Does Reformation Theology Breed Disunity?
By Trevin Wax on May 15, 2007 in Christianity, Reformed Theology, Theology | 
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I recently received an email from a Baptist trying to understand what kind of unity we Protestants believe in. I’m posting the question, then a few thoughts of my own, and then I await your comments.
“The unity that Jesus prays for in John 17 – is that a spiritual unity? In other words we all are united in Christ in the catholic (universal) church? Or is that a physical unity, visible to the world? If it is the latter, then I wonder if the Reformation did more to destroy the unity that Jesus prayed for. And with the plethora of denominations under the Protestant umbrella, it makes me wonder whether or not the ideology behind Reformation breeds more disunity. If Jesus prayed for unity, how can unity not be our passion? Just some thoughts.”
Good question. You have touched on one of the issues that thoughtful Protestants must wrestle with. Was the Reformation necessary? We say, “yes.” Were all the results from the Reformation good? We say, “no.” The splintering of the church is part of the fallout from the Reformation that we are still dealing with today.
I believe it saddens God to see His church divided. Yes, the East/West split in 1054, the Reformation in the 1500’s, the Anglican Communion’s fracture that took place last week – each of these events seems at first sight to be in direct contradiction to Jesus’ prayer for the church’s unity. Look at Protestantism – the splintering of denominations into hundreds and hundreds of subgroups. We have to face this issue head on! Perhaps no Roman Catholic objection to Protestantism holds as much weight as this one.
But as we seek to remain sensitive to the Holy Spirit, let us also consider Jesus’ prayer for unity and what that is to be based on. True Christian unity is founded upon the gospel. When a church abandons the central tenets of the gospel, unity with that church is no longer acceptable. We do not embrace unity in itself, but unity in the essentials of the Christian faith.
The Protestant Reformation had to take place if the gospel message of justification by faith alone was to be recovered. It is sad that the Reformation has led to such a large number of schisms in the Church. But I ask, is the other option any better? A visible church united upon something other than the gospel?
Even visible churches like the Roman Catholic church are far from united. There are groups within Roman Catholicism that decry the results from Vatican II and have continued using Latin-based liturgy. Some have rejected the authority of the pope. Other groups are liberal and universalist. The same debates exist within the Roman Catholic church, except that there one cannot easily return to the Scriptures for authority, because Tradition and Scripture and papal authority are, for all intents and purposes, on the same level.
These are just some of my thoughts. As one who longs for the unity of the church, I too hurt when I see Christianity so divided. But if we are to be unified, let’s make sure we are united around the gospel.
written by Trevin Wax. © 2007 Kingdom People Blog
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The unity Jesus prays for in John 17:21 is rooted in unity of ‘truth’ that Jesus prays for in John 17:17. This is something we can never share with those who deny sola scriptura. John 17:17 ESV “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”
Tony Kummer | May 15, 2007 | Reply
The word “catholic” comes from “kata” which means “according to” and “holos” which means “the whole”. It is a slight injustice to simply say “universal” since its origin was more aptly “on and according to the whole” (the same everywhere among all who believe). All Christians for 1000 years after the death of Jesus were ascribed this mantle (catholic). When orthodoxy goes astray, there are two defining marks – splitting and/or liberalism. The Roman Catholic Church had it’s abuses, and Luther was correct in tackling them head on, but the failure was when “reform” turned into “revolt”. The Catholic Church DID reform from her abuses through the Council of Trent, but by then many had left. It’s a mistake to say the Roman Catholic Church isn’t united because some decry liturgy or birth control or whatever. She is very clear on what is valid doctrine, so for example, a pariticular Catholic may have a disagreement about birth control, but that doesn’t mean the Church herself is loosy-goosy on the issue. She stands firm in her teaching. That’s her job, and to be in union with her means you accept her doctrinal teaching.
Brian | May 16, 2007 | Reply