Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. And Jesuit Educated Frank Beckwith On The Counter Reformation

Francis Beckwith erupts in a fit of...
... thanksgiving for the many fine Evangelical theologians and apologists writing and teaching today, and, in a column on the Catholics United for the Faith site, invites Catholics to learn from them: My faith in Jesus, as well as my intellectual development as a Christian scholar, was nurtured, deepened, and sustained by a body of literature and a tapestry of resources largely unknown to the Catholic world, even though there is much in Evangelical literature and ministry-life that can benefit Catholics and strengthen their faith. There are, of course, real disagreements between Catholics and Evangelical Protestants on issues of theological importance such as justification, church authority, apostolic succession, and the sacraments. For this reason, some Catholics may be hesitant to explore Evangelical authors and ministries. This would be their loss, for outside of these disagreements there is so much that we have in common. And in those areas of commonality, Evangelicals have much to offer Catholics. Dr. Beckwith refers to a 2004 First Things article by

Avery Cardinal Dulles, who wrote: All over the United States there are signs of a revival.

Evangelical Protestants are taking the lead. Apologists of the stature of Norman L. Geisler, William Lane Craig, and J. P. Moreland are publishing scholarly works on natural theology and Christian evidences.

Unlike the liberal Protestants of an earlier vintage, these Evangelicals insist on orthodoxy; they uncompromisingly maintain the fundamental Christian doctrines of the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the bodily resurrection of Jesus.

And their method succeeds. The churches that combine a concern for orthodoxy with vigorous apologetics are growing. Their seminaries attract large numbers of enthusiastic students. A similar revival is occurring, albeit more slowly, in Catholic circles. Many of the leading proponents are converts from other Christian denominations, especially

former Evangelicals. Peter Kreeft, at Boston College, plies an apologetics not far removed from that of the Evangelicals mentioned above. Scott Hahn and several colleagues at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, confidently proclaim that the Protestant Bible points to the truth of the Catholic faith. EWTN, the network founded by Mother Angelica, broadcasts very successful programs of popular apologetics. Karl Keating, who runs the “Catholic Answers” institute in San Diego, has done much to stem the tide of Hispanics defecting to fundamentalist Protestant sects.

There is also a renewal of interest in English Catholic converts of the last century, including G. K. Chesterton, Ronald Knox, and Arnold Lunn. Many recent converts are publishing their own stories of faith.

Beckwith writes: Although some of the Protestant authors and ministries I have mentioned here have been critical of aspects of Catholic teaching, these criticisms are rare and usually minor or tangential to the author or ministry’s overall mission. For example, STR has published a few articles critical of Catholic theology, although they are offered with charity and a spirit of respect.

As long as the Catholic is discerning and well-grounded in Catholic theology, he or she need not be worried about the possibility of such incidental distractions. At the end of the day, our Protestant brothers and sisters offer too many wonderful insights to pass up. These are insights that will not only help deepen our Catholic faith but also offer to us a model of how we can duplicate these sorts of works and ministries in our own dioceses and parishes. By encouraging mutual dialogue and respect, it could also, perhaps, lead us closer to the unity for which Jesus prayed: “And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one” (Jn. 17:11).

Hat tip to Insight Scoop
Read his entire column.
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