“The Reformation is the Protestant phenomenon. This was not something that Protestants created, but rather a series of glorious events and movements within medieval Christendom that created the Protestants. Let me say that again. Protestants didn’t rise up and replace medieval Catholicism with Protestantism. Medieval Catholicism produced a vast array of faithful sons and daughters who loved the ship and thought we needed to scrape the barnacles off.” — Douglas Wilson, Where Was Your Face Before You Washed It?
Christendom is not a hydra that grows two new heads for each one that is cut off. There is only one Head and you cannot cut Him off. (Col 1:18) Protestantism did not cut off the Catholic head in order to grow two new denominations. Rome was not and is not the head of the Church. This belief has, however, always been a temptation (Rom 11:18) Protestantism is fresh face not a new head. Instead of looking into the perfect mirror of God and leaving the muck that it saw, Protestantism sought to wash it off. And so a new face was born, not a new person. Protestantism is not as much a protest as it is a reaffirmation of the testimony, as in pro-testament. The faith once for all delivered to the saints was confirmed and embraced, not rejected and replaced.
The Church is the bride of Christ and He is not a polygamist. Protestantism is merely the admission that perhaps Christ deserves a wife who washes up before the wedding night instead of one who shows up content to look like she has been drug through the mud. Reformed Catholics (aka Protestants) are not a headless body of believers. They are the wife of Christ.
No comments:
Post a Comment