Monday, November 9, 2009

United Around What?

Posted by Josh Walker
I was directed earlier today to this blog and found the video that is posted below. There are many things in this video that are worthy of a response, but the one that seems most pressing to me is the claim of unity that the Roman Catholic Church makes. This video claims that unity must come from unity as being must come from being. However, this is a category error. That is, unity is not in the same category as being. Rather, unity is something that can be ascribed to being. In other words, being can be unified or fragmented. In the case of biblical unity, the Bible calls us to be unified in our understanding of the faith. Take as one example Philippians 1:27 where Paul commands his readers to be of "one mind."

All that to say this, the Bible does not want unity for unity's sake, but rather the Bible wants the Church to be united in her thoughts (or doctrines). Thus, though the Roman Catholic Church claim to have biblical unity, in fact they fall quite short of it. The Roman Catholic Church is not "one mind" with itself on many key issues. For one example, Catholics cannot agree on the doctrine of predestination. The only unity the Roman Catholic Church possess is a structural or ecclesiastical unity and this is not the unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17. For Jesus' prayer was that his followers would be one as he and the father are one. The unity that he is asking for is not a structural unity, for the father and the son do not have that kind of unity, rather he is asking for a unity of mind and will. This is biblical unity.

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5 comments:

  1. I also love how the Roman Catholic church is so unified and that there is no division in belief within the church. I also love how the Council of Trent and Vatican II have the same teaching.

    On a serious note, however, I think Christian need to feel the weight of the need to be unified more than they do. Even if Josh is right and it is unity in our understanding of the faith, the church (universal) needs to put more energy into examing the Christian holy book and uniting under its teachings.

    Josh would you say that getting the gospel right is enough to fullfil Biblical unity? In theory Jesus and the Father are one in mind and will about everything in the Scriptures, not just the gospel (albeit you would find the gospel to be of central importance).
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  2. On another note, this does bring up questions of how Christians can claim that the Bible is clear. Although, I must admit that if anyone can walk away from reading the Bible with anything but God's freedom to save whom he will, then that person is blinded by something and not genuinely trying to submit himself to the Bible. I think soteriology is the only subject the Bible is clear about. However, I do not think that the Bible is unified even on that subject. Actually, now that I am thinking about it, the Bible is pretty clear that God is the creator.
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  3. If the RCC can attest to the five solas, then and only then can we talk unity.

    There is no man on this earth who is my mediator to God. The God and man, Jesus Christ, is my ONLY mediator to my Father in heaven through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit.

    Until then, there is really nothing for us speak about when it comes to unity.

    However, I still get to love them.
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  4. Romans Catholics are united in disunity. It is unity from diversity, or, as I like to put it, unity from a costant state of flux. It is very convenient to argue for papal and ecclesiastical infallibility while, at the same time, altering dogma. How convenient indeed!
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  5. Josh,

    However, this is a category error. That is, unity is not in the same category as being.

    Being and unity are transcendentals, which means that they transcend the categories. That is why they are ultimately co-referential, even though differing in sense.

    Rather, unity is something that can be ascribed to being. In other words, being can be unified or fragmented.

    Of course. But the greater the unity the greater the being; the lesser the unity the lesser the being, all other things being equal. There is no being that has no unity. There is no unity that has no being. This is why a house divided cannot stand; insofar as it is divided it loses its being.

    All that to say this, the Bible does not want unity for unity's sake, but rather the Bible wants the Church to be united in her thoughts (or doctrines).

    If God is one, then our unity reflects God's unity. I explained that in more detail here. The structural unity of the Church is a necessary precondition for doctrinal unity. If the Church were divided into thousands of factions, then there could never be doctrinal and sacramental unity.

    Thus, though the Roman Catholic Church claim to have biblical unity, in fact they fall quite short of it.

    The one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church is perfectly one in doctrine. Those "cafeteria Catholics" who pick and choose from her doctrines have separated themselves from the Church's one faith. They don't represent the Church's position any more than Bishop Spong represents your position.

    The Roman Catholic Church is not "one mind" with itself on many key issues. For one example, Catholics cannot agree on the doctrine of predestination.

    On the contrary, the Church has agreed that the full explanation of predestination is not an essential article of the faith, and that certain doctrines pertaining to predestination are essential.

    The only unity the Roman Catholic Church possess is a structural or ecclesiastical unity and this is not the unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17.

    That is patently not true. The Catholic Church is one in doctrine, one in sacraments, and one in government under the successor of St. Peter.

    The unity that he is asking for is not a structural unity, for the father and the son do not have that kind of unity, rather he is asking for a unity of mind and will.

    So do you deny that the Father and Son are one in being (i.e. consubstantial / homoousious)? If not, then your claim that Christ is only asking for unity of mind and will is not justified. We are to be members of one Body, the Body of Christ. That is something more than just being of the same mind and will. It is an ontological unity.

    In the peace of Christ,

    - Bryan
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