On Catholics and Evangelicals

You speak of great things here, of justification and abiding in Christ by faith. I hope what you say is shared by many. I was aware of Mr. Colson’s work, but learned some detail from your article.

You are most kind in your reference. I can agree with you that natural law is an area of agreement between us. I have made efforts not to be rightly labeled ‘anti-Catholic’ even though my blog is about Reformation. An RC named Ed became a dear friend through the blog. We were able to come to agreement on the first things of justification.

Thanks for your encouraging article.

Thanks for your kind comments. I wanted to share something that was fresh on my mind from reading various tributes to Father Richard John Neuhaus. I've learned so much about his work, especially in its collaboration with great men like Chuck Colson. Knowing your passion for the Reformation, it meant a lot to hear that my paraphrasings were useful in some way.

I look forward to your blog. When time permits, I'd like to learn more about Charles Finney and other sources you've used so knowledgeably. (Especially, the Bible!)

Sorry that I did not associate your names.

I do remember your comments on the article on apostasy. My view of Finney is not the popular view. I consider him the beginning of the end of Reformed Theology as a major sanctifying influence on the culture. Finney’s perversions of Biblical Theology have perverted Protestantism resulting in perverse church policy and perverse influences on public policy.

I could learn from you if you are willing to dialog. Regards.

I think I would learn more from you--my one year in Catholic seminary left me hungry for more theology and philosophy. At that time (1994-95), we had two bishops, both quite liberal. Our current bishop, appointed by Pope Benedict, seems to me more solid in the sense of being a great teacher, a real holy man. Tonight I will read Proverbs, 31. Here is the quotation of our Holy Father given by Chuck Colson in that recent issue of First Things that so interested me: "The Holy Father said: 'That is why Luther's expression sola fide is true if faith is not opposed to charity, to love. Faith is to look at Christ, to be conformed to Christ, to his life. And the form, the life of Christ, is love; hence to believe is to be conformed to Christ and to enter into his love. That is why, in the Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul develops his doctrine on justification; he speaks of faith that operates through charity.'" (p.27, "First Things," April 2009).

If this is real common ground, then we could dialogue, starting with the areas we can agree upon. Another time, I'd like to quote the statement, also quoted by Colson in the same article. It's from a paper called "The Gift of Salvation." It came out in 1997. It's remarkable for the common ground between Evangelicals and Catholics. Let me just quote it. It is from "Evangelicals and Catholics Together": "We agree that justification is not earned by any good works or merits of our own; it is entirely God's gift...Faith is not merely intellectual assent but an act of the whole person, involving the mind, the will, and the affections, issuing in a changed life. We understand that what we here affirm is in agreement with what the Reformation traditions have meant by justification by faith alone (sola fide)." (same page of First Things, p.27).

Yes! Your understanding of justification is what I am interested in hearing more about. Thanks for your comment. I will be asking, not telling, unless you ask me a question.

Are these articles online?

I'm not sure if this is available online. It would be worth a try. It is the April issue of the monthly, "First Things." No. 192. Charles Colson's article is titled, "My Brother in Christ" (pp. 26-27).
Here is another paragraph you may enjoy reading: "It was also an ecumenism that wasn't warmly received by some in both evangelical and Catholic circles. In 1994, Father Richard and I held a press conference in New York during Holy Week to announce a joint statement of truth we could affirm together. To our surprise, we made headlines: 'Evangelicals and Catholics to Unite.'" (p.26)
I would google Chuck Colson, Richard John Neuhaus and Evangelicals and Catholics Together. I appreciate your encouragement.

Yes, if you google, as I did, "Evangelicals and Catholics Together," you will find some interesting links, including what looks like the original statement published in 1994. I also noticed a link to the journal, "First Things." By the way, this journal has many articles on subjects that would interest you, especially Natural Law. It's an interreligious journal, in fact, that has Natural Law as the grounding principle. Thanks again for your comments. I'll be reading ValiantForTruth...

Thanks! I hope to not be without net service during my trip this weekend; if so I will check out the articles. I would like to see the quotes in context.

Your perspectives are welcome at VfT.

Hope you and family have a blessed Easter.

I have begun to read ECT. Here are a couple of questions for you...

'We affirm together that we are justified by grace through faith because of Christ. Living faith is active in love that is nothing less than the love of Christ, for we together say with Paul: "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2)' [Quote from ECT, under heading ‘We Affirm Together, paragraph 2]

We affirm together that we are justified by grace through faith because of Christ. Is the phase ‘because of Christ’ the same as ‘in Christ alone’?


'We affirm together that Christians are to teach and live in obedience to the divinely inspired Scriptures, which are the infallible Word of God. We further affirm together that Christ has promised to his church the gift of the Holy Spirit who will lead us into all truth in discerning and declaring the teaching of Scripture. (John 16) We recognize together that the Holy Spirit has so guided his church in the past. In, for instance, the formation of the canon of the Scriptures, and in the orthodox response to the great Christological and Trinitarian controversies of the early centuries, we confidently acknowledge the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In faithful response to the Spirit's leading, the church formulated the Apostles Creed which we can and hereby do affirm together as an accurate statement of Scriptural truth:…'[Quote from ECT, under heading ‘We Affirm Together, paragraph 4]

Why leave off Augustine’s controversy with Pelagius on Grace? The application of the Gospel is an important part of the Gospel.

These are good questions and, to be honest, I'm not really qualified to deal with them! Pelagius was one of our issues in seminary, but I've forgotten so much...I have to fall back on the lay person's general knowledge, if that. So, I apologize for that.

The question of "because of Christ" versus "in Christ alone" makes a great deal of sense, on the surface. It seems to relate to Paul's aspiration and experience: it was Christ acting in him, not him acting anymore--after his conversion to Jesus Christ.

I looked up an interesting passage in the Catechism, # 654, on justification: "The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life. This new life is above all justification that reinstates us in God's grace, 'so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life.' Justification consists in both victory over the death caused by sin and a new participation in grace. (Cf. Eph 2:4-5; 1 Pet 1:3). It brings about filial adoption so that men become Christ's brethren, as Jesus himself called his disciples after his Resurrection: 'Go and tell my brethren.' We are brethren not by nature, but by the gift of grace, because that adoptive filiation gains us a real share in the life of the the only Son, which was fully revealed in his Resurrection."

What is your understanding of Romans 4:3?

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”[quoted from Genesis 15:6]

This passage appears to describe Abraham, a man of faith, as righteous before God--on account of that very faith. I think we can agree on that. Abraham continues to be a model of living faith. He really chose to walk on faith alone. What a remarkable example he is!

I appreciate your efforts to make yourself known to me and reaching out in the spirit of Colson and Neuhaus. However, I am uncomfortable with what to me is vague language. I do not see a clear understanding of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to the sinner by faith alone. For me this language is critical to the Gospel and not open to compromise.

I also appreciate the effort to have a dialogue. But I have to admit again, I'm not anything but an amateur theologian at best. My discipline turned out to be literature, so I prefer to listen to and tell stories--at least most of the time. Correct me if I'm wrong: Luther argued that we are justified by faith alone, not by any efforts or works coming from self-will. To put it in historical context, Luther was outraged by the so-called "works" of the Church he grew up in. His counter-argument was (in my own words): in no way do such works (e.g., the selling of "indulgences" or even works of charity) justify. Only faith, as the Bible says, can justify. It is my understanding that recently Catholics and Lutherans have come to terms with what had hitherto been a real barrier to dialogue. Evidence of this would be in the quotation I shared from Pope Benedict, his personal reflection on a certain unity between faith and love. I know that is very vague, but it's the best I can do!