Reading Guide: Reformed Catholicity: The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation
A reading guide for the book by Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain
Introductory Thoughts
Discussing the differences between Protestants and Roman Catholics eventually leads to the question of Scripture and tradition. In simplest terms, Roman Catholics assert the authority of Holy Scripture and church tradition while Protestants confess the authority of Scripture alone, or sola Scriptura.
Within evangelicalism, however, there has been a strong temptation to turn sola Scriptura into solo Scriptura—Scripture only. A militant kind of biblicism is the result and includes the triumph of biblical theology over systematic theology and churches confessing something like “No creed but the Bible.” If Roman Catholics are for tradition, we think, then Protestants must necessarily be against it. Is that the case?
In the past decade or so, I have witnessed a revived interest by Reformed and Presbyterian churches in their history and tradition. I have seen this in the transition by many churches from seeker-sensitive worship models to higher liturgical forms. Younger generations especially have gravitated to “traditional” churches that sit in pews, sing from hymnals, and preach expository sermons. For being deniers of tradition, they sure seem to love it.
There are many explanations for the pendulum swing, none more compelling perhaps than the search for transcendence in a perpetually evolving culture. Many Christians seek stability in an age of rapid technological, cultural, and moral change. As storied institutions crumble around them, Christians want assurance that the gates of hell will not prevail against Christ’s church (Matthew 16:18).
Therefore, I think the the growing popularity of traditional liturgy and church life is reactionary to some degree. Still, there is no need to be cynical. Rather, Reformed Catholicity—as Michael Allen and Scott Swain describe it—should lead us to praise God for the opportunity to correct typical evangelical notions of tradition and instruct our congregations in the joys of belonging to the “holy catholic church” (Apostle’s Creed).
Reformed and Catholic?
So what does it mean to be catholic? And what does it mean to be a Reformed catholic? This is the question which prompts the book. Like Allen and Swain, I want to start with the question of catholicity before turning to the question of applying it in a Reformed context.
Catholicity is more a mood than a system. It is a “theological sensibility” rather than methodology per se (12). But sensitive to what? Again, I am speaking about the attitude toward tradition and its proper relationship to Scripture. Those committed to a catholic sensibility approach tradition with an attitude of receptivity toward the church’s past, especially its creeds and confessions.
The reason is simple: the church is “the seedbed of theology” (18). 1 John 2:27 says that the Spirit of Christ teaches us everything that is true and that we do not need to go looking for him because he abides in us. In other words, God’s pedagogical blessing flourishes in “the school of Christ” which is the church (18).
With this promise in hand, God assures the faithful that he is guiding and directing their quest for divine knowledge. The name we give that quest is tradition and, as such, it is a “divine institution” (20).
Regardless of what biblicists may suppose, “one cannot make real progress in the quest for understanding apart from a tradition” (20). The search for knowledge has always had social and historical dimensions that we cannot escape. Of course, such pursuits can sometimes meander off course. For every Council of Nicaea there is a Council of Trent. But the possible abuse of a divine institution does not negate its proper use. As the great Reformed axiom goes, grace does not destroy nature but restores and perfects it.1
So if being catholic simply means receptivity to tradition as a divine institution originating and guided by the Spirit, what does it mean to be a Reformed catholic?
This is where Allen and Swain are most helpful in recovering a proper understanding of the authority of Scripture.
For the Reformed, Scripture is the ultimate authority and arbiter of divine knowledge but it is not the only authority. In fact, Scripture recognizes and sanctions certain other authorities so long as they are always subservient to the ultimate authority. For Allen and Swain, the Jerusalem Council recorded in Acts 15 is paradigmatic model of ecclesial authority in that it is prompted by spiritual experience, superintended by the Spirit, and premised on the conformity of the spiritual experience to scriptural precedent (74-76). In other words, the Word authorizes other lesser authorities—especially ordained elders—to shape and sustain the faith and practice of the Christian community as it reaches into new contexts and develops over time.
Indeed, this is implicit in the promise that God is our God and the God of our children (Acts 2:39). We have a divine guarantee that the transmission of faith to the next generation is not only authorized but blessed!
How this promise is carried out in real life is key. Allen and Swain helpfully explain that the order of knowing mirrors that of the order of authority. The latter shows us how Scripture shapes systematic theology which informs catechesis. The former works in the opposite direction. Catechesis of the young forms them into theologians who are equipped to the read and understand the Bible. Someone taught you how to read the Bible before you ever read it on your own. Reformed catholics call this “biblical traditioning” and recognize it as part of God’s good design (81).
Reformed Catholicity Today
So how might we incorporate Reformed catholicity into our practices today? As I mentioned earlier, exciting developments in liturgical resourcement are already underway. Younger Christians especially are excited to sing hymns the church has sung for centuries. Pastors may also find similar enthusiasm for appropriating exegetical and theological resources in their sermons.
Moreover, it should inspire a new appreciation for the ordinary means of grace. Pneumatological ecclesiology, once a bonafide Reformed position, has suffered in the triumph of the seeker sensitive movement. Rather than trust in marketing gimmicks or entertaining antics, Reformed catholics rest in God’s ordained means of grace—the Word, prayer, and sacrament.
Reformed catholicity may also be the ecumenical answer to secularization. It is no secret that the number of professing Christians is dwindling. Pending some great reversal, America will soon catch up with the rest of Europe. Church splits are a product of privilege. Very soon, there will not be enough church members to support inane denominational disruptions between elders united on confessional standards but discordant on pastoral emphases and priorities. Together we stand. Divided we fall.
Conclusion
Reformed pastors and theologians are right to maintain and advance Reformed distinctives. But it is equally necessary to recognize God’s sovereign preservation of his church throughout the ages.
Catholicity instills a humble spirit and a propensity to celebrate truth wherever it is found. Historically, it means appreciating the Spirit at work in our fathers and allowing their insights to spur us on to further theological reflection. Culturally, it resists any one claim to exceptionalism and redirects our focus back to the Bible and its spiritual power on the hearts and minds of God’s people everywhere.
Catholicity is not lowest-common denominator Christianity, as if theological or cultural distinctives can or should be washed away. Rather, it is a disposition of charity to those who are different but united in the body of Jesus Christ and committed to orthodoxy.
The axiom is paradigmatic of a Reformed catholic sensibility. Most Reformed people have received this truth through the great Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck, but it is not original to him. You can trace it all the way back to the Roman Catholic hero, Thomas Aquinas.