A Pope With A Talent for Clarity -- The Washington Post, April 13, 2008
Five hundred years ago, when Protestants were locked in a theological cage fight with the Church of Rome, Martin Luther described the papacy as "truly the kingdom of Babylon, yes, the kingdom of the real Antichrist!" But today, Protestants are more likely to praise the pope for his messages of moral clarity, and the incendiary language of the past is relegated to blogs such as "666, the Pope, Anti-Christ & Vatican -- for Dummies!"
As a Presbyterian pastor, I have respect for that would have been incomprehensible to Protestants of the past, and I won't be leading any protests when he visits Washington and celebrates Mass at on Thursday. In fact, I am convinced that he can help to provide an antidote to all that is fractured, fuzzy and cerebral about contemporary Protestant Christianity.
For starters, the pope is a symbol of the unity of the church. While I've heard it said that Baptists "multiply by division," forming new congregations every time a church splits, Catholics remain united under the leadership of the Bishop of . This is not to say that all Catholics agree with his teachings -- according to a survey from August 2007, 51 percent of American Catholics believe that abortion should be legal, 42 percent are in favor of gay marriage and 60 percent support the death penalty. But all do have a connection to the same Holy Father, and 66 percent say they would like to attend one of his public events.
Aside from the Archbishop of Canterbury, there is no other international figure who can take a stand for the unity of the Christian church -- a body that is now fractured into more than 33,000 distinct denominations in 238 countries. Unity is important for Christians who want to work together to fight AIDS, global poverty and the materialism of modern life.
I am also impressed by the fact that the pope speaks with remarkable clarity. Whether you agree with him or not, you have to admit that he is completely clear about where he stands. Pro-life. Pro-celibate priesthood. Anti-contraception. Anti-ordination of women. Even non-Christians admire him for holding on to strong beliefs in our morally wavering world. In contrast, my denomination opposes abortion in most cases, but supports the continued legality of the procedure -- a position that makes sense to me but leads some to criticize us for sending a fuzzy, mixed message. We Presbyterians need to communicate more clearly where we stand.
In addition, I envy the pope for his human touch. I was once given a humorous coffee mug that defines Protestantism in the following way: "It's the thought that counts." The same mug's definition of Catholicism: "Stop thinking those thoughts." A focus on "thought" is a problem for many overly cerebral Protestants, because Christianity has always been a very earthy religion, seeing Jesus as God in human flesh and Communion as the body and blood of Christ. While some may say, "The pope is only a man," others will say, "Exactly. That's the point." The pope is a human, representing God-in-human-form. There is power in his flesh-and-blood presence, in his ability to speak with visitors in their own languages, in his human touch. There is no equivalent in a Presbyterian Church that looks for leadership in a biennial General Assembly of pastors and elders.
For all of these reasons, I will not be bothered when the pope descends on Washington this week. To me, Benedict XVI is not the Antichrist, but a brother in Christ who can teach me lessons in how to offer my church unity, clarity and a powerful human touch.
As a Presbyterian pastor, I have respect for that would have been incomprehensible to Protestants of the past, and I won't be leading any protests when he visits Washington and celebrates Mass at on Thursday. In fact, I am convinced that he can help to provide an antidote to all that is fractured, fuzzy and cerebral about contemporary Protestant Christianity.
For starters, the pope is a symbol of the unity of the church. While I've heard it said that Baptists "multiply by division," forming new congregations every time a church splits, Catholics remain united under the leadership of the Bishop of . This is not to say that all Catholics agree with his teachings -- according to a survey from August 2007, 51 percent of American Catholics believe that abortion should be legal, 42 percent are in favor of gay marriage and 60 percent support the death penalty. But all do have a connection to the same Holy Father, and 66 percent say they would like to attend one of his public events.
Aside from the Archbishop of Canterbury, there is no other international figure who can take a stand for the unity of the Christian church -- a body that is now fractured into more than 33,000 distinct denominations in 238 countries. Unity is important for Christians who want to work together to fight AIDS, global poverty and the materialism of modern life.
I am also impressed by the fact that the pope speaks with remarkable clarity. Whether you agree with him or not, you have to admit that he is completely clear about where he stands. Pro-life. Pro-celibate priesthood. Anti-contraception. Anti-ordination of women. Even non-Christians admire him for holding on to strong beliefs in our morally wavering world. In contrast, my denomination opposes abortion in most cases, but supports the continued legality of the procedure -- a position that makes sense to me but leads some to criticize us for sending a fuzzy, mixed message. We Presbyterians need to communicate more clearly where we stand.
In addition, I envy the pope for his human touch. I was once given a humorous coffee mug that defines Protestantism in the following way: "It's the thought that counts." The same mug's definition of Catholicism: "Stop thinking those thoughts." A focus on "thought" is a problem for many overly cerebral Protestants, because Christianity has always been a very earthy religion, seeing Jesus as God in human flesh and Communion as the body and blood of Christ. While some may say, "The pope is only a man," others will say, "Exactly. That's the point." The pope is a human, representing God-in-human-form. There is power in his flesh-and-blood presence, in his ability to speak with visitors in their own languages, in his human touch. There is no equivalent in a Presbyterian Church that looks for leadership in a biennial General Assembly of pastors and elders.
For all of these reasons, I will not be bothered when the pope descends on Washington this week. To me, Benedict XVI is not the Antichrist, but a brother in Christ who can teach me lessons in how to offer my church unity, clarity and a powerful human touch.
posted by Henry Brinton | 6:28 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home