There is a fundamental difference in the way Protestants and Catholics approach their respective churches.
A Protestant joins a church that aligns with what he believes.
A Catholic, on the other hand, embraces a Church that tells him what to believe.
Well, many people, Catholic, Protestant, and others do as Paul warned, looking for teachers who tell them what they want to hear (2 Tim 4:3).
But Paul also expressed admiration for the Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily to see whether what he said was so (Acts 17:11).
The test isn’t whether a church teaches what we think is right–it’s whether what it teaches is in accord with Scripture. No, we can’t just swallow something because some church tells us–even if Peter himself were speaking, if he were wrong, we should do as Paul did, and oppose him to his face (Galatians 2:11).
6 Comments
May 15, 2008 at 10:30 am
I would urge some caution with your approach, as some parts of Scripture can easily be interpreted in divergent ways among many individuals.
May 15, 2008 at 11:07 am
Of course, the same is true of church teaching, is it not? I think Hugo, as a new convert to Catholicism, is being a bit romantic about this. The reality of the Catholic church is bigger, more muddled, and more complex than he presents. To just say, “I’m going to let the church teach me” doesn’t solve all problems, does it? The Catholic church has presented different things in different times–as anyone who has been on the roller coaster of the past 50 years knows.
The point is, we can’t just turn our conscience over to someone else. We have to think and reason and argue for ourselves. And Scripture has to be our final authority, not the words of any man or men (or women).
May 15, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Dear Bill,
You wrote, “And Scripture has to be our final authority, not the words of any man or men (or women).” The question, unfortunately remains, what if I am misinterpreting Scripture? We all know of the Ethiopian eunuch who is reading Scripture (what it was) when he encounters Philip. Then:
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(Acts 8:30-31): Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”
He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.
—–
So, if I cannot understand Scripture, then to whom do I go?
I am not picking a fight here. I really do feel that this is where Tradition and other resources (e.g., Church Fathers, respected commentaries, etc., i.e., other men) must be considered. No Christian ought to argue that Scripture has the final say in terms of faith.* The challenge comes in interpreting the Canon.
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*Let’s not talk about Catholic teaching about Mary and how they are not Scriptural. This is a red herring to this discourse.
May 15, 2008 at 7:29 pm
So what do I judge Scripture against?
May 16, 2008 at 5:52 am
The Church speaks about conscience but when it comes to the bottom line she wants people to obey. Newman is one of the best authorities on this subject, perhaps thats why it has taken so long to beatify him. Of course the Ch. is right when it speaks of the informed conscience, Scripture and reason play an important part but the individual must make the final decision by the self otherwise there is no responsibility or acountability.
May 16, 2008 at 9:27 am
So, Franklin and AJK … let me say you’re not original in asking the question.
You are asking about hermeneutical principles.
First affirmation is that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16).
Inspiration means that God is the original author (not that he dictated it word for word, but that he communicated to the writers and enabled them to faithfully pass on that which he revealed).
God inspired Scripture because he wanted his Truth to be understood.
Of course, some people misunderstand, even twist, what is in Scripture, as Peter noted that some in his day did with Paul’s writings (2 Peter 3:16).
In the example of the Ethiopian Eunuch, Philip preached Christ to him. Christ is the focal point for Christian interpretation of Scriptures. He is the lens through which all of the NT writers look at the OT.
The most important question to ask is what the author of a particular passage intended, and how his hearers would have understood him. This requires looking at the context, both the immediate and wider context (place in Scripture, author’s use of Scripture, etc.).
On a particular doctrine, we look at what else that author said, and what other Scriptural authors said–assuming that God speaks with consistency and with the intention that we understand.
So, ultimately, Scripture has to be its own interpreter. It is its own judge.
And it must judge everything that any subsequent writer says. It is the embodiment of apostolic teaching, so any claim to apostolicity must be weighed against what we know the apostles preached and taught.
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