We are in the midst of something of a resurgence of Roman Catholicism, though many are not aware of this. Despite many recent controversies, failures, disputes and divisions, it remains a real force in the world, influencing society, politics and spirituality. Just recently, The Rosary in a Year podcast surpassed The Joe Rogan Experience to claim the top spot on Apple’s charts, with much being made of what implications this has for our understanding of where modern culture is heading.
It’s also apparent that many of the thinkers and leaders who are actively challenging dangerous and worldly ideologies today are Roman Catholic. There has been a noticeable rise in the number of people converting from Protestantism to Roman Catholicism and, more subtly, evangelical Christians increasingly assume that there is not that much difference between the two faiths, since we seem to share the same fundamental beliefs.
Given these developments, it has never been more important that we remain well-equipped for the proclamation of the gospel by understanding the true nature of Roman Catholicism and developing effective responses to it. Many gospel workers seem to treat Roman Catholicism as ‘background noise’ when it is still in fact a deeply influential worldview, and more than this, provides us with a quite significant mission field to reach.
This is why the Reformanda Initiative (RI) came into being. Its stated mission is to:
…identify, unite, equip, and resource evangelical leaders to understand Roman Catholic theology and practice, to educate the evangelical Church and to communicate the Gospel.
RI noticed that seminaries and theological colleges throughout the world were largely lacking when it came to one reasonably fundamental component: a course on understanding and responding to Roman Catholicism.1 In response, RI has endeavoured to gather leaders, scholars, and gospel workers to fill this gap, and to produce resources to help equip the wider church.
I got to experience first-hand the excellent work of RI when I attended the weeklong conference held annually: the Rome Scholars and Leaders Network (RSLN). This conference aims to enhance our understanding of Roman Catholicism in order to effectively respond to it.
The conference was an immensely beneficial, intellectually stimulating, and encouraging experience for serval reasons.
Clarity not caricature
Of particular value was the meticulous handling of topics, avoiding simplistic straw men representations of Roman Catholicism. There was real care to be precise on what Roman Catholicism does and does not say. For instance, Protestants may criticise the eucharist for calling into question the ‘once for all’ nature of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. However Roman Catholicism does not specifically claim to be making the sacrifice again and again, rather to be presenting Christ’s unique sacrifice once more. It’s debatable whether the action matches the claim, but it’s clearly necessary to take this explanation into account when responding.
Holistic not atomistic
The diverse perspectives presented by various leaders and experts also provided a broad, all–
It is easy to get bogged down in the detail of disagreement, and to think the nature of our differences is summed up in specifics such as views on the Pope or Mary or saints. But in reality, these all come from a worldview that is at the heart of Roman Catholicism.
This worldview is particularly shaped by the intricate interdependence of nature and grace, influenced by Greek philosophy, which says God’s grace needs a created object in order to be conveyed, and in turn nature needs grace in order to be completed. Hence the heavy emphasis on the sacraments.
This results in seeing a continuity between Christ and the church where, more than Christ being present in and among his people, the church is the physical embodiment of Christ on earth.
All of this is then expressed in the context of the profoundly significant duality of being both Roman and Catholic, imperial and open.
The more it changes…
One of the claims of Roman Catholicism that holds appeal for many people is that it draws an uninterrupted historical line back to the time of Jesus and the apostles. It appears ancient and unchanging and original. But when we study the historical development of Roman Catholicism, we see that its thinking has evolved over centuries, with theological and ecclesiastical additions accumulating gradually beyond the teaching of Scripture. The view since Vatican II that Protestants are lost brethren is quite a change from the ‘anathema’ that the earlier Council of Trent used to condemn Protestant teachings as errors and to excommunicate those who held them.
Indeed the current Pope’s declaration that all religions and indeed even atheists are somehow included in God’s kingdom seems a significant deviation from the past. And yet in the midst of these ongoing developments there remains a consistent unbending thread, not only of the outward form of religion, but the inward core of authority that manifests these variations.
Truth with a purpose
It was also evident at RSLN that the Reformanda Initiative’s aspiration to promote intellectual and academic analysis of Roman Catholic doctrine and beliefs is closely aligned with its efforts to establish churches and equip Christians to disseminate the gospel throughout the world. The combination of scholarly engagement and a fervent drive for on-the-ground gospel missions was an integral component of the conference’s DNA. I found this to be a really valuable aspect of the time I had at RSLN, as well as the joy of fellowship with like-minded believers from around the world.
- To be fair, in my experience at Moore Theological College, it was integrated into a variety of other biblical and theological subjects. ↩︎