Restorationism and the Catholic Church

"To be deep in history, is to cease to be a Protestant"
- Cardinal John Henry Newman

Among many Protestant sects, anti-Catholicism is taught early and often. While the Catholic faith is essentially a mystery to most Baptists, evangelicals, and non-denominational Christians, to them, a few things are certain: Catholics worship Mary, idols, saints, and wafers. Yet perhaps by the prompting of the Holy Sprit, a few evangelicals are willing to examine the claims of the Roman Catholic Church -- most notably, its holding as the Church that Christ established under Peter, as well as its corresponding claims of Apostolic Authority.

Oftentimes evangelicals, yearning for authentic -- if orthodox -- Christianity, skip the apostolic tradition altogether in an attempt to "go back" to the Christianity of the apostles. This movement, called restorationism -- or Christian primitivism -- is popular among Charismatic evangelical groups in America. Since its onset, Christianity was banned in the Roman Empire, and Christians had to worship in the privacy of their homes; accordingly, that is why "home church" is a popular movement in evangelical circles today. But the problem that immediately comes to mind is: how did the early Church worship? What did they believe in?

For evangelicals, the answers may be unsettling. Let's consider the the writings of Justin Martyr in the middle of second century. In his First Apology (AD 150-155) to the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pious, which detailed the importance of Christianity, Justin Martyr provided one of the earliest accounts of Christian worship outside of Scripture:

On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time. When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray.

On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, “Amen”. The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent.

For those who are familiar with Catholicism, this particular account of Christian worship is, to this day, almost identical to the Holy Mass celebrated around the world. Notice that Justin Martyr mentions the Eucharist, which he describes in detail at another part of the First Apology:

"For not as common bread and common drink do we receive these; but in like manner as Jesus Christ our Saviour, having been made flesh and blood for our salvation, so likewise have we been taught that the food which is blessed by the prayer of His word, and from which our blood and flesh by transmutation are nourished, is the flesh and blood of that Jesus who was made flesh."

So, if evangelicals desire to return to the "purity" of the early Church, are they willing to accept the teachings and liturgy of the early Church? If so, it is important for their journey of faith to understand that the Catholic Church has defended and preserved the teachings of the early Church for nearly two-thousand years; and, once they understand these claims, along with their desire to return to the Christianity of the early Church, a decision must be made. Accordingly, in AD 110 -- less than one-hundred years after Christ -- Ignatius of Antioch, in his Epistle to the Symyrnaens, wrote:

Follow the bishop, all of you, as Jesus Christ follows his Father, and the presbyterium as the Apostles. As for the deacons, respect them as the Law of God. Let no one do anything with reference to the Church without the bishop. Only that Eucharist may be regarded as legitimate which is celebrated with the bishop or his delegate presiding. Where the bishop is, there let the community be, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.

Bienseance de la Conversation entre les Hommes

First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen, he was second to none in humble and enduring scenes of private life. Pious, just, humane, temperate, and sincere; uniform, dignified, and commanding; his example was as edifying to all around him as were the effects of that example lasting...Correct throughout, vice shuddered in his presence and virtue always felt his fostering hand. The purity of his private character gave effulgence to his public virtues...Such was the man for whom our nation mourns.

-Henry Lee III, on George Washington

George Washington was a man of impeccable manners and civility. Historians have long attributed Washington's humble decency to a school exercise he was required to complete before his sixteenth birthday: copying 110 maxims for proper behavior.

Many of the maxims have been traced to a sixteenth century work by French Jesuits, entitled, Bienseance de la Conversation entre les Hommes (Decency of Conversation among Men). Written at the College of La Fleche in western France, a copy of the book is believed to have wound up in the hands of  young Washington by the return of a half-brother from studying in Europe.

Washington, the American Cincinnatus, famously retired from the Presidency in order to return to his quiet life as a farmer. Many, though, wanted to establish him as monarch. Yet in spite of his political accomplishments, Washington was a man of personal conviction -- a true American gentleman. And much thanks, I'm sure, can be given to those formative maxims. It would do well to learn a few of them yourself. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Shift not yourself in the sight of others nor gnaw your nails.
2. Do not puff up the cheeks; loll not out the tongue, rub the hands or beard, thrust out the lips or bite them, or keep the lips too open or too close.
3. Let your countenance be pleasant but in serious matters somewhat grave.
4. If anyone comes to speak to you while you are sitting, stand up though he be your inferior...
5. Let your discourse with men of business be short and comprehensive
6. In speaking to men of quality do not lean nor look them full in the face, nor approach too near them. At least keep a full pace between them.
7. Strive not with your superiors in argument, but always submit your judgment to others with modesty.
8. When a man does all he can though it succeeds not well blame him not that did it.
9. In your apparel be modest and endeavor to accommodate nature, rather than to procure admiration. Keep to the fashion of your equals, such as are civil and orderly with respect to times and places.
10. Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company.

Stormin' Mormons

I was grilling some meat for dinner a few weeks ago, and I ran inside for a moment to grab a plate when the front doorbell suddenly rang. I opened the door, and two backpacked, bespectacled Mormons stood there, anxiously waiting to get either an invitation for coffee and biscuits (which they'll decline) or a swift broom to their backs. We exchanged greetings, and I let them know that I will offer neither coffee nor a broom -- but, I told them, it had been some time since we've had a "visit." They both licked their lips in anticipation.

The veteran missionary of the two, all but nineteen years old, immediately got to business. They were here, he said, to talk to me about the "good news" of "another testament of Jesus Christ." I told them that's all right with me -- but if they want to keep my attention, they'll need to follow me out back because I had meat on the grill.

So they followed me out back, mindful not to walk on my lawn (thank goodness); and, as I tended to the grill, they asked me about my faith, and I told them that I am a faithful Roman Catholic. They both nodded their heads -- and, I'm sure, recalled their training on how to talk to Papists. I didn't give them any time to react: I asked them if they believed the Catholic Church slipped into apostasy around the time of the Edict of Milan. They said yes.

I informed them that their belief contradicts the account in the Gospel of Matthew when Christ establishes His Church. Christ told St. Peter that the gates of Hell will not prevail against His Church; thus, I told the Mormons as I turned the chicken, I could not believe Joseph Smith's claims. And as the flames of the grill flickered into the sky, I couldn't help but remark how ironic it is that we're having this conversation of doom in front of fire...

The nodded their heads again, and realized this show is over. But they handed me one of their tracts anyway, told me to keep on praying, and bid me farewell.

But, as usual when I encounter interesting people, I kept on thinking about the life they live. I thought the older one -- the veteran -- would have made a good Catholic priest. He had that profound clarity that all good priests have. The younger one -- the rookie -- was too wet-behind-the-ears for me to make an adequate judgment; furthermore, I think he was far too concerned about remembering all of his missionary training for door-to-door combat than actually worrying about whether I read the Book of Mormon.

After dinner, I flipped open the pamphlet they left behind, entitled "How to Keep Your Family Together Forever." Supposedly, the LDS church brings in scores of converts as a result of their "family first" propaganda. Enticing, to be sure -- especially since our society believes that normal family life is a horror show. Yet, as I was reading the tract, I was reminded of anti-Mormon sentiment that claimed that, while on the surface looking squeaky clean, Mormons had lots of garmie-garbed skeletons in their closets. These critics -- who are mainly evangelical Protestants -- argue that the suicide rate in Utah is higher than average, which supposedly indicates that Mormonism is psychologically unhealthy.

In 2002 (the most recent date available), Utah tied with Oregon for #11 nationally in suicides per 100,000 people. Of the Mountain States, which typically -- for reasons unknown -- have the highest suicide rates in the nation, Utah had the lowest rate. Furthermore, is it even reasonable to equate the entire state of Utah with Mormonism?

Don't worry: before the Mormons left, I asked them if they've ever seen Napoleon Dynamite -- the greatest Mormon flick of all time.

Israel, the Rapture, and Christian Zionism

The dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16–17)

The word Rapture, which means "to be raised up or caught up," is connected to the Latin word rapiemur, which appears in St. Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians in the Latin Vulgate. 

The Catholic Church teaches that that those Christians present at the Second Coming of Christ will be gathered together with the dead in Christ to be with the Lord forever. On the other hand, most evangelicals believe in a literal Rapture before the Second Coming. This false doctrine had its origins in the writings of John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), an Anglo-Irish evangelist who is also regarded as the father of modern dispensationalism. 

Dispensationalism follows a chronological interpretation of God's intervention in mankind through a series of Biblical covenants. Moreover, Dispensationalists see the Jews as the true people of God; thus, Christian Zionism -- the belief that the modern state of Israel plays a role in Biblical prophecy -- holds that the "ingathering" of the Jewish people is a prerequisite to the Rapture and the Second Coming.

In August 22, 2006, the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and a number of other Churches signed the Jerusalem Declaration on Christian Zionism, where it condemned Christian Zionism for placing "an emphasis on apocalyptic events leading to the end of history rather than living Christ's love and justice today."

Using the Jews as eschatological pawns does not fit the Gospel of Redemption and Salvation. Indeed, Micah 6:8 states: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God."

Leaves by Daniel J. Piedra

Gentle wind, dance with the leaves;
green today, gold tomorrow.
Often wait for one to fall,
but time slows the heart's hope.

Please, let one fall, just one I pray;
fall for me, slow to the ground.
We shall wait for one to fall,
but time slows the heart's hope.

Alas! the gentle wind doth not repose
and sets upon the golden tree.
Not one, but many He gives to me,
and am reminded of many things.



Autumn 2008

Luther - The Advent of Self

Three Reformers by Jacques Maritain

PART ONE: LUTHER

Martin Luther, the great reformer of religion, was not the sole founder of Protestantism -- but his revolution rendered the most profound changes to Christendom's understanding of both the human soul and reality.

Entering religious life at a time when clerical life was already "wretchedly low," Luther was tormented by the need to feel like he was in a state of grace. This mystical homesickness, as Maritain called it, led Luther to turn to "a brutal craving for the relish of his own sanctity"; and, as a result, he rejected supernatural grace, set himself "free", and took his salvation into his own hands.

According to Luther, sin is inevitable. Concupiscence is unconquerable, he claimed, but only One conquered sin, and Christ paid the price for us. Thus, Luther concedes defeat, and consigns himself to the realization that there is nothing we ourselves can do to be saved.

Freed from guilt and the burden of sin, Luther dove headfirst into "anger, calumny, hatred and lying, love of beer and wine, obsession with filth and obscenity" -- all the while acting in "spirit" and in "truth."

According to Maritain, "Luther's self becomes practically the centre of gravity of everything, especially in the spiritual order." By refusing obedience to Rome and by breaking with the communion of the Church, Luther elevated himself as supreme ruler of his soul. He called this "Christian liberty." But his credo was not meant to be limited to himself -- for as all heretics claim, salvation lies only in their original doctrine. In June 1522, Luther wrote, "I do not admit that my doctrine can be judged by anyone, even by the angels. He who does not receive my doctrine cannot be saved."

Roman Catholic theologian Johann Adam Möhler claimed that "Luther's self was in his opinion the centre round which all humanity should gravitate; he set himself up as the universal man in whom all should find their model. Let us make no bones about it, he put himself in the place of Jesus Christ."

Luther -- forerunner of Modern Man and his religion.