October 3rd, 2011<\/p>\n
In his recent visit to Germany (22-25 September 2011), ecumenical issues had center-stage in Pope Benedict\u2019s agenda. Visiting the Erfurt\u2019s convent, where the young monk Martin Luther had studied theology, the Pope met representatives of the Protestant church in Germany (EKD) and delivered an interesting speech whose theme was Luther\u2019s main passion and his legacy in the present-day\u2019s ecumenical scene. Let\u2019s briefly review it.<\/p>\n
1. The actuality of Luther\u2019s question<\/i><\/p>\n
After expressing words of appreciation for the occasion, Benedict rightly points out that Luther\u2019s fundamental question (\u201cHow do I receive the grace of God?\u201d) has on-going spiritual significance for us. Although many people do not seem to have troubled consciousnesses before God, God\u2019s position towards us and our position before Him are \u201creal\u201d issues for the whole of mankind. The Pope wants to stress the interplay between the existential import of faith (\u201cHow do I \u2026) and God\u2019s salvation (\u201c\u2026 receive the grace of God?\u201d) that was central for Luther.<\/p>\n
The other main point about Luther\u2019s importance lies in his \u201cthoroughly Christocentric\u201d thinking and spirituality. For Luther, as it is reviewed by Benedict, God is no mere philosophical hypothesis, but has a face and has spoken to us in Jesus Christ. Therefore, \u201cwhat promotes Christ\u2019s cause\u201d is the driving concern of the German Reformer.<\/p>\n
This first part of the speech is a respectful and fair summary of Luther\u2019s theological vision, but even more interesting is the second part where Benedict indirectly touches on the question of what happened after Luther.<\/p>\n
2. After Luther \u2026 two directions?<\/i><\/p>\n
In the second part the Pope addresses the present-day ecumenical situation. It is quite clear that after surveying Luther\u2019s message, he wants to reflect on where Luther\u2019s legacy is to be found today. According to Benedict there are two streams, both of them causing some concerns to him. The \u201cgeography of Christianity\u201d is characterized by a \u201cnew form of Christianity\u201d which is readily identifiable with Evangelical and Pentecostal spiritualities, although these terms are not used in the official text, but have been referred to by journalists reporting on the event. We will need to say a few remarks about this \u201cnew form of Christianity\u201d which the Pope relates to Evangelical Protestantism.<\/p>\n
The other stream is secularization whereby \u201cGod is increasingly driven out of our society\u201d. In our secularized context, the Scriptures seem locked into a remote past and faith is watered down. Is it a description of the failures of liberal Protestantism? Benedict is saying that Luther has been a great figure of the world-wide church but after five centuries his heirs are either going astray in a \u201cnew form of Christianity\u201d or somewhat responsible for the downgrading of secularization.<\/p>\n
Where is Luther to be found today? Is the Pope gently but firmly saying that Luther\u2019s legacy is a failure? Is he also implying that the correction for both dangerous directions is to recover the (Roman) catholic dimension through an appeased ecumenical engagement with Rome?<\/p>\n
3. Evangelicals according to Benedict XVI<\/i><\/p>\n
Let\u2019s go back to the reference to \u201cA new form of Christianity\u201d. It is interesting to notice how Benedict describes it, remembering that description is also evaluation:<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is a \u201cnew form of Christianity\u201d. We are given the impression that Evangelicalism is a new<\/i> religious movement, with little if any sense of history and tradition. Whereas the RC Church cherishes (sometimes idolizes) continuity, Evangelicals are people of discontinuity, always wanting something \u201cnew\u201d but not building on the past. It is sad that we mirror the newness of the Christian faith at the expense of the \u201cold Gospel\u201d passed through history.<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is \u201cspreading with overpowering missionary dynamism\u201d. The Pope acknowledges that the Evangelical movement is the form of Christianity that is increasingly expanding world-wide. He says that this information comes from bishops from around the world that constantly tell him so. The Vatican recognizes the missionary impetus and zeal of the movement.<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Its dynamism sometimes happens \u201cin frightening ways\u201d. There are methods, dynamics, practices of Evangelical missions that scare the Pope. Is this a critique of unethical forms of proselytism? Or is it a more general dissatisfaction with regard to Evangelical activism and its lack of \u201crespect\u201d for territorial and established churches?<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is a form of Christianity marked by \u201clittle institutional depth\u201d, i.e. with little ecclesiological awareness and little ecclesiastical apparatus. Evangelicalism is more para-church than church proper. Fair comment.<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It is also marked by \u201clittle rationality\u201d. Is he thinking to \u201csigns and wonders\u201d, \u201chealth and\u00a0 wealth\u201d, \u201cexperience vs rational\u201d, \u201ceasy-believism\u201d types of Evangelicalism? Certainly, he is saying that Evangelicalism as a whole is not a champion of rational thinking.<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Even worse, this form of Christianity has \u201ceven less dogmatic content\u201d. The Pope is passing judgment on the doctrinal superficiality of much Evangelicalism. According to him, Evangelicals do not excel in being reasonable people, but are not doctrinal people either. Beyond a vague spirituality, there is little left in his perception.<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, it also has \u201clittle stability\u201d. The impression we give as a movement is that of instability, excessive fragmentation, lack of cohesiveness, on-going state of flux that is leading nowhere.<\/p>\n
\u00a0These comments on Evangelicalism are not new. Pope Benedict had already mentioned some of them in the 2011 book-interview <\/em>Light of the World: The Pope, the Church, and the Signs of the Times<\/em>. [1] They could be dismissed as unwarranted caricatures. Actually, they are not. Although painful, it is healthy to ask ourselves what kind of witness do we give to the observing world. The logic of Benedict\u2019s interpretation of present-day Protestantism seems to indicate that Luther\u2019s heirs, be they Evangelicals or liberals, are performing poorly. All those who share Luther\u2019s passion for God and love of Christ should react and live out a faith that is biblical, apostolic, protestant, awakened (always reforming) and missionary, i.e. Evangelicalism at its best. Will the Pope change his mind?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Leonardo De Chirico<\/p>\n leonardo.dechirico@ifeditalia.org<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1] See Vatican Files n. 3, \u201cPapa dixit. The recent interview with Pope Benedict XVI\u201d<\/a> (6th December 2010).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\n
![\"Share](\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/dot.png\")
<\/a>