“It’s not an easy question for Protestants, because, having jettisoned Tradition and the Church”
This is a strange statement. I was never a Catholic, therefore I jettisoned nothing. Statements like this seem to be making a case that all were Catholic and then turned our backs on “the church” in some horrible act of rebellion. I was raised Protestant, I remain one, I harbor no ill will to anyone of other denomination or faith. I sincerely believe that all followers of Christ will meet up in His kingdom and we will be shown just how foolish arguments like Protestant/Catholic really are.
The thing is, whatever Protestant denomination from which your beliefs stem DID jettison the Church at some point - that is what it is to be a Protestant. Theologically and intellectually, you have jettisoned the Church, since that is your pedigree, so to speak.
I sincerely believe that all followers of Christ will meet up in His kingdom and we will be shown just how foolish arguments like Protestant/Catholic really are.
I don't disagree with you per se - the thing is, how many "churches" claim they are followers of Christ and say abortion is a personal choice or that gay marriage is okay? That is why Catholics fight so hard - it is scary to think what might happen without good teachers, or if people turn their faith solely inward.
AMEN!
However, when one construes reality as such that one’s OWN RELIGOUS CLUB is the ONLY right one . . . then it’s very easy to be haughty toward others for a lonnnnng list of reasons.
That old IN-GROUP/OUT-GROUP stuff.
Seriously. Being a "Protestant" in the 16th century pretty much always involved a conscious repudiation of groups in communion with the See of Rome.
But plenty of Protestants these days are what they are and they don't care one way or another about Rome. They don't see any reason to think about it much.
Of course I disagree ad think that they don't know what they're missing an so forth. But that's not the issue. The issue is there is no deliberate and considered act of "protest" or separation, no "intention" of jettisoning or apostatizing from anything.
Consequently our evangelism has to adjust.
Besides, while I think Luther was very wrong, there is a certain integrity in his having the guts to stick with his convictions, however misguided they may have been.
IF the average Protestant in the pew were indeed repudiating us, when we laid the charge, we'd get a "Dern tootin' I'm repudiating you!" But what we get about as often (along with astonishing mischaracterizations of what we in fact believe and do) is a kind of surprised and indignant,"No I'm not! You do your stuff and well do ours, and let's try to get along."