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I recently have been offered the privilege of visiting with children in grades 4-8 to help guide them in considering some of their questions - particularly their questions about God, the Bible, Jesus, morality, or behaviour. One question I received recently was, "Is it possible to be a Catholic and a Christian?"

I don't know the faith background of the child who asked the question, but I do know that I've heard this kind of question from those both inside and outside of the Roman Catholic church. I think it's an important question to consider today . . . October 31, 2017.

500 years ago today a priest and theologian, Martin Luther, nailed 95 theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg, Germany. (You can read a translation of those theses here:  http://www.luther.de/en/95thesen.html) While there had been the East/West Schism in the church five hundred years earlier, that act sparked what became known as the Protestant Reformation which has led to radical changes in the landscape in the western church. As men wrestled with theology and wrestled for power non-Catholic state-sponsored churches began to pop up in various places in Europe. These churches became known as Protestant churches because they protested some of the forms of the Roman Catholic church at the time. Significantly, though, the earliest Protestants did not have an ambition of starting a new church. Rather they were reformers seeking to bring change within the church. It was beyond the realm of their comprehension to separate being Catholic from being Christian.

Over time, and with much bloodshed, Protestants and Catholics became completely distinct. In many ways, they became defined by not being the other. Nestled among the Protestant reformers was a third loose group of people who became known as radical reformers who suggested that Protestants didn't go far enough in their attempts to reform the church and follow Christ. The Anabaptist forefathers (and mothers) of our Be In Christ family were a part of these radical reformers and many lost their lives in their attempts to follow Jesus well.

While Protestant, Catholic, and Anabaptist thought has all evolved and changed, the division has remained. In recent local history, the divide between Protestants and Catholics has been strong. Some of you may remember Orange parades through downtown Midland. Without getting into too much history and politics that I was not a part of, it is safe to say that the Orange Order gained a reputation for being anti-Catholic as much as they were Protestant. And the Catholic anti-Protestant bias seems to have been just as strong. Then, when Covenant Brethren in Christ Church began, just 38 years ago, we were preached against as a cult from other pulpits within our community.

Back to the original question . . . "Is it possible to be both Catholic and Christian?" From a historical/religious perspective, Catholics have always been Christian. From a theological perspective, Catholics today are far more radically reformed than the early reformers imagined possible. Virtually nothing Luther was concerned about 500 years ago still exists within the Catholic church. Theologically, Protestants and Catholics affirm the same essential creeds and pray many of the same prayers. While there are still significant theological differences between Protestant and Catholic churches, most theologians from both sides would see a Catholic/Christian dichotomy as a false one. But what about us Anabaptists? How do we consider these questions?

For Anabaptists, the conviction was that more than just that theology needed to be reformed. A true Christian reality was one that couldn't ultimately be simply assented to theologically or issued through a church structure. Rather, it had to be embraced by the individual and upon that embrace brought about the total renovation of the person. One's entire life - social structures, economic principles, concepts of justice, and views of all other people - became redefined by the way of Jesus. Ultimately that is the mindset I believe we need to consider more than trying to clarify labels - Catholic, Christian, Protestant, Anabaptist, Evangelical, Reformed, Charismatic, etc. Those are organizational and theological identifiers. They speak nothing of an individuals heart. All the labels in the world (or none of them) don't guarantee a heart that loves Jesus and loves like he does.

On this Reformation Day . . . a day that simultaneously sparked a positive theological revolution in the church and which has led to so much division, animosity, and even bloodshed . . . maybe rather than looking the labels, we should look to Jesus. I'm not suggesting that our differences are irrelevant. But by focusing on them in detail I wonder if sometimes we get our eyes off of Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith? I wonder if we get too defined by the things we are not rather than who we are for? I wonder if it does more to divide and judge than to unite and love?

I welcome your thoughts on this. E-mail me at jon@covenantchurch.ca if you have comments to share.

I'll leave you with one other question . . . 

How does Jesus prayer in John 17:22-23 impact how we consider and respond to these kinds of questions?