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Christian Network

So what aspects of Roman Catholicism should we not throw out? One might be the emphasis on the priestly ministry of comfort. Too many Evangelical sermons are laced with exhortation at the expense of grace. It sometimes seems that we are always being told what is wrong with our walk. We are urged to become ever more radical in our rejection of the world and ever more single minded in our devotion to God. That, of course, sounds completely Scriptural and so it is. But people grow at different rates and it is safe to say that not every person needs to be incessantly badgered into dying to themselves by next month. Also, we are sometimes being told to abandon aspects of our lives here and now that God may have intended us to enjoy. Heaven forbid that we sit in a hot tub and smoke a cigar, that’s carnal, this despite the fact that hot tubs and occasional cigars do not show up anywhere in the Bible. As someone once said, "it is easier to preach the law than it is to preach grace". It can get to the point where some more self-condemnatory souls do not even want to show up on a Sunday morning fearful that, once again, they will hear, if only implicitly, how they are not measuring up. Prophetic warnings are not what all preaching should be about.

I cannot help but contrast this to some Catholics I know who seek out their parish priest in times of sorrow or stress knowing that he will come to their home, place his hand upon their heads, and bless them. These men often act in the role of comforters whose presence is like the Balm of Gilead to the flock under their care. How many pastors would do the same? How many would make house calls just to tell a hurting member of their flock that Jesus loves them and wants to ease their pain during a difficult time? How many would lay their hands upon them physically in order to be a conduit of that love?

Another characteristic of Catholicism worth adopting is its reverent approach to both churches and the masses that are performed in them. Too many contemporary Evangelical Protestant churches are in buildings that do not architecturally give themselves to reverential awe. It is difficult to feel that kind of awe in a converted warehouse or a rented high school auditorium. Anyone who has ever walked into St. Patrick’s Cathedral here in New York City cannot help but be moved by the sanctity of this place. The soaring columns, the stained glass and, yes, even the votive candles and iconography produces a sense of reverence that is even manifested in the hearts of non-religious people who visit it because it is a city landmark. When all is silent in St. Patrick’s you are tempted to believe you hear the whispers of the angels.

The liturgy of the Roman church during the mass has a similar effect. While I have sometimes been blessed by skits, rock and roll and jokes from the pulpit it is difficult not to feel an informality that is disturbingly close to irreverence for the God of the Cross. Solemnity and faithfulness to the beauty of ancient liturgical practices is not something we contemporary-service junkies should write off quite so cavalierly.

There are other aspects of Roman Catholicism, as well, that we could learn from, ranging from respect for ecclesiastical authority to the emphasis on unity that makes this Church truly a global body. The Catholics have existed as a distinct entity for nearly 1500 years. Could it be that they are doing something right?

So how do we actually blend the best of both communions to shape a "Second Reformation" that might create a sort of "Third Way"? Some say that coming persecution may force Evangelicals and Catholics in America to work, and maybe even live, together. That may be. But it also might be that the coming generations of spiritual seekers might be the catalyst for change. In Part I of this article I mentioned that the "Baby-Boomers", "Generations X and Y" and the so called "Millenials" have experienced a dissatisfaction with the dogma-driven conceits of the entrenched denominations. They desire a Christianity that ascribes to the historic creeds but not to hide-bound sectarianism. It is these seekers who may ,someday soon, create their own equivalent of the "95 Theses" nailed to the door at Wittenberg. Western Christianity could be poised for a paradigm-shift regarding the supposed need to be either Protestant or Catholic. Perhaps the time has come to declare that authentic faith in the new Millenium will somehow have to be both and neither. The Christianity of tomorrow must truly take the good of the two systems, leave the bad and create new wineskins for the new wine God may have for His Church in the time to come.