Regional Synod of Canada - Reformed Church in America

Pioneer Christian Monthly

Date - Oct/63

Contributor - T. Hogerwaard

Title - Reformation Day

Topic - Church History

The changed climate

Among the many profound changes which we have witnessed in the last 40 years, the changed relationship between the Churches is one of the most remarkable.

In my teenage days the Churches in Holland lived their own lives, practically totally ignorant of what was going on in other Churches and not very much interested in it either.

Then, after the First World War, things began to change slowly but steadily. Many Protestant Churches sent their representatives to Stockholm (Life and Work); a few years later to Lausanne (Faith and Order) to exchange points of view and to see whether it was possible to draw closer to each other.

After the Second World War we had the World Conference of Churches 'in Amsterdam; Reverend Gramberg informed us about the significance of the World Conference of Churches in India, two years ago; several of our churches here in Ontario during the vacation of their minister heard the Reverend Prof, Dr. Lekkerkerker preach, after he attended the Faith and Order Conference in Montreal.

The Orthodox Churches which for many years were very hesitant to partake in the World Council of Churches, joined two years ago And in the U.S.A. there are many young men who study theology but who do not intend to take the hardships and responsibilities of the ministry upon themselves, no, their aim and purpose is to become specialists in the inter-Church relationships.

The Protestant Churches and Rome

Till not to long ago the Church of Rome remained completely aloof. If now and then the pope gave some attention to the World Conferences of Protestant Churches it was only to pronounce that unity of the Church of Christ could only and exclusively be affected if and when all Protestant Churches, all individual non-Roman Catholic believers returned to the fold of Rome and submitted themselves to the authority of the "Good Shepherd" in Rome and there the matter rested.

That too has changed. Two years ago - in India - official observers from Rome were present (the theology of Karl Barth is intensively studied by Roman theologians) pope John 23 called the Orthodox and Protestants "Our separated brethren"; many outstanding Protestants theologians were officially invited to be present at the Ecumenical Council in Rome last year; a special department was formed under the leadership of Cardinal Bea S.J. for the conversation with the "separated brethren"; for the second session of the Ecumenical Council, reconvening in Rome 25th of Sept. even more Protestant theologians are invited by the present pope (who took the official name of Paul when he was elected;) a few years ago a commentary on the letter to the Romans was published by a R.C. scholar, the content of which - in the main points was essentially in agreement with what we - for the last four hundred years - had understood as Paul's meaning with that letter. All that is most remarkable and gladdening. Karl Barth has even declared (and no one who knows his works will ever think that he is one to under estimate the depth of the gulf that separates us from Rome) that it seems that the spirit of renewal is more alive today in Rome than it is in Geneva.

When I was a boy we had the Reverend Dr. Krop as one of our ministers in Rotterdam. Married to a French lady of Hugenot descent he never allowed us to forget what the Church of Rome stood for what atrocities had been committed during the centuries in the name of that church; that was what we heard many a Sunday and and a specially strong helping of the same on the occasion of Reformation, Day. But all this has changed; the tone of preaching on occasion of Reformation Day is by far not so strong and belligerent as it was before. Moreover, young people in many Protestant Church es do not want to hear the points of difference stressed; they are the ones who as a rule are very Ecumenically minded.

"What have we to do with the old struggles and controversies?" they ask. "We live now in 1963! We all belong to Christ and what does it matter in what Church you were educated, to which Church you belong, as long as you are a Christian?"

Well, enthusiasm is a fine thing, but you have to ask yourself what the elements are of which enthusiasm for a certain cause is composed. This enthusiasm is often combined with a very poor knowledge of the issues at stake. Professor C.S. Lewis once wrote: "you must not expect St. Athanasius to be as plausible as Mr. Bernard Shaw: he (Athanasius) knows to much." And here we can say: You must not expect the informed Reformed and R.C. theologians to be as enthusiastic about the possibility of uniting Rome and Geneva: they also know too much."

Basic differences still the same

Notwithstanding the changed climate (for which everyone should be thankful) notwithstanding the winds of renewal that are blowing from some corners of the R.C. Church (notably the works of the Jesuit scholar Dr. Hans Kueng); notwithstanding the courtesies exchanged by R.C. leaders and prominent Protestant men, the clear headed theologians on both sides of the fence are not for one moment in doubt about the fact that the great basic differences between Rome and the Reformation are still as great as they were four centuries ago. In some respects they are even greater. The doctrine of the infallibility of the pope (1870); the doctrine of Mary's immaculate conception (1854); the doctrine that Mary (in the same way as our Lord) ascended bodily into heaven (1950); the possibility that one day it may be necessary for salvation for R.C. believers to confess that Mary co-operates in our salvation are so many more roadblocks on the way between Rome and the Reformation. The clear picture which Professor Dr. Berkhouwer has drawn is still the reality we are confronted with. A level-headed Dutch proverb reads: "The presence of one swallow does not mean that summer has arrived." Notwithstanding the stress that, rightly so is placed on our Lord's Words "that they all may be one" the difficulties here are enormous.

The points at issue

Informed Protestants know that the heart of the Reformation can be summarized in the four "only's". Only Christ, only by grace, only by faith, only Scripture. Of course the Church of Rome honour,, Christ too; for them Scripture is the source of revelation; they stress the necessity of God's grace for salvation and faith plays a great role with them.

But Karl Barth recently has pointed out that the great difference between Rome and us is the little word "and" which takes the place which the little word "only" occupies with us. The heart of R. C. doctrine is: Christ and Mary; grace and human co-operation; faith and works; Scripture and tradition (the doctrine of 1870 included here).

But God demands exclusiveness without concessions. "Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is unique and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind."

Paul told his congregations again and again: If you trust partly in Christ and partly in your fulfillment of the Law, that does not mean that your salvation in Christ is somewhat limited, no, it means that you have nothing to do with Christ and His grace. 4)

Before he became a R.C. himself, Cardinal Newman said that the R.C. Church had a different religion than the Protestants. Man r y things could be mentioned to show the basic differences. Let us limit ourselves to one essential point as pars pro toto" (taking a part for a whole.) Dr. Stam wrote 2) discussing Dr. de Ridders book (Maria Mede-verlosseres ?) how strong the feeling is in many R.C. quarters that it must be made a doctrine in the R.C. Church that Mary co-operates with Christ in our salvation. There is a good reason to fear that in the long run the R.C. theologians who fight this, will lose.

That's how it stands in the R.C. Church. Karl Barth represents the Protestant view when he writes: "The content of the Biblical attestation of revelation does not give us any cause to acknowledge that the person of Mary in the event of revelation possesses relatively even such an independent and emphatic position as, render it necessary or justifiable to make it the object of a theological doctrine. Mariology is an excrescence, that is a diseased construct of theological thought. Excrescences must be excised (that is: cut out.)

And therefore, although we cordially rejoice in any and every sign of renewal in the R.C. Church and welcome any evidence that the R.C. Church increases its willingness to submit unreservedly to the authority of the Word of God yet we can and must be as thankful to God for what He gave us in the Reformation as our forefathers were.

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