That which unites us even after the separation … is in the Word of the Scripture, in the confession of faith, in the councils of the ancient church.
— Pope John Paul II, letter on Martin Luther
Five-hundred and seven years ago today, a little mallet in the hands of Martin Luther tapped against the door of All Saints’ Church — on the eve of All Saints’ Day, no less. To be sure, those little hammer blows reverberated throughout Europe and the West and the World in the half-millenium that followed. It is astounding that so little of the contents of those ninety-five theses are remembered by the general public today, and this is a testament to the fact that many of the abuses Luther called attention to have in fact been redressed by the Catholic Church.
Though the last five-hundred and seven years have in many ways been quite tumultuous for Christendom, there has evidently been much good as well. It is fitting that the Vatican, in commemorating the five-hundredth anniversary in 2017, was careful to label the ceremonies as a “commemoration” rather than a “celebration.” A bit of sobriety regarding the unfortunate nature of the Reformation is certainly in order. Just as an American can and should celebrate the American Revolution, he should remember that it was also a war, whose accompanying horrors are never themselves appropriate objects of celebration.
I’ve come to feel as a Protestant that the Reformation, while undoubtedly a victory for the truth, nonetheless carried a heavy price for the Church. I will gladly contend against the view on either the Catholic or Protestant side that Luther himself intended division rather than reform, though history shows division was one of the unavoidable results of his work. The Apostle Paul speaks of divisions almost exclusively in the negative, with the only marginal exception being in 1 Corinthians 11 where he seems to characterize them as sometimes necessary yet always unfortunate. With regard to progress being made in mitigating the costly division of the Reformation, the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification represents a historically unprecedented and admirable milestone. It is a curious thing that Luther’s theses should be so close in time and space to celebration of all saints. Indeed, I think this theme should be the true anthem of Reformation Day.
The Vatican has in recent decades expressed a deeper focus on the unity of all Christians in spite of theological differences. If I’ve learned anything from Church history, it is that theologies cannot be separated from the times, places, cultures and individuals that shape them. This focus on unity undoubtedly comes at an opportune time of encroaching secularization and, strangely, increasing paganism. We must bear in mind that the doctrines responsible for the Reformation and those adjacent to them are not trivial or unimportant, but against the backdrop of a godless age the common faith of disparate traditions seems to shine much brighter. Divisions within the faith are not as urgent as the division between the Church and the world, and the state of the world increasingly highlights that fact. That is to say, Catholics, Protestants and even Orthodox all have bigger fish to fry. This is not reason to ignore our differences, but rather our common faith makes those differences worth surmounting.
In the last year, I’ve found myself catching up to this coalescing spirit of ecumenism not by avoiding that which divides traditions but by diving headfirst into the discussions. The more I listen to those in other churches, the more I am sympathetic to positions I nonetheless disagree with. I am convinced that where “Christ is Lord” is proclaimed in truth, there is the Spirit, and so the act of ecumenism is transformed from a human effort to unify to an effort to act in accordance with the unity which the Spirit already grants independent of our effort. Basically, true Christians, how we identify them notwithstanding, are already unified in Christ by His own Spirit, therefore we should act like it.
A danger, perhaps the greatest danger, posed by secular culture against this effort is the spirit of total liberal, pluralist relativism in all its variations. It is the temptation to disregard our differences through the inane suggestion that everyone can be right at the same time. This is philistine foolishness, not from God, but from the godless. Again, the unity of the Church is predicated on Christ (John 17:19-23), not on us, so to detach ecumenism from the non-negotiable truth of Christ is to dismantle unity rather than build it. It is a pretended unity, a shallow friendship built on frivolous happiness instead of shared hardship. “Iron sharpens iron” through striking and casting sparks. I am confident that I can call anyone brother who puts his faith in Christ (Matthew 12:48-50) regardless of other differences, though this I cannot do if I deny the Lord that unifies us in the first place.
This is where the liberalism of the American way has gone astray. I’m kind of a fan of the First Amendment, but it is clear that a religious liberty not bounded by the shared pursuit of the Good is thereby not a good liberty. Freedom of religion is only possible historically because of a Christian, especially Protestant, ethos. As secular society divorces freedom from Christianity, it transforms freedom into something perverse. The whole premise of true freedom is in Christ, and it is the freedom to pursue Him (John 8:34-36). If we cannot agree that the answer to Pilate’s “What is truth?” was staring him in the face, then we cannot agree to pursue that Truth together. Where Christ is not the prize, liberty withers.
Conversely, this is where I am encouraged that Western Christianity is headed in the right direction. Where Christ is, liberty blossoms. As so much of the West turns aside, the one true holy catholic and apostolic Church can turn to her Lord together. I pray that we find increasingly that holiness, catholicity, and apostolicity are found chiefly in the gospel of grace through faith rather than in institutions, volumes, knowledge or practice, and thus embrace the oneness of Christ’s body. True orthodoxy is articulated imperfectly in traditions but rooted in faith in the perfect Christ.
I am glad to be Protestant, but only insofar as I am glad to be Christian. It is easy for modern individualists to mistake the right spirit of Luther as one of our own individualism, but the Spirit of Truth is not for the members alone, but for the whole body. With Luther, I hope never to sacrifice truth for unity, knowing that the latter must proceed from the former. With Paul, I hope never to be a stumbling block to my brothers and sisters or an enemy of peace in the Spirit.
So, the Reformation takes on a joyous note and a somber countermelody. I wonder often these days what it will take, if anything, to bring healing where there has been schism, short of the dogmatic answers of more ecclesialist traditions. I think the darkness of sin all around is the best way to highlight where the city on a hill truly rests. By contending against principalities and powers, we can simply look to see who fights by our side for Christ (Mark 9:38-40). The law of death reveals the Spirit of life. Although, it is evidently not totally adequate to merely examine someone’s deeds, as the point of the fruit is to reveal the invisible inner nature of the tree. The intent of the heart is of great consequence, and wolves sometimes dress up as sheep. Perhaps the Nicene Creed is a good starting point for doctrinal unity, and from there diverging understandings can be ironed out.
Ultimately, I am convinced that when John writes to “test the spirits” we are meant to give consideration to the mobile nature of spirit (John 3:8). We may test spirits by considering where they move, where they take us. Paul gives a helpful list in Galatians of Christian qualities to which the Spirit of God moves us. Again, our unity is in Christ (Galatians 3:28). If any spirit moves one away from such qualities and therefore away from deeper faith in Christ their source, it can be said not to be the Spirit of unity. Doctrines and theology can help us more precisely unearth the nature of faith and its object, though they must never themselves be mistaken for faith or its object.
I believe the two preceding points about Nicaea and the Spirit can help solidify the outer boundary of unity and exclude the soul-imperiling heresies of groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Muslims who might otherwise want to be included on the basis of revering a kind of Christ. The project of ecumenism is of inclusion and exclusion without excess in either. In this case, a useful method to “test the spirits” of such groups is to examine their view of Paradise, as Paradise is the embodiment of the ultimate human good. As far as I can tell, on the basis of the apostolic gospel, any orthodox Christian faith predicates the ultimate human good in the ultimate Good through the paradox of self-sacrifice revealed in Christ. As John the Baptist says, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Heaven must not be about us, but about God. If Heaven is anything more or less than total enjoyment of the fulfilled human purpose to partake in the divine nature and render Him glory, then it is not Heaven. JW’s distort this fact, and the hedonistic focus of Islam and Mormonism exalt man instead of God.
As can be seen from such an example, the articulation of doctrine becomes helpful in its proper place. Whether it is articulated as theosis, the beatific vision, or taking wing to gloryland, though the manner of articulation is important, the manner is not itself the matter of articulation. All who truly have faith are united by a desire-in-self-denial to be united to the Perfect and the True, a desire which is instilled and effected by the moving, living Spirit of the selfsame God. Though there is much that complicates the living out of this fact, St. Ignatius of Antioch was right when he said, “Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” For indeed, “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Ephesians 4:4-6). This is what defines a saint, what defines the Church, and so this truth is indeed for all saints.
I intend to give some attention in the future to addressing Protestant-Catholic differences. I think that there is, even if only a mustard seed, a faith that unites us. We agree most basically that Christ is the Truth, and so most of the differences seem to arise from epistemic disagreements about how that Truth is known. By the blood of Christ, such disagreements need not define us. For the sake of Christ, all such disagreements can be overcome.
So, in that spirit, I pray you have a happy Reformation Day. Here’s to All Saints, and glory be to the God of All Saints!
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. — John 4:20-23 (KJV)
Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. — Matthew 17:20b (KJV)
Being Kindled 
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