Review of Justification by Faith in Catholic-Protestant Dialogue: An Evangelical Assessment. By Anthony N. S. Lane. London: T and T Clark, 2002. x + 272 pp. $24.95 paper (original) (raw)
Related papers
Faith and Theology: Basic Insights of the Reformation in Ecumenical Debate
Since the beginnings of Christianity, there has been a fundamental tension between faith and theology (if theology is understood as a rational reflection of faith which is internally coherent and can be communicated in intersubjective discourse). The Reformation, with its principle of sola fide on the one hand and its institutionalisation of a Scripture-based academic theology on the other hand, drew particular attention to the tension between faith and theology and suggested new answers to that problem. That effort contributed to a fundamental transformation of academic theology within the faculties of Protestant Theology which emerged as a result of the movement. On the occasion of the anniversary of the Reformation, it is fitting to acknowledge the achievements of academic theology in the Reformers' tradition. In the past decades, however, academic theology has come under considerable pressure. In much of Europe and North America, the process of secularization has led to a massive decline in religious education and – partially as a reaction to this – to a trivialization of theology in many areas of Church life. Academic theology has been widely denounced as dogmatism and even obscurantism. This raises the question as to what extent academic theology itself has encouraged this rejection. At the same time, one can observe a global proliferation of evangelical and Pentecostal groups. These groups sometimes display a certain indifference towards academic theological training, or even reject it altogether, in an effort to defend the inspiration and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures and to propagate a 'simple' faith instead. Generally speaking, an uncritical biblical hermeneutic seems to be proliferating around the world, and has even taken root in traditional academic institutions. It largely ignores the historical-critical methods of scriptural exegesis as developed by the western Enlightenment and sometimes replaces it with an insufficiently self-critical dogmatism and moralism, thereby disguising considerable claims to social control. The traditional Greater Churches (Großkirchen) which, under the influence of the Enlightenment, were inspired by an educational optimism have hitherto favoured the autonomy of the religious individual. They have, therefore, little to offer in opposition to the formation of antirationalist sets of spiritual values which aim at forming close-knit communities of believers and which are often characteristic of these evangelical and Pentecostal groups. They must, therefore, ask themselves to what extent the relationship between faith and theology as defined in the wake of the Reformation will in future continue to be religiously productive and may thus serve the churches and their congregations. By way of summary, the Wittenberg Conference wishes to reflect critically on the standards of academic theology and its current challenges from an ecumenical perspective. It proposes to do so in three hermeneutical steps: The conference aims, first, to take stock of the worldwide impact of Protestant theology—its contents, standards, and methods—in various political, social, and religious contexts.
THE FORGOTTEN FAITH OF CHRIST: HOW INDIVIDUAL FAITH REPLACED CHRIST AS THE IMPETUS OF JUSTIFICATION
Submission for Master of Arts in Religion , 2020
The modern Protestant Christian trusts in personal faith rather than Christ for the impetus of justification. Reformed Theology has influenced Protestantism in defining both justification and faith in such a way as to implicitly teach fideism. An understanding of this claim will be demonstrated through a survey of books on systematic theology, topical books relating to justification and faith, and commentaries on supporting proof texts. This paper will include the historical development of understanding the relationship of faith to justification. Focus on the language and expansion of the doctrine of justification by faith in John Calvin’s 1536 Institutes and his 1559 final version will be compared. Examining the major confessions and catechisms of Reformed Theology will demonstrate what is presently taught is consistent with the modern understanding of justification by trusting in one’s faith. Finally, this paper will articulate the doctrine of justification by faith in light of the research.
2018
Though we are five hundred years removed from the Reformation, Levering and Vanhoozer in, "Was the Reformation a Mistake? Why Catholic Doctrine is Not Unbiblical," reveal that this specific conversation has changed very little. But the tone and condition of the conversation have changed drastically. Protestants and Catholics are no longer enemies fighting to dominate Western Christianity. Instead, they find themselves as allies fighting to defend Western Christianity from a pervasive postmodern worldview. But even in the defense of their common ground, the core doctrines of the Catholic Church are unreconcilable, and still demand protest and reform. Therefore, it is the goal of this paper to defend Scripture as having supreme authority in its own interpretation, to affirm the positions of the reformers, and to reveal how the Catholic doctrine of Scripture was, and are still, unbiblical.