Program / Course 24: Apologetic Practicum / Lesson 4.3
What you will learn
- Identify the most common objections that Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians raise against one another.
- State another tradition’s objection to your own in terms its holders would accept.
- Distinguish disagreements about essential doctrine from disagreements about practice and authority.
- Reply in a way that is truthful, courteous and aware of what the traditions share.
The big idea
Objections from other Christians are often more painful and more technical than objections from outsiders, because they come from people who share much of the faith. Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants each raise questions about the others’ authority, doctrine and worship, and each side has a long history of misunderstanding the other. A fair reply starts from what is shared, states the objection as its holders would, admits real differences and does not pretend that disagreement is unimportant or that it must end in hostility.
Key terms
- Ecumenism
- Efforts to promote understanding and cooperation among Christian traditions, sometimes with the aim of visible unity.
- Sola scriptura
- A Latin phrase meaning Scripture alone. It names the Protestant teaching that Scripture is the final norm of doctrine.
- Sacred Tradition
- In Catholic and Orthodox teaching, the faith handed down in the church, which is understood to interpret Scripture and stands with it.
- Magisterium
- In Catholic teaching, the church’s teaching office, held by the pope and bishops.
- Filioque
- A Latin word meaning and from the Son. It is a phrase added in the West to the Nicene Creed about the Holy Spirit, which is a major point of dispute with the Orthodox.
- Justification
- How a person is made right with God. A central point of difference in the Reformation.
- Schism
- A division within the church. The most famous are the split of East and West and the Reformation.
- Mere Christianity
- A phrase popularized by C. S. Lewis for the faith common to all Christian traditions.
Background
Three large divisions mark Christian history. The Eastern and Western churches drifted apart over centuries, and mutual excommunications in 1054 are often taken as a symbolic date, though historians stress that separation was gradual and not complete until later. The Reformation in the sixteenth century divided Western Christianity into Catholic and various Protestant groups. Within Protestantism there are many further divisions.
Each tradition has criticisms of the others. Protestants often argue that Catholic and Orthodox teaching adds to Scripture, on matters such as the papacy, the Marian dogmas, prayer to saints and purgatory, or on salvation by faith and works. Catholics argue that Protestantism lacks a visible teaching authority, leads to division and departs from the early church on the sacraments. Orthodox Christians argue that Western Christians, Catholic and Protestant, changed the faith by additions such as the filioque and by shifts in the understanding of grace, authority and atonement. Each also receives criticism of its own failings.
Jesus prays that his followers may be one (John 17:21), and Paul rebukes the Corinthians for factions (1 Corinthians 1:10 to 1:13). The goal of this lesson is not to settle the disputes but to practice fairness within them, which may be the most demanding fairness of all.
Step-by-step explanation
Step 1: Start from what is shared
All three traditions confess the Trinity, the divinity and humanity of Christ, his death and resurrection, and the authority of Scripture in some manner. Most use the Nicene Creed. They share many saints, hymns and prayers from the early centuries, including the Lord’s Prayer. Naming this is not diplomacy. It is accuracy.
Start a reply by saying so: ‘Both traditions confess the Creed and Christ. The difference lies in how the church’s authority works.’
Step 2: Learn the main objections each direction
Protestant objections to Catholic and Orthodox teaching: claims for the pope, doctrines not clearly in Scripture, prayer to saints, the role of Mary, reliance on works. Catholic objections to Protestants: the lack of a final earthly interpreter, many denominations, a reduced view of the sacraments and of the church. Orthodox objections to the West: papal jurisdiction and infallibility, the filioque, juridical readings of atonement and a different view of tradition. Catholics and Protestants may in turn question Orthodox views on aspects of papal primacy or the pace of doctrinal clarity.
These are not exhaustive. Each tradition is internally diverse. Lutherans, Calvinists, Anglicans, Baptists and Pentecostals differ among themselves. Eastern Catholics have Orthodox liturgy and Catholic communion.
Step 3: State the objection in the objector’s terms
A Catholic reply to a Protestant begins by understanding sola scriptura as its adherents do: not that tradition is worthless, since the creeds and councils are widely honored, but that only Scripture is the final authority. A Protestant reply to Catholics begins by understanding the Catholic claim: that Christ gave the apostles teaching authority, and that the church’s teaching cannot fail in defining matters of faith. An Orthodox reply to the West begins by hearing the claim that Orthodox practice is no insular tradition but a continuation of the church of the councils.
Read primary sources: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Westminster Confession or Augsburg Confession, and Orthodox catechisms and writers. Avoid polemical summaries.
Step 4: Sort the disagreements
Some differences touch the center, such as the doctrine of the Trinity or Christology. Others concern authority (who decides?), salvation (how a person is justified and what is the place of works?), worship (how do the sacraments work?), or church order. Some are historical (what did the early church actually believe or do?). Some are practices that other traditions may tolerate while disagreeing.
Say what kind of disagreement it is. Often the difficulty is not that one side has no argument but that the underlying approach to authority differs, so arguments from Scripture alone or from tradition alone fail to persuade.
Step 5: Reply with honesty and charity
Give your tradition’s reasons from Scripture and history, state where you find the other side’s best point, and admit what is uncertain. Do not claim that the other tradition is not Christian unless your tradition truly so teaches, and then say it carefully. Official teaching differs: the Catholic Church recognizes the baptism of many Protestants and calls them separated brethren, many Protestants regard Catholics as Christians in spite of serious errors, and Orthodox teaching on other churches varies.
Pray for unity if your tradition prays for it. Where you must differ, differ in love (Ephesians 4:15).
- Have I read the other tradition in its own sources?
- What do the traditions share, and have I said so?
- What kind of disagreement is this: doctrine, authority, worship, history or practice?
- Would a thoughtful member of that tradition accept my statement of the objection?
- What is the best argument for the other side, and what is mine?
- Is my tone consistent with Jesus’ prayer for unity?
Examples
A Protestant asks a Catholic about the papacy
Question: ‘Where does Scripture say the pope has authority?’ A fair Catholic answer cites Matthew 16:18 and 16:19, John 21:15 to 21:17 and Luke 22:32, explains how the church understood the role of Peter and his successors over time, and acknowledges that Protestants and Orthodox read these texts differently. (Constructed example.)
A Catholic asks a Protestant about authority
Question: ‘If Scripture alone is the authority, who decides what Scripture means?’ A fair Protestant answer says that Scripture is clear on essential matters, that the church’s teaching and the creeds guide interpretation, that the Spirit works through the community, and that interpretive disagreement exists and is a real difficulty. (Constructed example.)
An Orthodox Christian asks about the filioque
Question: ‘Why did the West add words to the creed?’ A fair Catholic or Protestant answer says that the phrase was added in the Latin West over time (it was not in the original text of 381), that the West defended it as expressing biblical teaching, and that the Orthodox object both to the content and to the unilateral addition. Both aspects of the objection should be stated. (Constructed example.)
Different perspectives
Catholic thought
The Second Vatican Council taught that the church of Christ subsists in the Catholic Church while acknowledging elements of sanctification and truth in other communities. The Catholic Church seeks unity, regards Orthodox churches as true particular churches with valid sacraments and calls Protestants separated brethren.
Orthodox thought
Orthodox Christians hold that the Orthodox Church preserves the fullness of the apostolic faith. They differ among themselves about how to regard other Christians, from strict views to a broader recognition of baptism and grace outside visible boundaries. Many participate in dialogue while holding that unity requires agreement in faith.
Protestant thought
Protestants hold that the true church is where the gospel is rightly preached and the sacraments rightly administered, and that visible divisions do not destroy the unity of all believers in Christ. Protestants differ widely, with some pursuing ecumenical dialogue and others holding strong objections to Catholicism or Orthodoxy.
Scholarly view
Historians note that much of the polemic between traditions rests on mutual misunderstanding and that ecumenical dialogues of recent decades have clarified agreements and differences, such as the Lutheran-Catholic Joint Declaration on justification in 1999. Scholars also note that some differences remain real.
Why it matters
Disagreements among Christians are often more public and more damaging than those with outsiders. Jesus connects the unity of his disciples to the world’s recognition of him (John 17:21). A fair, informed reply to an objection from another tradition can keep a conversation going where it would otherwise end in bitterness, and it teaches you more about your own tradition, because you must say why you hold it.
Common misunderstandings
Misunderstanding: Other traditions are simply uninformed about the Bible.
Correction: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant scholars all study Scripture closely and reach different conclusions. The disagreement often concerns how to read Scripture and where authority lies, not whether to read it.
Misunderstanding: All the traditions teach basically the same thing.
Correction: They share much, but differences on authority, grace, the sacraments and the church are real and matter to believers. Minimizing them is inaccurate.
Misunderstanding: If I show that another tradition is wrong on one point, I have shown it is not Christian.
Correction: Most traditions recognize the others as Christian in some sense, even when disagreeing seriously. The teaching of each tradition should be consulted before making such claims.
Misunderstanding: Ecumenism means giving up your convictions.
Correction: Serious ecumenical dialogue is typically between people who hold their convictions firmly and wish to understand one another. It does not require pretending that differences do not exist.
Knowledge check
What do Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christians share?
They share the Trinity, the divinity and humanity of Christ, his death and resurrection, the importance of Scripture and the use of the Nicene Creed. They share many early saints and prayers. Naming common ground is accurate and helps focus the disagreement on what truly divides.
What is the main Protestant objection to Catholic and Orthodox teaching?
It is that certain doctrines and practices go beyond or conflict with Scripture, such as papal claims, prayer to saints, or reliance on works for salvation. Protestants hold Scripture is the final authority. Catholic and Orthodox Christians reply that Scripture and Tradition together carry the faith.
What is the filioque dispute?
The Latin West added ‘and from the Son’ to the Creed’s statement about the Spirit’s procession. Orthodox Christians object both to the content and to the addition made without a common council. Western defenders say it expresses biblical teaching. The text of 381 did not contain it.
Why state an objection in its holder’s terms?
Because a reply to a distorted objection convinces no one and is unfair. Reading primary sources and checking your statement with a member of the tradition guards against caricature. Faithful restatement is also a form of obedience to the command not to bear false witness.
Why is it useful to sort disagreements by kind?
Disagreements about the Trinity, about authority, about salvation, about worship and about history require different kinds of reasons. Naming the kind helps both sides see why arguments fail to persuade, for example when each side starts from a different view of authority.
Think it through
- How well do you know the official teaching of the other two traditions, in their own words?
- Which disagreement in this lesson seems most difficult to bridge, and why?
- What does Jesus’ prayer in John 17 ask of you in how you speak about other Christians?
- Have you ever misrepresented another Christian tradition without meaning to?
Independent assignment
A fair account of one objection
In your own notebook, write 600 to 800 words. Choose one objection that members of another Christian tradition raise against yours (or, if you belong to no tradition, one that two traditions raise against each other). Read the objecting tradition in its own sources. Write a statement of the objection that its holders would accept, a reply from your tradition’s best reasons, and a paragraph on what the traditions share. Note two points where you are unsure. Keep this private.
Further study
- Catholic Church, Catechism of the Catholic Church The Catholic position in its own words.
- Westminster Assembly, The Westminster Confession of Faith A Reformed Protestant position.
- Timothy (Kallistos) Ware, The Orthodox Church An accessible account of Orthodox belief and history.
- Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church) Vatican II on the church and its relation to other Christians.
- Council of Trent (1545-1563), Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent The Catholic response to the Reformation, which Protestants have often criticized.
- C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity Lewis on what Christians hold in common.
- John 17:21 That they all may be one.
- Ephesians 4:3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit.