The reason young Calvinists are abandoning the principles of Reformation for the structured faith of the Roman Catholic Church are as myriad as the individuals who convert from John Henry Newman (of the 19th century Oxford Movement) to Tom Howard (brother of Elizabeth Eliot). One cannot judge inner motivations. One can, however, take an honest look in the mirror and see the problems that are self-generating. So, with this mirror of looking at ourselves, we may discern certain inherent tendencies, even weaknesses that make this trend more readily comprehensible. It saves us from all the head scratching that happens when the next book or published announcement of one of our own crossing over to the other side of the line. This mirror I offer is not a perfect analysis of the problem, it is just one man, with one angle, standing in one place, with one glance at a many faceted reality.
1. Most conservative Reformed people are ignorant of history beyond the sixteenth century. The Reformation did not start when a German monk nailed a list of grievances on the door of a church. The reforming of the Church began in Acts 15, when the first council of the early Church met in Jerusalem to discuss what was essential to the Gospel and the Church’s mission in light of it. There was after that a rich and diverse history of the Church seeking to reform itself in light of Gospel truth for over 15 centuries. The Protestant Reformers saw themselves in line with Chrysostom, Augustine, Bernard and a great host of reform minded luminaries against dark forces in every age of the Church. They never saw themselves as schematics or doctrinal innovators.
2. Calvinists today tend to focus on the debates of the Reformers and the Puritans without reference to five hundred years of change in Roman Catholicism. It is just as dangerous to ignore recent theological reflections (for different reasons maybe) as to engage in dialogue between Evangelicals and Catholics today without knowledge of the debates of the Reformation, which led to the historic division of the Council of Trent. There is a tendency to be short-sighted on either end of the spectrum. It requires due diligence to be both good historians and contemporarily engaged with living tradition, even though it frustrates the modern obsession with being specialists. But such engagement requires honest and accurate scholarship. We should not be historical experts without knowledge of post –Vatican II theological formulations, not should we be naïve (or snobbish) to think that we moderns have outgrown the concerns of our forefathers.
3. We view Roman Catholics with a monolithic perspective. What defines Roman Catholic belief is not easily described like confessional Protestants. Getting two Catholics to agree is about like trying to get two Calvinists to agree. Doctrinal unity is not a goal and the summum bonum for Roman Catholics like us Reformed minded believers. They look to more of a mystical union established in a tradition that is complex and ever growing. We point to our Confession, and they will say to us, “the Church is much bigger than that.” In a sense they are right. Confessions do not define the Church, they express its truth. The Gospel defines and gives life to the Church, and of course this is where we can help Roman Catholics.
4. Ignorance of ancient strands of Catholic spiritual traditions and renewal movements keep Protestants stuck in a myopic mindset about the universal church. Ignatius was a contemporary of Calvin, fought the Reformers about grace, but also encouraged a system of studying the Bible that laid a foundation of spiritual life in Benedictine circles that inspired great missionary endeavors. Prior to the Reformation, writers and practitioners of the imitation of Christ stood in contrast to the corrupt morals of the church leaders. Their body of literature belongs to us as well.
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