Is The Reformation Over?

As many Protestants remember the unofficial start of the Reformation back on this date in 1517, you may want to read this excellent Themelios article by Scott Manetsch. The focus is on “John Calvin, Roman Catholicism, and Contemporary Ecumenical Conversations.” What I find most helpful is Manetsch’s evaluation of recent ecumenical attempts to bridge the Catholic-Protestant divide on justification.

Manetsch sets the table:

In 2005, evangelical historian Mark Noll and free-lance Christian author Carolyn Nystrom addressed these issues in a book entitled (appropriately enough) Is the Reformation Over? In this highly acclaimed work, Noll and Nystrom survey the history of Catholic-Protestant controversies in North America over the past three centuries. The authors call particular attention to the seismic shift in evangelical attitudes toward Roman Catholics since the Second Vatican Council. In recent years, they note, much of the historic mistrust and antagonism between evangelicals and Catholics has been set aside for a new spirit of cooperation and mutual support. Today evangelical Protestants in the United States make common cause with their Catholic neighbors on a variety of important political and social issues. At the same time, a sizeable number of evangelicals admire Catholic leaders such as Pope John Paul II and Mother Theresa, and they look to traditional works of Catholic spirituality and modern Catholic devotional literature for inspiration and spiritual nourishment. In addition to these shifting popular attitudes, Noll and Nystrom point to the sustained ecumenical dialogues between Catholic and evangelical scholars over the past fifteen years—known collectively as Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT)—as evidence of substantive theological rapprochement between the two religious camps. The most impressive fruit of these unofficial dialogues, the authors believe, is the agreement on the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone as formulated at ECT II.

Should we conclude, then, that the Reformation is over? For Noll and Nystrom, the answer is “No” and “Yes.” No, the Reformation is not over in the sense that important theological differences continue to divide American evangelicals and Roman Catholics—most notably their conflicting understandings of the Church, the primacy of the Pope, and the Marian doctrines. On the other hand, Noll and Nystrom believe that ecumenical accords such as ECT II and JDDJ signal that the Reformation divide over justification has been successfully bridged. The authors, thus, conclude, “If it is true . . . that iustificatio articulis stantis vel cadentis ecclesiae (justification is the article on which the church stands or falls), then the Reformation is over.

Toward the end of the article, Manetsch returns to these developments, arguing that even if some Catholics use the phrases “by grace alone” and “by faith alone” this does not, by itself, mean we have come to agreement on justification.

We should be grateful that Catholics are willing to affirm these central biblical truths while at the same time remaining both cautious and realistic. Calvin reminds us that the so-called Protestant “solas” cannot be treated as discrete or independent doctrines. Rather, they cohere with, inform, and require other important biblical truths. Thus, as we have seen, Calvin was quick to point out the theological inconsistency of affirming the doctrine of justification by faith alone, on the one hand, while remaining committed to the Catholic sacrament of penance, with its distinction between guilt and punishment, and its requirement of works of satisfaction, on the other. So also Calvin recognized that whatever authority the Catholic Church ascribed to Scripture in theory, Rome undermined Scripture’s authority in practice by commanding the exclusive right of interpreting the biblical text. Evangelicals engaged in ecumenical conversations with Roman Catholics should demonstrate this same kind of realism.

Moreover, the accent that a particular theological tradition gives to a doctrine is important. For the Protestant reformers, justification was a first-order doctrinal concern. Not so with many contemporary Catholics. The most recent edition of the Catholic Catechism gives only brief attention to the doctrine of justification. Clearly, sacramental grace, not justification, occupies the central position in Catholic conceptions of salvation. American Cardinal Avery Dulles admits as much: “Justification is rarely discussed at length except in polemics against, or dialogue with, Protestants.” Lutheran scholar James Preuss once stated the problem even more baldly: “The doctrine [of justification] is at best at the fringe of their corpus doctrinae, like a fingernail, or like the planet Pluto at the edge of our solar system.” In discussions with Roman Catholics, evangelical Protestants need to be attentive to the priority given core Christian doctrines. Defending slogans is important, but not enough.

In his conclusion, Manetsch draws out the pastoral implications of getting the doctrine of justification right (or wrong):

When reading Calvin’s treatises against Roman Catholic opponents during the 1540s, I have been impressed how often he reminds his readers of the practical entailments of their theological commitments. What we confess affects how we live.

Calvin believed that religious legalism tortures the consciences of men and women. Merit theology plunges God’s people into the “gulf of despair.” The Catholic sacrament of penance “rob[s] all consciences of calm and placid confidence”; indeed, mandatory annual confession is nothing but “an executioner to torture and excruciate consciences.”

By contrast, the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone offers the believer a safe refuge of assurance that brings with it “peace of conscience.” Calvin is concerned, in other words, not simply with articulating biblical doctrine, but demonstrating how it impacts the spiritual experience of ordinary Christians. Calvin the theologian was also Calvin the pastor. For those of us who have been called to serve Christ’s church as pastors or professors, we would do well to follow Calvin’s example in this. For our vocation is not simply to uphold biblical orthodoxy, but to edify, instruct, and protect God’s people entrusted to our care. It is our task, our awesome responsibility, to present God’s timeless truth in a manner that assists everyday Christians to live their lives in faithful, joyful obedience to Christ. May this be true of all of us, for Christ’s glory and for the edification of his Church!

Read the whole thing. Scott Manetsch is a fine scholar and one of TEDS most well respected professors. Get acquainted with his stuff. Better yet, get acquainted with the biblical doctrine of justification, especially on Reformation Day.