Roman but not Catholic– Part Two

In the next two blog posts, the authors provide a precis or summary of each chapter in the book. One preliminary comment is in order. A book should always be evaluated on the basis of what it is attempting to do. This book, though written by Protestants, is not in fact basically a Biblical critique of the Roman Catholic tradition, though some Biblical arguments of course come into play here and there of necessity. No, these two scholars have stuck to their own areas of expertise— philosophy and theology on the one hand (Jerry Walls) and church history and theology on the other (Ken Collins) to provide this critique. And having read the volume, I would say that while it is thorough-going, it is done in an irenic spirit, and should not be seen as a mere polemic. Rather it should be seen as an in depth engagement with the philosophical, logical, church historical, and theological problems raised by various parts of the Roman Catholic tradition. The underlying plea throughout is that exclusivism be rejected, and a more truly ecumenical approach be taken to the body of Christ apostolic and universal, an approach that treats all genuine believing Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox as part of the one worldwide fellowship of Christians. This goal, I whole heartedly endorse. The time for all genuine Christians to stand together in the face of growing opposition of various sorts in the world– some political, some cultural, some religious, is now. The 21rst century cannot be business as usual for any part of the church. BW3
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