I'm currently reading the debate between Fr. John Waiss and James McCarthy in "Letters Between a Catholic and an Evangelical". What I found particularly interesting are the points being made regarding the Sola Scriptura principle. The Catholic position affirms the authority of Scripture but points out that Scripture itself frequently talks about authority that goes beyond the written record of Scripture - which would render the "sola" in "sola scriptura" obsolete.
The Evangelical agrees that God doesn't limit authority in this way but emphasizes that Scripture still has the final and ultimate authority in matters of faith and doctrine and gives biblical examples for that position as well. The Catholic adds the pragmatic argument that without tradition and magisterium, the church ends up in a chaos of individualistic interpretations of the Bible and endless schisms. The Evangelical, on the other hand, can point out how the unquestioned authority and monopoly of interpretation within the boundaries of the magisterium historically has led to perversions of scriptural truth and therefore can be just as destructive.
Is there any way to bridge this divide?
Here are some of my own thoughts:
Even the Catholic is trying to back up the authority of tradition and magisterium on the foundation of Scripture rather than just claiming it without this support. And by making this argument, he de facto is using the principle he's arguing against in the first place.
The Evangelical, on the other hand, cannot get around the fact that Scripture - with its final authority in all matters - tells him that God uses other means than just Scripture alone to illumine us, to guide us, to teach us. If he takes Scripture seriously, he will de facto have to seek more than just Scriptural authority and back-up, especially since he cannot escape the fact that there is no immediate access to this scriptural truth. In many matters there is a great variety of interpretations where each interpreter claims to have biblical support for his view without being able to come to an agreement in the end what Scripture is really teaching us here, including the matter discussed in this post!
I would like to use the pattern of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 (a magisterium in a sense!) to suggest how God can lead the church in unity and with authority. It begins with an unresolved dispute - what is God's will regarding Gentile believers? First of all, there is much discussion (V.7). There are no quick references to Old Testament Scriptures or teachings of Jesus that would resolve the matter on that basis alone. There's also no quick agreement just because Peter is present and everyone would agree that the authority given by the Lord to Peter would guarantee unity and save the group from a chaos of different opinions. Yes, Peter's speech plays an important role but not in terms of a positional authority recognized by all. It's the arguments he, Barnabas, Paul and James are making in their reference to the evidence of God's work among the Gentiles in conjunction with the Scriptural support from the book of Amos that convince the rest and helps the church to come to a united decision.
V.28 summarizes how this conclusion was reached: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us ..."!
I think all of these elements need to be taken into account: dialogue and discussion, pertinent practical experiences where God's hand is evident, Scriptural support, and in all of this an openness for the inner conviction of the Holy Spirit (I think the silence mentioned in V.12 speaks volumes how the Holy Spirit used the testimonies of Barnabas and Paul!).
I'm not sure whether doctrinal formulas will help the universal body of Christ come together as the Lord desires. Neither renewed battle calls of "Sola Scriptura!" nor the insistence on the authority of recognized church officials or past church documents will help us get there. I think one thing we can agree on is the fact that ultimate authority lies with God alone. At Pentecost He's chosen to work through a new body in this world. And in this body we all need each other. We desperately need to look together for direction from the One who is the Head of the Body. And He directs us by His Spirit using many means - Scripture, experience, gifts of discernment and teaching, dialogue, prayer, inner conviction ... the list goes on.
The "Magisterium" of the Jerusalem Council came to a united decision. Catholics and Protestants agree that it was ultimately God's decision revealed to a church committed to submit to whatever he did reveal and would confirm as the authoritative word for this situation. Will Catholics and Protestants also be willing to see that they actually need each other and come together in a spirit of humility rather than insisting that only one side has exclusive access to the process of truth?
Only time will tell.
