Reformational Catholicism

“Are you Catholic or Christian?” It’s one of those questions that grate on my conscience like nails on a chalkboard. I know what they’re getting at. What they mean to say is, “Are you Catholic or Protestant?” But what if those classic dividing lines aren’t so clear anymore? Particularly in light of such ecumenical advances as the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, many in the Church are suggesting that Luther’s protests are over.[1]

At a recent conference on “The Future of Protestantism,” Peter Leithart cast a bold and provocative vision: “The Reformation isn’t over. But Protestantism is, or should be. . . It’s time to envision a new way of being.”[2] Leithart, a committed Presbyterian pastor and theologian who holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, isn’t conceding all Protestant protests – he still rejects papal claims, demands that all tradition must be judged by Scripture, doesn’t venerate the Host or ask for the intersession of Mary – but he is suggesting a "new way of being heirs of the Reformation", both embracing and reforming the entire body of Christ. What does he call this new way?

Reformational Catholicism.

So what’s the difference between classical Protestants and Reformational Catholics? Let’s look at some of the key features (according to Leithart):

Differences vs. Common Ground

·      Classical Protestants are primarily defined by their rejection of Catholic claims and practices. “Protestantism is a negative theology,” Leithart says. “A Protestant is a not-Catholic.” They focus on historical differences such as purgatory, devotion to Mary, the veneration of the Eucharist, intercession of the saints, and the authority of the Pope.

·      Reformational Catholics are largely defined by their celebration of common ground with the Roman Catholic Church – the creedal formulations of the early church, the Scriptures, the Trinity, the centrality of Jesus Christ (Solus Christus), salvation by grace alone (sola gratis) and the urgent priority of evangelization.

Continuity vs. Reform

·      Classical Protestants focus on outdated Roman Catholic claims about changelessness and rigid stability.

·      Reformational Catholics understand that Catholicism is constantly reforming – Ecclesia semper reformanda – “The Church is always to be reformed.” Without changing its essential foundations, the Church (and the gospel it proclaims), must necessarily change in form and expression to engage the constantly changing contexts of culture and history. In order to remain the same, the Church must constantly change.

Either/Or vs. Both/And

·      Classical Protestants don’t regard Catholics as Christians.

·      Reformational Catholics acknowledge Catholics as brothers and sisters and strive to proclaim the overwhelming unity of the faith shared by Protestant and Catholic traditions.

Individual vs. Communal

·      Classical Protestants emphasize individual salvation and the Church as an instrument to that end.

·      Reformational Catholics understand salvation as an inherently social and communal process and understand the Church as a constitutive element of redemptive history.

Heroes and Heroines

·      Classical Protestants champion Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Huldrych Zwingli. If any church history is acknowledged before the Reformation, it is largely for the purpose of highlighting Catholic folly or justifying contemporary Protestant views as extant fact.

·      Reformational Catholics warmly receive the history of the entire Church – from Jesus to John Paul II, from Basil to Bonhoeffer.  “A Reformational Catholic knows some of his ancestors were deeply flawed but won’t delete them from the family tree,” Leithart states.[3]

Institutional Church vs. Spiritual Church

·      Classical Protestants are wary of the concrete, structural and public dimensions of Church (often decrying the “post-Constantinian fall”).

·      Reformational Catholics recognize the fallenness of institution but also maintain the necessity of public witness for the Church’s mission to proclaim Christ to all peoples.

Biblical Interpretation: Private vs. Corporate

·      Classical Protestants revel in historical-critical methodologies while placing the interpretive center of gravity on individual interpretation.

·      Reformational Catholics celebrate the rich treasure of biblical interpretation through the ages, honoring what G.K. Chesterton referred to as “the democracy of the dead”.[4]

Liturgy and the Sacraments: Yeah or Nay

·      Classical Protestants are suspect or even hostile to liturgical rites and sacramental forms. A sacrament is only a catalyst for memory.

·      Reformational Catholics embrace the physical, sensate world as a natural (although not exclusive) avenue by which God’s presence is revealed to us. A sacrament is a special occasion for experiencing God’s saving presence.

The jury is still out on whether Leithart’s dialectics will find traction in the wider Church. I certainly know that there are more than two camps here and I'm not versed enough in the phenomenon to make a judgment myself. But the concept of Reformational Catholicism seems to tip its hat to the growing frustration with intra-ecclesial squabbles and the dawning intuition that in order to reach the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ, his body (the “whole Christ” as Augustine used to put it) needs to do it together.[5]

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[1] See my February 21, 2014 post, “History is Made (And I’m Speechless),” at: http://ylcatholic.blogspot.com/2014/02/history-is-made-and-im-speechless.html.

[2] See R.R. Reno’s article, “The Future of Catholicism,” at: http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2014/05/the-future-of-catholicism?utm_source=First+Things+Subscribers&utm_campaign=98dca3bd0b-5_20_20145_20_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_28bf775c26-98dca3bd0b-172542413.

[3] Peter Leithart, “The End of Protestantism,” First Things (November 8, 2013) accessed May 21, 2014 at: http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2013/11/the-end-of-protestantism.

[4] In his classic text, Orthodoxy, Chesterton quipped, “Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes – our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about.”

[5] Emile Mersch, The Whole Christ: The Historical Development of the Doctrine of the Mystical Body in Scripture and Tradition (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 1938/2011).