Growing up as a fundamentalist meant that there was only one church - the one your parents made you go to on Sunday! I'm sure that has something to do with my disdain for narrow minded Christianity and the enjoyment I find in worshipping at Anglican, Lutheran, Pentecostal and Catholic churches when I'm not in the pulpit of my evangelical parish (my preferred place of worship). I'm also sure it makes a few people nervous. But I'm not the first guy ever to make religious people a bit uneasy. Don't ever forget that the Church's founder made religious people so angry they wanted to kill him! In fact, they did. (I hope I fare better.) To listen to some Evangelicals talk one is sometimes left with the impression that the church was actually founded in 1517. (Even worse, some think it started in the 1920s during the Fundamentalist movement.) So let me make it clear. Along with John Calvin and Martin Luther I am a "catholic" (the Reformers often used the word "catholic" to refer to the "whole" church). But I want to make another thing clear - along with John Calvin and Martin Luther I am also an "evangelical" (Luther popularized the term). I guess that makes me a "catholic evangelical." (I'm still looking for that denomination.) Personally, I welcome the dialogue between Catholics and Evangelicals - we need more of it (its a great way to learn theology and church history too) and we have many people in our evangelical congregation from Roman Catholic churches that have appreciated the positive dialogue. But in the midst of all the great discussion about unity, we cannot forget that differences remain - and some of them, like "salvation," are of eternal significance. So I say the Reformation isn't over. What we really need is more reform - among Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. Only then will we have unity.
3 comments:
Ah the question for theologians over the centuries.
Well the easy answer is, of course we need more reformation ... and as Ozzie suggested we will always need reformation until the return of Christ.
Isn't it interesting how scared evangelicals get when a leader says something like "we should spend more time worshipping with our catholic friends." Yowee ... Is that really the most scarry thing in society today?
Second year calculus, that's scarry.
Starting a church in the Philipines among Muslim peoples, thats scarry.
Singing a hymn at a Vineyard church, that's scarry.
But worshipping with a group that believes in Christ, believes in sin, believes in heaven, believes in hell, believes we can't unite with God of our own volition ... that's scarry?
You bet they've got some "issues" with their theology. So do I.
Just as you said in your sermon on Sunday ... "The church should be reformed; yet always reforming." Worshiping with other believers (regardless of their denomination) is the, and should be, BEST feeling in the world. Where does it say in scripture that a Baptist can not truly worship in a Naz church? Where does it say in scripture that a Methodist can not hang out with a Lutheran? I'm not a theologian, but I don't think it's in there.
People often have preconceived notions of what a person is like, just by what denomonation they belong to. You know the "Bad Haircut, don't drink, don't go to the movies, etc." Baptist. Where does it come from.
Aren't we all here for the same reason? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever, and to win as many as possible. To win them you must hang out with them. The ones that need to be won are the ones we SHOULD be hanging out with. It is really hard to witness to a believer ... they are already on your team.
Reformation is necessary for the church to grow, and for us to remain relavent to the community. I'm not sure if anyone else noticed, but it isn't 1517. Constant reformation is key to the advancement of God's kingdom.
Lionel,
I couldn't agree more. People in general need to embrace each other regardless of their denominational background. I used the term Baptist, but that word could just as easily been any number of other denominations. I love what is going on at Calvary. I love the fact that our Deacons all come from a variety of backgrounds. I can just as easily hang out with a person who was raised in a Catholic church as person raised in a Baptist church.
Let's just do what we are here to do. Win as many as possible.
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