Francis Beckwith's book explaining his return to Rome
9:09 AM Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Evangelical world was shocked last May, 2007 when the President of the Evangelical Theological Society, Dr. Francis Beckwith stepped down from his position in order to seek full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. Since returning to the Roman Church, Beckwith has answered some questions as to why he made this decision. However, he also promised a book explaining what factors led him to these convictions. I would post his original article that he wrote on his blog, but that no longer seems to be available. After announcing his return, shortly thereafter Beckwith shut down his blog, due to too many emails.
Since this decision, Beckwith seems to have become even more popular. Inside the Vatican called Beckwith the #1 person of the year in 2007. Finally, in his new book Return to Rome, Beckwith explains his decision in more detail. I am looking forward to reading this book. Though I am sure I will not come to his conclusions, I am interested in hearing what he has to say.
Protestants converting to Rome is nothing new. Many remember former Presbyterian minister Scott Hahn converting to Roman Catholicism as well. He also published a book outlining his story, entitled Rome Sweet Home. This is still not the end of the story!
More than this, there have been a series of books called Surprised by Truth. There is a Surprised by Truth series Volume 1, 2, 3. The third volume subtitled More Converts to Rome. I personally am only familiar with volume 1, having read a few chapters of the book. However, I did read all of Scott Hahn's book. What has consistently surprised me about many of these converts is that a lot of them are from the reformed tradition, i.e., my tradition. For instance, Scott Hahn was a former presbyterian minister and a graduate of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Also, Robert Sungenis. He, like Beckwith, was raised Catholic, became a Protestant, and then returned to Rome. Interestingly, Robert Sungenis was a graduate of Westminster Theological Seminary--known as one of the most respected reformed seminaries.
Again, this is nothing new. Many will remember G.K. Chesterton's conversion from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism. Also, John Henry Newman took the same route as Chesterton.
So why is this happening? I guess there are a variety of reasons. If you've read anything I've said before, you know that I believe this will continue. I, unlike most Protestants, am never surprised when this happens. In fact, in light of the superficial Christianity that most people find in contemporary churches, I'm actually more surprised that more people do not convert to either Catholicism, Orthodoxy, or high Anglicanism. While certianly some people convert for doctrinal reasons, I think some people simply convert for aesthetic reasons. That is, when you walk into a Catholic, or Orthodox church, you know you are stepping into something that is bigger than yourself. This is hinted at by the ornate decoration of the building. In Catholic churches there is usually paintings of saints on the ceilings. This is intended to hint at Hebrews 12. In an Orthodox church, there will be icons, etc.
People long to be a part of something that is bigger than themselves. In Catholicism you experience this by means of tradition. You can look in the writings of the church fathers and in books on the history of liturgy and see that what you do on Sunday mornings is what has been done for a long time. There is a deep sense of connection with the historic church. Many are edified by the reciting of the creeds each week. In other words, in the Catholic church, the service in not about you.
Churches that are seeker obsessed, with their light, fluffy, Joel Osteen like sermons, are not going to cut it anymore, especially for the younger generation. Oddly enough, it's the seeker churches that are trying to reach the younger crowds. And, contrary to what church growth experts have expected, it's the younger crowd that is being drawn to Catholicism and Orthodoxy! This should tell them something. We are tired of the games! Many Protestant churches do not have a sense of transcendance about them. Everything is light, informal, and man-centered. This will not last. As John Piper says, "You can only be a room full of mirrors for so long."
I mentioned that some people, however, do convert for doctrinal/theological reasons. The main reason many have gone to either Rome or Constantinople (or Canterbury), is the issue of sola Scriptura. This is at least what got Scott Hahn and Robert Sungenis thinking. They say the idea of "Scripture alone" leads to chaos in the church. In other words, all denominations claim to believe the Bible, yet everyone interprets it differently. Thus, denominationalism ensues. Though there are churches that claim to be "non-denominational," in reality this is not the case. They may not be affiliated with any denomination, but they do have a theological tradition which they follow. For many today, the "non-denominational" churches are aligned with the charismatic tradition.
As I have mentioned previously, I will be writing a blog on the issue of sola Scriptura as it relates to tradition. I will be looking at different views of tradition and seeing which one is the most biblical and historical. This will be a twenty to twenty-five page paper.
Looking forward to writing the paper.
Just some randon thoughts.
Soli Deo Gloria
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Please also do not forget one of the most compelling reasons: The Catholic Church is the Church. The Patristic concept of Holy Tradition brings the written Word of God (the Scriptures) together with the oral Word of God (the proper interpretation thereof, together with other dogmatic truths), and this culminates in--as it originates from--the Catholic Church.
The very word 'catholic' is synonymous with Tradition, which Chesterton rightly pointed out is the 'democracy of the dead.'
In other words, Protestantism errs in that it promotes congregationalism to one degree or another and dilutes the the concept of being in communion; to be a Christian by oneself is not Christian.
"Wherever the bishop appears, there let the people be; as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church." ~ Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans
Cheers,
Thurs.
Was Thursday July 22, 2008 at 10:18 PM
Well, I would say it depends on which patristic father you are talking about. Also, which theory of tradition? There is T1 and T2 as Heiko Oberman pointed out. Most Protestants wrongly subscribe to what Keith Mathison calls T0 (that is T zero). This would stem from the Radical Reformation. There is also T3, which would be sola ecclesia, i.e. the Roman Catholic position. The Roman position makes the Scriptures subservient to the church. People become Roman Catholic because they believe this helps them answer the hard questions. I think to make the jump one is simply making a fallible decision to accept the authority of the Roman magisterium. If a person cannot excercise private judgment with regard to the Scriptures, why would they be able to excercise private judgment when reading the Fathers? This is what Newman pointed out. Hence, why he eventually became Roman Catholic. Thanks for your comment though.
Joseph Romeo July 23, 2008 at 9:20 AM