seventynine

THOUGHTFULLY DRIVING THE PORCELAIN BUS

A Column by John S Schroeder

November 8, 2003

The first column from my new office – complete with Batsignal and superhero paraphernalia galore. Statues, wallpaper panels, bookends, trinkets, all punctuated by objects of devotion to my alma mater and my formerly favorite college basketball team. My office may not be the most eclectic ever built, but it has got to be in the running. I once went to a client and the President’s office had taxidermy all over it, with each wall devoted to a different continent. I often wonder what James Lileks’ office must look like, but then my guess is it is actually a messy, but otherwise mundane affair. I think Lileks saves his good stuff for his web site.

Speaking of college basketball, I must give praise to the Lord for the return of this most magical of sports. My interest had been declining of late years, as it grew more and more corporate, and less and less storybook. Fortunately the mighty Butler Bulldogs have been stepping up to the plate, culminating in last years not-so-Cinderella trip to the sweet sixteen. Who knows if they can sustain it this year, but they will be good, and they have brought back the "Hoosier" wonders to the sport. I did love visiting campus a few weeks ago, and I did love listening to that game on the Internet this last Thursday last. It’s a crying-damn-shame that Indiana’s namesake university has allowed the shine to fall off it’s storied program, but I am so glad that my alma mater was there to pick up the banner of what real Indiana basketball is all about.

Gotta talk about it. This week past the Episcopal Church actually did what they voted to do awhile back and consecrated an openly gay and practicing Bishop. Some had held out hope there would be an intervention between vote and action, but alas there was not. One of the more interesting commentaries I saw on it came from George Will. Will often infuriates me because I think he sometimes thinks wisdom lies in actually splitting the baby, when it really lies in using that ploy to reveal the true mother. He did that in the column I just linked, particularly when he made the closing comment, "This is not to say that homosexual behavior is inherently wrong, let alone that it is a great intrinsic evil like slavery." Homosexual practice is inherently wrong and Will is bowing somewhat to political correctness to add this caveat to his piece.

The part of the column that I find most interesting is this short passage, "Roman Catholics must be saying: ‘We told you so.’ For almost five centuries they have been warning that Protestantism has an incurable problem of doctrinal instability. They say Protestantism lacks an authoritative, final voice on arguments about faith and morals." To an extent that Catholics are right here, but by the same token what were good, correct Christian thinkers like Luther, Calvin, et al. to do in the face of an utterly corrupt and immovable institution like the Church of Rome?

I think Will’s observation points to the far more interesting question of how has Protestantism survived for five centuries without such an authoritative voice? I think the answer lies in two very important concepts, personal faith, and scriptural authority. These two must go hand in hand and they must be tempered by with a collective agreement, but they are the foundation upon which Protestantism rests.

Will seems to argue against these ideas when he says,

"Well. Suppose revelation did not end in Palestine 2,000 years ago, in the events recorded in Scripture. Does not the Protestant principle of ‘the priesthood of all believers’—every person making up his or her own mind about what Scripture means and what is a new revelation—portend doctrinal anarchy? It must mean perpetual civil war within Protestantism, with dueling epiphanies. Who will decide what are the real rather than the spurious understandings of continuing revelation?

However, in this passage Will, paraphrasing and expanding upon the grossly errant pseudo-bishop, ties together two very important concepts, Scriptural meaning and revelation. We Protestants will forever be arguing the meaning of many passages of Scripture, but until just the last few years, claims of revelation were dismissed as cultic, ala the Latter Day Saints. Will, who I assume is Catholic based on the tenor of his piece, seems to blame Protestantism itself for this just committed heresy. But Protestantism itself is not to blame; rather it is that some Protestants have abandoned the bedrock of their own doctrines.

The idea of Scriptural Authority means that scripture is the only current revelation until Christ Himself returns. Once one accepts that, there is a lot of argument that can be tossed aside. It is telling that until this argument about homosexuality, new revelation never needed to be claimed by anybody reasonably in the argument. Ask yourself why. The answer is simple, there simply is no room in scripture to argue that homosexuality is acceptable. There is room to argue about divorce; there is room to argue about the role of women; but no case can be made for homosexuality without discarding scripture, thus a need for new revelation. It is remarkably similar to the Mormons who needed new revelation for polygamy. What’s interesting is that there is a lot of good polygamous figures in scripture, but there are no good homosexual figures in scripture. The Mormons, cultic and errant as they are, stand on firmer ground than this bunch.

There is also a commonality to Protestantism, and that is where the idea of personal faith comes in. Our commonality lies not in our doctrine, but in our corporate understanding of our sinfulness and the grace that enables us to exist. Divided though we may be on ideas of transubstantiation and how many sacraments there are, we are united by the concept that we are all sinners, saved by the Blood of Christ and recreated with Him in His resurrection. Stott calls this Basic Christianity; Lewis Mere Christianity.

Personal faith seems largely to have been abandoned today, and the church is who has abandoned it. You see it is in the realm of personal faith that we are compelled to change – to be transformed, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "For many are called, but few are chosen." (Matt 22:14) I think the church has pandered to the called, because they are the numerous and the numbers pay bills. Personal faith is what separates the called and the chosen. (No I do not at this time want to argue about the word ‘chosen;’ I am a Calvinist – deal with it.) Those with personal faith, the chosen, they are transformed. Transformed people, informed by the Holy Spirit, tend to know what is important and what is not.

If one views Christianity as a mere religion and/or social institution, then George Will is right and we should all become Catholics as rapidly as possible. Christianity is not a mere religion or institution -- not in the slightest. Episcopalians, at least those that have participated in this debacle, need to be relegated to the same cultic heap on which the Latter Day Saint find themselves. There will be many adherents, as there are to the Mormons, but they have abandoned scriptural authority and are apparently absent personal faith. They are near-Christians – almost, but no cigar.
With Love,