<< 1: Self-Understanding < 2: Identity 3: Doctrine 4: Priorities > 5: Definition >>
Doctrine: Five Solae, Many Stories
If Protestantism cannot be grounded in a common identity, what about through shared doctrine? Gavin has proffered a set of doctrinal distinctives—offered as hallmarks of Protestantism more broadly—that he believes demarcate who is in, but even if he has adequately represented the magisterial Reformers (i.e., the original Protestants), it is too easy to gloss over the rough edges rather than to understand their significance.
An examination of the doctrines that are supposed to identify a Protestant will reveal its subjective nature. Take Gavin’s list: five solae of the Reformation, belief in two sacraments, priesthood of the believer, shorter Old Testament canon, church discipline as a mark of the church, an emphasis on preaching in worship, lay participation in communion of both kinds, and the right of clergy to marry (3-4). Three problems attend such lists.
First, you can find Protestant groups who disagree with most of them. For example, what does sola scriptura mean? Most evangelicals interpret it differently than the Reformers—typically as the sole rule and authority for Christian faith and morals. The Reformers understood that tradition was important, yet this is another point of division. What role is tradition to play to inform a community’s interpretations of Scripture and the scope of its extrabiblical practices? For example, some churches take the stance: “only where Scripture speaks do we speak (and no more).” Others take an inverted stance: “where Scripture speaks, we are silent (and obey it). Where it does not, we speak.” These represent quite different approaches to and conceptions of sola scriptura. This is part of the larger problem. There is no uniform conception of what Scripture is, let alone how it ought to be interpreted. This is a far more significant factor impeding unity than different conceptions of sola scriptura or different Old Testament canons.
Conceptualizations of sola fide fare no better. What is faith? Is it a work? Is it permanent? Protestants disagree and divide. With respect to sacraments, a number of Protestants deny that there are any, and of those that agree on two, baptism and communion, the range of interpretations surrounding their role, meaning, and timing are a source of disunity, not unity. In fact, it was in regard to the sacraments that attempts made by the original Reformers to unify all failed, and on the basis of disagreements about baptism (among other things), the Reformers persecuted and killed Anabaptists.
Second, you will find Catholics who would affirm a number of these “Protestant distinctives”, or at least aspects of them. For example, Catholics can affirm the priesthood of all believers provided we must not deny the unique role and function of our priests. We can affirm both sacraments provided we must not deny the wider scope of how God works in and through creation.
We do not hold that priestly celibacy is required in principle—only that it is a discipline currently practiced in the Latin Rite. Our Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters marry, and some ordinariates exist within Catholicism with married clergy. Yet we also seek to balance the option to marry with other scriptural principles. For example, Paul says it is good to stay unmarried if one has sufficient self-control (1 Cor 7:8-9), and Catholics are clear that those discerning the priesthood must exhibit and practice self-control. Also, Paul says it is good for a man or woman to offer undivided attention to ministry apart from a family (1 Cor 7:32-35). Also, some are made eunuchs for the kingdom of God (Matt 19:12). These passages, disregarded by the vast majority of Protestant practice, all communicate the value of singlehood for the kingdom, and there has been a long tradition of nuptial commitment to Christ rather than to a human spouse (e.g., priests, monks, nuns, and spiritual marriages). Where, O Protestantism, do you incorporate such Scripture?
And why denigrate what God has commended? No priest is forced to become a priest. Should they not be highly praised for their willingness to make a great sacrifice, to model chastity, and express lifelong dedication to the building of the Church? How sad it is that Protestants belittle the sacrifices others willingly make for God and deny the roles and tracks in which such commitments can be made! By such attitudes, are not the very principles from Scripture belittled and denied as well?
What about the solas? Catholics can affirm, at least conditionally, some of the solas provided we must not accept the Protestant framing. For instance, Catholics can affirm sola fide provided “faith” and “justification” are not redefined nor human responsibility is denied. Catholics can affirm with soli deo gloria that to God belongs the glory provided we are not forced to deny complementary divine motivations like love (as many Protestants likewise affirm) nor the genuine contributions we make in our participation with Christ. And we can affirm sola gratia so long as we are not made to deny human cooperation or sacramental mediation.
Third and finally, even where different Protestant denominations agree on all of these doctrines, they still remain in tangible, concrete division. No, there is no set of common doctrines by which Protestantism can be viewed as a single identity, let alone in fulfillment of the unity for which Christ prays.
As noted earlier, even appeals to a shared gospel fall prey to the same dilemma. What is meant by “gospel” varies widely: from legal declarations to transformative participation, from penal substitution to covenantal faithfulness. Who determines which version is essential—or what counts as an “essential” at all? The very effort to isolate gospel fundamentals presupposes an authority competent to adjudicate such matters. Yet in the absence of a universally received interpretive body, Protestants remain locked in disagreement not just about peripheral doctrines, but about the center itself. Their supposed unity in “the gospel” is not doctrinal consensus but a shared aspiration loosely tethered to differing visions of salvation.
If Protestantism cannot be unified by identity or doctrine, perhaps it can be by a set of shared commitments or animating goals. This brings us to the final layer of Ortlund’s framework: common priorities.
<< 1: Self-Understanding < 2: Identity 3: Doctrine 4: Priorities > 5: Definition >>
Share Article by Email: