resources/articles/fitzgerald_Oct03.htm</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref46">[46]</a> <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, sec. 2104, 842, 843, 2566.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref47">[47]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 8.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref48">[48]</a> Benedict XVI, <i>Caritas in Veritate</i>, sec. 55.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref49">[49]</a> Paul VI, <i>Ecclesiam Suam</i>, Encyclical letter on the Church, August 6, 1964, sec. 107 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_06081964_ecclesiam_en.html<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref50">[50]</a> Paul VI, <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, sec. 53.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref51">[51]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 30–31.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref52">[52]</a> <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, sec. 67, 844.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref53">[53]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 7, 22.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref54">[54]</a> See, for example, Paul VI, <i>Lumen Gentium</i>, Dogmatic constitution on the Church, November 21, 1964, sec. 16 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html</a>. Also, Paul VI, <i>Evangelii Nuntiadi</i>, sec. 53; John Paul II, <i>Redemptor Hominis</i>, sec. 11; John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 28; Secretariat, <i>Dialogue and Mission</i>, sec. 26; PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 16–17; and, <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, sec. 843.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref55">[55]</a> Paul VI, <i>Ad Gentes</i>, Apostolic decree on the Mission of the Church, December 7, 1965, sec. 9 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651207_ad-gentes_en.html<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref56">[56]</a> Paul VI, <i>Gaudium et Spes</i>, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, December 7, 1965, sec. 22 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref57">[57]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 68.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref58">[58]</a> Paul VI, <i>Lumen Gentium</i>, sec. 16.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref59">[59]</a> Paul VI, <i>Ad Gentes</i>, sec. 7.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref60">[60]</a> Paul VI, <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, sec. 80.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref61">[61]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 5, 10.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref62">[62]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 15, 29, 35.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref63">[63]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 21.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref64">[64]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 29, 35. Also, Fitzgerald, “Evangelization and Interreligious Dialogue.” <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref65">[65]</a> <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, sec.1260.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref66">[66]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 21. Also, <i>Notification to Dupuis</i>, sec. 8.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref67">[67]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 6. Also, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 9–10; and, <i>Notification to Dupuis</i>, sec. 1-3.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref68">[68]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 29. Also, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 12; and, <i>Notification to Dupuis</i>, sec. 5.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref69">[69]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 5.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref70">[70]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 6, 14, 21. Also, <i>Notification to Dupuis</i>, sec. 6.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref71">[71]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 29. Also, Fitzgerald, “Evangelization and Interreligious Dialogue.” <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref72">[72]</a> Paul VI, <i>Lumen Gentium</i>, sec. 17. Also, John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 9, 55; <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, sec. 845; and, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Notification to Dupuis</i>, sec. 6–7.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref73">[73]</a> Paul VI, <i>Ad Gentes</i>, sec. 7. Also, Paul VI, Lumen Gentium, sec. 14.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref74">[74]</a> D’Costa. <i>The Meeting of Religions and the Trinity</i>, 99–105.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref75">[75]</a> Paul VI, <i>Ecclesiam Suam</i>, sec. 107.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref76">[76]</a> Aydin, 54.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref77">[77]</a> Paul VI, <i>Lumen Gentium</i>, sec. 16.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref78">[78]</a> Paul VI, <i>Nostra Aetate</i>, sec. 2–3.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref79">[79]</a> <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, sec. 839–41.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref80">[80]</a> Aydin, 69.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref81">[81]</a> John Paul II, <i>Crossing the Threshold of Hope</i> (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994), 92–93.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref82">[82]</a> Benedict XVI, <i>Caritas in Veritate</i>, sec. 55.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref83">[83]</a> Paul VI, <i>Ad Gentes</i>, sec. 11.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref84">[84]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 56. Also, John Paul II, <i>Novo Millennio Ineunte</i>, Apostolic letter at the Close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, January 6, 2001, sec. 56 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20010106_novo-millennio-ineunte_en.html<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref85">[85]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, <i>Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 22.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref86">[86]</a> John Paul II. <i>Redemptoris Missio</i> 57. Also, PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 82.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref87">[87]</a> Secretariat,<i> Dialogue and Mission</i>, sec. 17. Also, PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 42; and, John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 57.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref88">[88]</a> Secretariat, <i>Dialogue and Mission</i>, sec. 3. Also, PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 9.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref89">[89]</a> Paul VI, <i>Populorum Progressio</i>, Encyclical letter on the Development of Peoples, March 26, 1967, sec. 43 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_26031967_populorum_en.html<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref90">[90]</a> Paul VI, <i>Ecclesiam Suam</i>, sec. 108.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref91">[91]</a> John Paul II, “No peace without justice, no justice without forgiveness,” Message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2002, sec. 12 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/messages/peace/documents/hf_jp-ii_mes_20011211_xxxv-world-day-for-peace_en.html; <i>Novo Millennio Ineunte</i>, sec. 55.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref92">[92]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 56.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref93">[93]</a> Fitzgerald, “Evangelization and Interreligious Dialogue.” <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref94">[94]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 38.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref95">[95]</a> <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, sec. 856.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref96">[96]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 40.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref97">[97]</a> Ibid., sec. 4. Also, Fitzgerald, “Evangelization and Interreligious Dialogue.” <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref98">[98]</a> Paul VI, <i>Ad Gentes</i>, sec. 7.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref99">[99]</a> Paul VI, <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, sec. 5, 53. Also, PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 66. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref100">[100]</a> John Paul II, <i>Redemptoris Missio</i>, sec. 1.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref101">[101]</a> Ibid., sec. 55. Also, PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 77.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref102">[102]</a> PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 79.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref103">[103]</a> Ibid., sec. 41.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref104">[104]</a> Paul VI, <i>Evangelii Nuntiandi</i>, sec. 22. See also sec. 27: “Evangelization will also always contain - as the foundation, center, and at the same time, summit of its dynamism - a clear proclamation that, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man, who died and rose from the dead, salvation is offered to all men, as a gift of God’s grace and mercy”; and PCID, <i>Dialogue and Proclamation</i>, sec. 81: “Proclamation, on the other hand, aims at guiding people to explicit knowledge of what God has done for all men and women in Jesus Christ, and at inviting them to become disciples of Jesus through becoming members of the Church.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref105">[105]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,<i> Dominus Iesus</i>, sec. 22.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref106">[106]</a> Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Doctrinal Note of Some Aspects of Evangelization,” October 5, 2007, sec. 7 [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: <a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20071203_nota-evangelizzazione_en.html">http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20071203_nota-evangelizzazione_en.html</a> <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref107">[107]</a> Paul VI, <i>Lumen Gentium</i>, sec. 14. Also, <i>Ad Gentes</i>, sec. 7.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref108">[108]</a> Southern Baptist Convention, <i>Baptist Faith & Message</i>, sec. I. [cited 4 June 2011]. Online: http://sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=22575956#_ftnref109">[109]</a> Swami Dayanand Saraswati, “Mission, Dialogue & the Roman Catholic Church: a Hindu Critique,” Interreligious Insight 2 (2003): 8–11. Also, Aydin, 57.David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-43368251971162212492012-11-06T13:30:00.001-06:002012-11-06T13:30:32.688-06:00I Voted Today... for Tim Pawlenty
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">I voted
today…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for Tim Pawlenty. I know a
lot of you, after reading that, have already decided that I am an idiot.
Perhaps I am. From what I understand, in the state of Tennessee, where I live
and where I voted, the votes of those whose names were not on the ballot were
not even tallied. And Pawlenty’s name was not on the ballot. That means, from
the perspective of some, that my vote meant absolutely nothing. I have taken
that into consideration, and thought long and hard about it, but at the end of
day came to the conclusion that, at least, by way of this blog, and by
Facebook, and Twitter, I can tell people about my vote and the reasons that led
me to vote the way I did. That, from what I have been able to sort out, is a
better stewardship of my time and efforts than not voting at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Now, with that
in mind, let me try to explain as succinctly as I know how the thought process
that went into my decision.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">First and
foremost, in all my life, and in all the decisions I make, I am a Christian. My
loyalty to Jesus and to the gospel trumps all other loyalties in my life.
Having said that, though, I am conscious there are some political questions
that are clearer from a biblical perspective than others. In this post, which I
wrote shortly after the election four years ago, I spell out a basic outline of
my political views from what I consider to be a biblically informed perspective:
<a href="http://sbcimpact.org/2008/11/11/morality-politics-and-a-broken-heart">http://sbcimpact.org/2008/11/11/morality-politics-and-a-broken-heart</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Even so, I am
aware that many may be in basic agreement with what I wrote there and end up on
opposite sides of me when it comes time to cast their ballot. What I wrote
there has more to do with general principles than with specific strategies for putting
those principles into practice. A lot of those potential strategies, on
whatever side you take, are complex, and while I have given a fair amount of
time and effort toward trying to understand them (reading articles, listening
to debates, etc.), I freely confess that a good grasp of the ins and outs of a
number of them is beyond my pay-grade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">In trying to
better understand the views of the various candidates and the degree to which
they may or may not coincide with my own, in addition to reading from their own
propaganda outlets, I have used several of the online “choose-a-candidate”
sites I have discovered. Recently, I found two that were pretty thorough, and
seem to me to do a good job of objectively presenting the issues and giving an
opportunity to register the comparative weight you, as the voter, attribute to
each issue. These are <a href="http://www.selectsmart.com/president/">http://www.selectsmart.com/president/</a>
and <a href="http://graphics.wsj.com/votecompass/?mg=inert-wsj">http://graphics.wsj.com/votecompass/?mg=inert-wsj</a>.
There are others, but these are the ones I used most recently. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">At the end of
one of these it presents a graph that shows your own overall political
tendencies according to the answers you give on the questionnaire. The graph is
divided into four quadrants, according to the voter’s degree of agreement with
what are determined to be socially liberal or conservative positions, and
fiscally liberal or conservative positions. When I took this test, and when I
have taken similar tests in the past, I have consistently scored in the
socially conservative/fiscally liberal quadrant. I know, I know, a lot of you
are thinking by now that all the suspicions you had that I may be an idiot are
now totally confirmed. But, as best as I have been able to sort out the issues,
that is where these tests show my views to lie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The ironic thing
about it is that particular quadrant is the one quadrant of the four in which
there is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">no</b> announced presidential
candidate—whether among Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, or any of the
various other third-party or independent candidates—whose overall views also
fall into that general classification. Not one!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Some tests told
me that, among the various candidates, my views are closest to those of Romney,
and some closest to those of Obama, but with whatever candidate, the
correspondence of overall agreement was always fairly low.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Given all that,
I have been faced with a dilemma. I decided a long time ago I would never vote
for a candidate who is not clearly pro-life. Thus, for me, Obama has been out
of the question from the get-go. At the same time, though, there are a number
of matters that have caused me to be reluctant to back Romney. Other than the
fact that I disagree with him on a significant number of specific political issues,
I do not like the idea that he is a Mormon, and <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/mormons-missionary-strategy-and-american-politics/">the
potential influence a Romney presidency may have on the spread of the Mormon
false gospel around the world</a>. I am very concerned that <a href="http://praisegodbarebones.blogspot.com/2012/10/i-might-not-vote-for-mitt-romney.html">political
support for Romney has led some evangelicals to publicly water down their
defense of the gospel</a>. I do not like the fact that, when given an opportunity
to do so, <a href="http://sbcvoices.com/a-kingdom-view-of-race-and-marriage-by-wm-dwight-mckissic-sr/">Romney
has not disassociated himself with the blatantly racist views propagated in the
Book of Mormon, nor with the racist historical legacy of his religious heritage</a>.
I do not like the fact that he has a demonstrated history of waffling on the
issues of abortion and the sanctity of marriage. Last and not least, I cannot
get away from the lingering feeling that he is the candidate that most clearly represents
the interests of the wealthy and big business, when the Bible teaches that, as
a general rule, as believers, it is the rich who are most often opposed to the
interests of the gospel:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">James 2:5–7</span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">. “</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are
poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he
promised those who love him? </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">6 </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the
rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into
court? </span><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">7 </span></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom
you belong?”—(along with a whole bunch of other passages I could pull out if
you need me to).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">I am not saying it is a sin
to be rich, nor that there is no such thing as a godly, compassionate, generous
rich person. I am saying, though, that, as I read the Bible, the general tenor of
its overall message cuts against the interests of the rich and in favor of
those of the poor. I do not believe in liberation theology. I believe the
central message of the gospel has to do specifically with the death, burial,
and resurrection of Jesus, and with the spiritual salvation He bought for us at
Calvary, and the eternal state of our souls. But, as I read it, when it comes
time for us as Christians to decide how we use our influence in this world to
love and serve those around us as a result of the life transformation the
gospel brings about in our hearts, it seems the Bible would caution us more
against the danger of falling in the trap of siding with the rich than in that
of siding with the poor.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">One other factor in my
decision is that I do not, as a general rule, like the two-party system. I
believe it systematically eliminates the possibility of someone with views
similar to mine from even being considered as a viable candidate. It forces
Christians to choose between the supposed “lesser of two evils.” For this
reason, all things being equal, in this election, I would have voted for a
third-party candidate. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Why, then, did I choose to
write in Pawlenty, a registered Republican? I searched and searched and
searched. I read the platforms of the various announced third-party candidates.
But, in the end, I could not find one that came any closer to my own views on
the issues than either Romney or Obama. It seems that practically all the third
parties out there are driven by some extreme agenda or another, and my own
views on the issues are actually more moderate—with the notable exception of
abortion, on which I am pretty hard-line pro-life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Actually, from what I have
been able to gather, Pawlenty’s fiscal positions are a bit to the right of
those of Romney, and, as a result, further away from my own. That made it hard
for me to decide. I thought about the possibility of writing in Huckabee as
well. But, having watched and listened to Pawlenty on several occasions, I have
been impressed with his overall demeanor and even-handed approach. He comes
across to me as a Christian gentleman, and as a reasonable and open-minded
public servant. On the social and moral issues I rate as highest priority, he
appears to be in basic agreement with my own views. And he actually did declare
himself as a candidate in the Republican primary, so I know there is some
degree of interest and willingness on his part to serve as President. And, even
with some of his positions on especially fiscal issues that are not in line
with my own, he is at least closer to my positions than any of the third-party
candidates I have been able to find.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Another factor that led me
to seriously consider the possibility of voting for Romney is the hope that
somehow that vote might have a positive influence toward saving the lives of
unborn children. I am still hopeful, if Romney wins, and if he has the
opportunity to appoint new Supreme Court justices, that Roe vs. Wade may
eventually be overturned, and that in some states abortion may be outlawed and
some mothers may as a result be dissuaded from making the tragic decision to
abort their babies. I am hopeful he will follow through with his promise to reinstate
the Mexico City Policy through administrative means.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">In the end, though, since I
live in Tennessee, and the electoral votes of Tennessee have been <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">de facto</i> wrapped up a long time ago, I
decided I could make more of a statement by voting for someone other than
Romney than I could by voting for him. My vote is, essentially, a vote for the
future. Thabiti Anyabwile sums up my thoughts on this well here: <a href="http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/2012/10/23/are-christian-voters-soldiers-entangled-in-civilian-affairs">http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/thabitianyabwile/2012/10/23/are-christian-voters-soldiers-entangled-in-civilian-affairs</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">So, there you have it. You
may well not agree with me. That is fine. We live in a free country, and for
that I am grateful. And I am open to being shown how, in one way or another, my
perspective may be mistaken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">In the meantime, I realize
that, in the overall scheme of things, gospel faithfulness is much more
important than political correctness. I also remain hopeful for a future in
which, to some limited degree, the two might be able to coincide more than they
do now in the United States of America. I do pray, as God, through Jeremiah, directed
the captives of Judah to seek for the peace of Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4–7), for
the peace and prosperity of our country. I pray for justice for the oppressed
of the world. I pray for freedom to proclaim the gospel. But, at the end of the
day, when all is done and told,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">My hope is built on nothing less<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">I dare not trust the sweetest frame,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">On Christ the Solid Rock I stand,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family: Verdana; mso-bidi-font-size: 16.0pt; mso-font-kerning: .5pt;">All other ground is sinking sand. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-26468511957863550212012-09-25T10:24:00.000-05:002012-09-25T10:24:57.919-05:00A PowerPoint Review of Global Awakening, by Mark Shaw<iframe src="http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/14454001?hostedIn=slideshare&page=upload" width="476" height="400" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22575956.post-62974957397380701162011-11-15T08:57:00.002-06:002011-11-15T09:00:00.287-06:00My Review of a Light to the NationsCheck out my review of Michael W. Goheen's <span style="font-style:italic;">A Light to the Nations</span> in Credo magazine <a href="http://www.credomag.com/2011/11/14/a-light-to-the-nations/">here</a>.David Rogershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11701934251748260267noreply@blogger.com1