Knock, knock, knock…Below is my response to “Protestantism is Not United, Not Catholic, and Not a Church,” by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick (2017).
The argument that Protestants are not united, not Catholic, and not a Church doesn’t upset me much as a Lutheran. The Great Schism (1054) and the start of the Protestant Reformation (1517) left the Christian world divided with the Orthodox, Roman Catholics (or Papists), Evangelicals (the first called Protestants and eventually Lutherans), and what were often at first named Radicals (Anabaptists and others pushing the traditional theological envelope). The Augsburg Confession was written with the hope for unity even amidst some practical, concrete theological differences.
As regional and theological breaks continued to occur, “Protestant” became an umbrella term for many disparate groups, and Evangelicalism more recently became connected to believer-baptism, “Bible based” traditions. The term, Protestant, is now sometimes used to indicate mainline denominations, but in general, the term covers a disparate group in common usage – often Mainline Protestant, Evangelical, Pentecostal and others. Although, it is important to note that some high church Episcopalians/Anglicans don’t like to be thought of as Protestant at all. Still, most everyone else considers them so (whether fair or not).
I would argue that some Protestants are more attached to the “Catholic” (universal) heart of the church than others. Determining what that heart is remains the rub. For my part, I put my trust in Jesus, Son of the Living God, risen from the dead. Beyond that, I’m open to arguments and even ultimately being proved wrong. Despite our hardheartedness, I find continually that the Holy Spirit makes us one Church out of many denominations (or “church bodies” if you prefer) whether we like it or not. There are many commonalities. There is an ecumenical movement affirming catholicity over division. Yes, we find these are muddied, sinful waters, but I expect the Baptismal waters will win out yet.
So, I believe the author fails to adequately or even fairly differentiate between varied beliefs of Protestantism. Echoing his own argument, must of us confess that we are not one! We understand that the Church is fractured, but we don’t have to look far to identify fractures in the Orthodox edifice as well. Just look at what’s going on in orthodoxy over in the Ukraine. Closer to home, in my own county, I know of Orthodox Christians that mutually condemn one another. Certainly, we know Orthodox folks in the Richmond area who are viewed with suspicion if not distaste by other Orthodox folks. The catholicity of the Church is broken, and so, many Christians are working toward repairing the breach when and where they can. There’s a hunger for unity with God and one another.
In my view, the author makes a mistake by conflating Protestant traditions. He focuses on the “Reforming Catholic Confession” as if it is a seminal Protestant document. It is actually a document initiated (as I understand it) by Kevin Vanhoozer, a seminary instructor at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield, IL). Interestingly, the seminary is affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America. This denomination is Evangelical in the modern sense (believer-baptism, “bible based,” etc.) not the Lutheran sense (“of or according to the teaching of scripture”). The Evangelical Free Church of America’s deepest roots are indeed found among Swedish, Danish, and Norwegian Lutheranism, but they are ultimately a break-off sect in the United States – former Lutherans influenced by Baptist and Evangelical neighbors. Ironically, they were originally considered “liberal” by some, as the predecessor bodies were trying to cast off the cloak of the “Old World” religion and hungered to be a “free” (not state supported) church. Today, Evangelicalism is in fact often closely connected to conservative politics and traditions, but not always.
I would argue we all fall short of the “Catholic” standard. Orthodox, Roman Catholics, Mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, and all others have plenty of repenting to do rather than casting stones. I’m thankful to be part of a Protestant denomination that is trying to live out the Augsburg Confession’s hope of our being one, and most importantly, Jesus’ own prayer for us to be one (John 17:20-23).
I don’t fault the authors of “The Reforming Catholic Confession” for arguing for the catholicity of their faith (as they see it), even though, I do often disagree with their theological claims. Thanks to the Holy Spirit, I trust we are one even as we disagree. Thus, perhaps we as Church would find it more productive (and in line with God’s will) to focus on what unites us rather than divides us as Pope John XXIII suggested; even if we need good beer and conversation as the starting course.
Amidst our Christian brokenness and sin, I trust the fullness of the promised feast is yet to come. Someday, Jesus’ prayer will be completely fulfilled. Yes, we are one Church, just not quite yet.
Pastor Lou is a member of “the Three Priests.” Join him (an ELCA pastor), Fr. Adam (an Orthodox Church in America priest), and Fr. Nic for a Three Priests Walk in a Bar event in Ashland, Virginia, or through their (hopefully) upcoming podcast series.
This post was created in response to an article shared by an Orthodox friend, Fr. Adam, on Facebook, “Protestantism is Not United, Not Catholic, and Not a Church – Orthodoxy and Heterodoxy,” by Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick, on Reformation Day 2019. Find it here: https://bit.ly/36o4XtI
You can learn about “The Reforming Catholic Confession” at https://reformingcatholicconfession.com/
You can learn about the Orthodox-Lutheran dialogue here:
Via my denomination, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, an LWF member body at https://www.elca.org/Faith/Ecumenical-and-Inter-Religious-Relations/Bilateral
Via the Lutheran World Federation (“a communion of churches” in the Lutheran tradition) https://www.lutheranworld.org/content/lutheran-orthodox-dialogue
© 2019 The Rev. Louis Florio. All content not held under another’s copyright may not be used without permission of the author.
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