Modernist Arrogance

To be sure, one of the greatest errors of Catholicism is the overemphasis placed on tradition. The Catholic Church, in fact, places the Magisterium on equal footing with Scripture, giving them equal weight and authority in regards to theology and doctrine. Yet, while one of the greatest truths to (re)emerge from the Reformation was that of sola scriptura, and, without a doubt, the authority afforded tradition by the Catholic Church is certainly errant, it is important that we Protestants do not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Tradition, while not authoritative, is extremely beneficial in our understanding and employment of the revealed Word of God in Scripture.

The Church seems to exist in a vacuum of late. We hold to many doctrines and teachings that not only were not part of the apostolic faith but, rather, are recent inventions offered initially as a way to forestall or placate the progress of the humanist onslaught. The result is a Christian weltanschauung that bears little resemblance to the faith of our fathers and would be hardly recognisable to them.

When confronted, those who are of the more modernist bent, rely on the most contorted of interpretations of Scripture to buttress their arguments. Those of us who hold to the historic faith can point to those same verses in support of our claims as well. An important consideration, I submit, would be to examine how the church has historically viewed the issue at hand--how did our fathers approach the issue?

Athanasius, the Father of Orthodoxy, 'always [based] his conclusions upon Scripture, and [appealed] to the authority of tradition only in proof that he rightly [understood] and [expounded] the sacred books. The catholic faith, [said Athanasius], is that which the Lord gave, the apostles preached, and the fathers have preserved; upon this the church is founded, and he who departs from this faith can no longer be called a Christian.' (Schaff, History of the Christian Church, v. III, Nicene and Post-Nicene Christianity, A.D. 311-600, p. 606, 607). That is an aspect of the faith we have ignored--are we properly divining the Word or have we missed something? How arrogant that we, who have changed the Church so much in the past 50 years, feel as if we have more understanding than those saints who came before us the previous 2,000! The Church would be hardly recognisable to them, yet we glory in our errancy.

I will in future posts be discussing several of the ways in which we have left the faith of our fathers for the pottage of modernity. Certainly, most of us have done so only because that is in fact what we have been taught. I hope to awaken those like me who, once they understand the error, will seek to recapture the historic and apostolic manner of the Christian walk.