While certain aspirations of the Synodal Path being proposed by Pope Francis seem admirable, it presents several concerns for the evangelical church. Let us briefly consider two.
Read More
Back in 2014 Francis warned against innovation in pastoral care that gives birth to relativism. This is a grave danger in that it hides Jesus and truth from man. That is indeed true, but it is difficult to see how what has transpired since 2014 in the Pope’s papacy has not promoted relativism. If we are all brothers and God’s love is the same for everyone regardless of their beliefs, and if all religions are to be valued for the truth they contain, what room is left for the exclusive truth claims of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; John 14:6)?
Read More
In September of 2000, the ecumenical pendulum had been slowly swinging towards a vastly more inclusive ecumenism, pioneered largely by the Second Vatican Council. Dominus Iesus was a bucket of cold water on a fire that had been slowly growing in intensity. Declarations of the nature of those just cited were a clear effort to stop the swinging of the pendulum and encourage its reverse course. In other words, Dominus Iesus was an effort to preserve the sacramental system of the Catholic Church. Despite its best efforts, however, the declaration could not entirely avoid the swing of the pendulum that had become irreversible after the Second Vatican Council, and that would have enduring and significant implications on the sacramental nature of the Church, as we are soon to see.
Read More