Should Evangelicals Honor Pope John Paul II?
Janet
Chismar interviews Dr. Mark Bailey
Catholics
around the world mourn the loss of their leader, Pope John Paul
II, who died April 2 after a long illness. While a number of
Evangelical leaders have praised the political and humanitarian legacy
of this pope, some Christians are wondering how much homage to pay the
figurehead of a seemingly different faith.
Is there a place for respect in the midst of disagreement over
theology? Dr. Mark Bailey, president of
Dallas Theological Seminary, helped answer this question in a phone
interview Monday morning.
Bailey
recently assumed the Seminary’s presidency after years of service as
both a professor and the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and as
pastor at a local church. Bailey was a seminar instructor for Walk Thru
the Bible Ministries for 20 years and is in demand for Bible
conferences and other preaching engagements.
Crosswalk:
To start with, can you help readers who are unfamiliar with Catholic
theology to understand the issue of papal authority?
Bailey:
The view of the Catholic church is that papal authority goes back to
the first pope, which they teach was Peter. This comes from an
interpretation of Matthew 16:18 that says the church was built on Peter
as the rock and therefore, has apostolic and ecclesiastical
authority.
The difficulty, of course, is that Ephesians chapter 2 tells us the
church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets –
plural – with Jesus Christ being the chief cornerstone. It’s never been
limited to Peter.
Crosswalk:
What are the other main theological differences between the Evangelical
and Roman Catholic churches?
Bailey:
First, we as Evangelicals don’t believe authority resides in a person –
an earthly priest. We believe, as First Timothy told us, there is one
mediator between God and man – Christ Jesus. Therefore, through the
single mediation of Jesus Christ, the New Testament teaches we all are
priests – a royal priesthood – and we have direct access to the very
throne of God.
The
second difference is the centrality of Christ and the veneration
of
Mary within the Catholic church. Although the New Testament calls her
blessed among women for having been the mother of our Lord, Luke 2 says
that even Mary needed a savior and was dependent upon the grace of
God.
That
takes us to the third difference, which is the means of salvation. When
you ask most Roman Catholics how a person is justified, they would say
that faith is infused at Baptism and confirmed at Confirmation. Whereas
the whole argument of the Protestant Reformation was that salvation is
by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.
Crosswalk:
What are some of the changes taking place in the modern Catholic church?
Bailey:
In 1965, papers that came from Vatican II opened the door a little bit
to the idea that salvation is not restricted to the Catholic church,
that the Spirit can blow with a mighty wind beyond the Catholic church.
But even with Vatican II, there has never been a repudiation or backing
off of the Council of Trent that called all Evangelicals “devils” and
really denied that Evangelicals and Protestants can have a place in
eternity. There’s a bit of contradiction between Vatican II and the
Council of Trent that still has to be wrestled with.
Crosswalk:
Given some of the differences, how should non-Catholics view this Pope?
Can we revere his achievements without revering the papal office?
Bailey: Sure. We have shared values in the
common
grace that God has given to all men. There’s a conscience, a morality
within everyone, although sometimes that is seared and sometimes it is
outright rejected. We share certain moral principles that this Pope
espoused – the sanctity of human life, the Biblical view of marriage, a
desire for justice and peace, and caring for the downtrodden. We would
all share, hopefully, those values. They are rooted in Scripture and in
the character of God. So there is a shared agenda, at times, with
regard to moral issues and social issues.
Pope
John Paul II was noteworthy in his boldness in the area of
abortion,
going against the wave of popularity, even within the Catholic church.
He refused to budge on those kinds of issues and probably could be
viewed as a very conservative pope in the community of the Roman
Catholics.
Crosswalk:
How are Catholics dealing with the scandals involving priests, which
some media outlets are highlighting? Is this a problem unique to their
faith?
Bailey:
It’s not limited to Roman Catholics. There have been people of all
persuasions that have been involved in such scandals, at times to
epidemic proportions, as it has been revealed and exposed. This is
tragic whether it happens within the Catholic church or outside of it
Crosswalk:
Lastly, some of our readers may wonder if it possible for this Pope –
or any Catholic – to be saved. Can you comment on that?
Bailey:
Some people can find themselves part of a tradition that holds to
certain doctrine, but they themselves have come to a personal faith in
Christ and are dependent only on Christ for their salvation through
what He did on the cross. Our prayer, obviously, is that this Pope had
come to that conclusion. And the next pope, we would hope, will place
the authority in Scripture and will see the exclusivity of Jesus as the
only possibility of salvation, and that the death of Christ and not our
works is the absolute provision given by a gracious God for our sin.
I
have known Roman Catholics who are believers. My personal
preference
would be that they then distinguish themselves from those who hold to a
different doctrine. But there are Baptists in bad Baptist churches.
There are Presbyterians in bad Presbyterian churches, who have lost the
message of the Gospel. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be people who
– because of family or because they want to have an impact – stay
within that system for the purpose of evangelism and, hopefully,
renewal.
For more on this topic, visit Albert Mohler's weblog on
Crosswalk.com. Learn more about
Dallas Theological Seminary at www.dts.edu.