Dr. Lucas observes the grim truth about the Pope’s recent statement, at least true of the Post-reformational Church associated with the Roman Pontiff.
(Though I don’t see why this couldn’t change in principle; there is free will involved and the Pope could have embraced some change rather than resisting it).
But we should remember this was not always the case. Arguably, in fact, this was not the case when Luther began stirring up trouble. This was probably my most shocking discovery reading Roland Baintan’s Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther. Here is something I wrote in a blog post that has been lost (my wordpress port skipped a month). I wrote:
one of the great things about Bainton’s book was how it shows that Luther started a furor not for saying anything new, but for simply stating what he thought was already understood as basic fact. When he pointed out that the Church had not always been ruled by a Pope, he thought he was simply pointing out what he and others had always known about history. When Eck accused him of being a Hussite, Luther was shocked and visited the local university library. There to his great alarm he found that the Council had condemned the basic Augustinian orthodoxy that he and others had been taught and taught themselves. It was a sudden revelation that these basic doctrines and undeniable facts of history [i.e. the Pope had not always had the power that he now had] were somehow controversial that shocked him and forced him into the role as Reformer. He either had to lie about what he had always known was true, or else he had to risk his life and deny Papal revisionism.
Of course, I’m not denying some form of papal authority was acknowledged. What I’m saying is that the Popes had been working to increase that authority and one of their tools were trials. “Heretics” were not threats to the church but opportunities to change the church in the name of defending it. The Pope had some prestige and power which, properly “invested” could only increase. Accuse someone of heresy, stack a committee, send out the inquisition, and set a precedent.
But, of course, in a Church covering Western Europe with limited communication and travel, the value of a precedent takes time to be felt. When Luther stood before Eck he could recite the true Catholic Faith which he fervently believed.
As for the article of Hus that “it is not necessary for salvation to believe the Roman Church superior to all others” I do not care whether this comes fro Wyclif or from Hus. I know that innumerable Greeks have been saved though they never heard this article. It is not in the power of the Roman pontiff or of the Inquisition to construct new articles of faith. No believing Christian can be coerced beyond holy writ” (Roland Baintan, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther [Nashville: Abingdon Press] p. 89).
When you hear statements from Roman Catholics like the recent one from the present Pope, you need to realize that in a sense, we have Luther to thank. Luther gave the Pope a rallying point.
On the other hand, it was gradually getting worse so Luther had to take a stand. Many people act as if we should measure the factors leading to the Reformation by looking at various heroes who taught certain things. But that may not be as significant as the ongoing quest for power on the part of Popes and their followers. The Reformation is arguably not the result of Christians refusing to submit as much as of rulers trying to increase their control over others.
It backfired, in a way, though the Papacy was left with a much more loyal remnant within its organization.
By the way, below is the original post I mentioned.
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Hey Mark, thank you for your recommendation that I take the plunge into the Mac world. I have had my Mac for two months now and I continue to grow in my appreciation of it. I had been a PC man for 15 years and the idea of crossing over initially frightened me. But you were right when you told me that Macs runs themselves and it wouldn’t be long before I learned the ropes. It is the first time in 15 years that I have felt like my computer works for me instead of me having to work around my computer. Thanks again.