Protestant identity is defined by opposition to Rome. Protestants may disagree vehemently on various doctrinal and ecclesiological issues, but they are firmly united in their rejection of the Pope and other Catholic distinctives. The Protestant Churches will never ever ever, not in a million zillion years, give up their freedom from papal authority; they will never give up their private judgment. That’s why Protestants are Protestant and like being Protestant. This is why they enthusiastically embrace denominationalism and branch theories of the Church. To be Protestant is to enjoy the freedom to choose one’s own church or even create a better one. Bottomline: All Protestants agree that the Catholic Church must abandon her claim to be the true Church: she must become a denomination just like everyone else. The Protestant commitment to denominationalism will never change, because to change on this point is to cease to be Protestant. I do not know if Catholic ecumenists really understand the Protestant mind and spirit at this point. It doesn’t matter how many ecumenical agreements are reached. Such agreements only express the views of the ecumenism experts; they do not impact the essential structure of Protestant identity.
Read the rest of Al Kimel’s post at Catholicism and the Ecumenical Adventure over at Pontifications.
