How Reformed Theology has Made Me More Catholic

To all of my followers, let me apologize for the long period between posts. This will be quick since I'm sitting in my office on a frigid Friday morning with a few flurries penetrating the sky with plenty of other things to occupy my time.

In a previous post, I revealed that I received Christian baptism as an infant in the Roman Catholic Church. I received "believer's baptism" only 6 1/2 years later in a Baptist church! I have a Roman Catholic context to fall back on in addition to receiving my elementary and high school education from Catholic schools.

Since I've been a Reformed Christian, I'm becoming more Catholic (not Roman). Since I'm a teaching historian, I've realized through studying the Reformation was that was the point of Luther, Calvin, and others. They were interested in bringing the Church back to its biblical, apostolic, and ancient history. When Calvin writes of the Church in his Institutes, does he use the term Reformed, or Presbyterian? No. He calls the Church the Holy Catholic Church.

As a Reformed Christian, I fully embrace my Catholicity as defined by my Reformed forebears. I lustily recite the Apostles Creed in church, and I've begun to pray through the Belgic Confession of Faith. I'm claiming the words Paul wrote first to the Church at Corinth, "all are yours." The apostles are mine, Alexander of Alexandria is mine, Ambrose is mine, Augustine is mine, Luther is mine, and Calvin is mine. For African American Christians, especially Protestants, this is a crucial point. Owing to our unique historical context, we tend to be parochial in our thinking and our approach to church matters. Almost by nature we attend African American churches. I understand the history, but are we being truly Catholic in spirit? Have we given up the fight on this front? We complain about racism in the church universal, but we stand aloof from fighting for inclusion and integration in the most important institution in the world.

I think the Spirit is grieved how we place culture above biblical Catholicity. Let's not wait on large numbers of white brethren to initiate discussions, or to invite persons of color to their churches. Where we see the marks of a true church, let's join no matter what. Why? Because it glorifies our Christ who died for Jews and Gentiles alike. His death tore down that middle wall of partition that Paul speaks of in Ephesians 2:14. In fact, the Apostle states(2:15)that the Church consisting of all nations is "one new man!"

Ecclesia Semper Reformanda means in part that we pray and work for local churches to reflect Paul's words.