Lighthouse Trails Research Journal
5
HUNDREDS OF PROTESTANT SCHOLARS AND PASTORS SIGN “REFORMING
CATHOLIC CONFESSION,” BUT CAN THE CHURCH TRUST THIS DOCUMENT?
BY LT EDITORS
undreds of Protestant and evangeli-
cal scholars, pastors, and theologians
have signed a document called “Reforming
Catholic Confession” to mark the 500 th
anniversary of the Reformation, which was
commemorated on October 31, 2017. Ac-
cording to Dr. Timothy George, dean of
Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham,
Alabama, who co-chaired the Confession’s
steering committee, “a significant motivat-
ing factor of the Confession’s participants
is to call the Church to spiritual renewal.” 1
In reviewing the “Reforming Catholic
Confession” 2 and the signatories, Light-
house Trails has observed a few things,
which lead us to ask, “Can the church trust
the “Reforming Catholic Confession”?
To begin with, the majority of the hun-
dreds of initial signatories either promote
the contemplative prayer movement (a
movement that has its roots in Catholic
mysticism and panentheism and is draw-
ing Protestants in that direction) directly
themselves or represent institutions or de-
nominations that do.
This promotion of contemplative spiritu-
ality includes the Confession’s co-chair, Dr.
Timothy George. For example, in a 2014
article titled “Not Just For Catholics” 3 on
Beeson Divinity School’s website, written
by George, he expresses his admiration for
Catholic practices such as the contemplative
Lectio Divina. George is also the general
editor for a series called the Reformation
Commentary on Scripture (published by
InterVarsity Press) that boasts of including
Catholic writers in its collection of com-
mentaries. While the “Reforming Catholic
Confession” claims to be trying to strengthen
the Protestant church and its unique mission
separated from the Catholic Church, how
can we trust a document whose co-chairman
does not even understand the serious reasons
Christians must be separated from the Ro-
man Catholic Church? We know Timothy
H
Volume 5—No. 6
George cannot understand this, for if he
did, he would certainly not, as the general
editor, allow the writings of Catholic writers
in a commentary series on Scripture. On the
Beeson Divinity School website, George is
described as “active in Evangelical–Roman
Catholic Church dialogue.”
Leith Anderson, president of the Nation-
al Association of Evangelicals (NAE), is an-
other signatory of the “Reforming Catholic
Confession.” Anderson was a pioneer of the
emerging church movement as described in
Roger Oakland’s book Faith Undone, which
quotes Anderson saying he is hoping for a
paradigm shift within the church:
The only way to cope and be effective
during this period of structural
change in society is to change some
of the ways we view our world and
the church. It is what some call a
paradigm shift—a new way of looking
at something. Such a shift will allow
us to view our changing world with
new perspective. It is like a map. Old
maps from 1950 may have sufficed
before the construction of interstate
highways and the expansion of major
cities, but new maps are needed now.
Likewise, we need a paradigm shift for
the future. 4 (emphasis added)
It was Leith Anderson, Rick Warren,
and Bill Hybels who were instrumental in
helping Bob Buford (under the inspiration
of Peter Drucker) launch the emergent
church (then called Terra Nova) around
1998 with a group of young pastors: Doug
Pagitt, Dan Kimball, Mark Driscoll, and
Brian McLaren. Things have never been
the same since, which leads us to ask the
question: Is the “Reforming Catholic Con-
fession” (which uses the word “catholic”
over 30 times) another step in this emergent
paradigm shift that Leith Anderson longed
for twenty years ago where “a new way of
looking at something [the church]” comes
into play? Those who have studied the
emergent/emerging church in the scope
of Scripture know it is a definite road to
Rome with its ecumenical, interspiritual,
and mystical elements leading the way.
Other institutions that are represented
in the signatures of the “Reforming Catho-
lic Confession” are some of the most blatant
contemplative-promoting Christian col-
leges and universities out there. And when
we say contemplative, remember, we mean
on a path to Rome: Wheaton College,
Fuller Theological Seminary, Biola Uni-
versity, Bethel College, Regent University,
Asbury University, Andrews University,
Denver University, Southeastern Baptist
Theological Seminary, and Calvin Insti-
tute of Christian Worship. Other schools
represented in the document are also con-
templative promoting: Dallas Theological
Seminary, Liberty University, Moody Bible
Institute, Baylor University, Cornerstone
University, and Westmont College. We’ve
only named a few of the institutions that
are represented on the signature list that
promote contemplative spirituality (i.e.,
the emergent churc h). As we stated, it is
the majority of them that do.
Several denominations are also repre-
sented in the “Reforming Catholic Confes-
sion” such as the Evangelical Free Church
of America (and as of more recent years is
now an advocate for contemplative spiritu-
ality). And don’t think that these signatures
representing these groups are insignificant
non-influential back-room members. For
instance, the man from the Evangelical
Free Church of America who signed the
document is Rev. Greg Strand whose title
is the Executive Director of Theology &
Credentialing for the denomination. Not
to mention that the president of that de-
nomination, Rev. Kevin Kompelien, also
signed the Confession.
Concludes on next page
November/December 2017