Over the last 24 hours or so some of the conversations around the traps have been about Micheal Coren’s excellent book on Catholicism. (I note that he has a new book about Heresy, which I have yet to read), Now, at times we in the church fall into error. Will S has called out a fellow reformed on being too much of a churchian and expecting perfection, and Svar (who is on the other side of the Tiber) agrees that this expectation that we are perfect is not part of the gospel.
The problem is in part outlined by Douglas WIlson, the very theologian that Will called out. He correctly pointed out, using Rom 1, that the widespread celebration of homosexuality is a sign of God’s judgment on a society, and noted that the role of the church in society — to be salt and light — must be broken.
Correct so far. But this role is prophetic. Society can and will go its own way. In fact, stating straight Pauline doctrine around this can be a hate crime.
It seems that the West is dying and the covenantal system that was Christendom is gone. But this has happened before..
1The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. 2He led me all round them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. 3He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord.“7So I prophesied as I had been commanded; and as I prophesied, suddenly there was a noise, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8I looked, and there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them; but there was no breath in them. 9Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, mortal, and say to the breath: Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live.” 10I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude.
11Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.’ 12Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. 13And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. 14I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.”
Today is Pentecost. Today we should recall the Holy Spirit descending with power and the sign of tongues (speaking an unknown foreign language). And today we should not get into a division about what the role of these things is today. Instead it is important to look at a core truth
26“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. 27You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.
16:4b”I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. 7Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. 8And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: 9about sin, because they do not believe in me; 10about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; 11about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
12“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
The church, the congregations that include the chosen of God (for no church is perfect, and no church does not have unbelievers within it) is in the end, owned and guided by God through the ministry of the Spirit.
We should not let this puff us up. In my view, no man is infallible or completely reliable: only God is . We all have errors in our doctrine, like we all sin. We all need to confess. We all need, today, as all days, to turn to God.
But… instead the Spirit has corrected the errors of the church, from generation to generation. I believe in the Holy Catholic Church and its survival. Not because of anything man does, but because it belongs to God.
And God is jealous of his glory. He will not let the church fail, and he will purge it of error. If needed, he will regrow it from a people close to spiritual death.
Because, to quote the Catechism, the chief aim of man — of us being here — is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. We are here, and the church is here, to glorify God, not to demean his name. And he will have the church restored. I pray it happens in my lifetime.