Rome is not the Answer to the Ailments of Protestantism: The need for a Reformation in Ecclesiology in 2025

Protestantism is in shambles. Many historically Protestant churches have accepted radical gender ideology. Most Protestant denominations, if they haven’t adopted women’s ordination, probably will accept it in the next 25-50 years. Protestantism is radically divided, full of sectarianism.

The Roman Catholic Church isn’t any better. The current pope of the Roman Catholic Church also has adopted a form of radical gender ideology. The Roman Catholic Church is still plagued with the idolatry of prayers to Mary & other saints as well as a confusion on the doctrines of salvation (soteriology). I could add more. Modern Roman Catholic theology has adopted a form of universalism, even in the writings of their more conservative theologians like John Paul II in his work the Splendour of Truth. As much as the Roman Catholic Church has a structural unity, it is divided in error. We must be united in truth, not in error.

There are a couple issues that both many Protestants as well as many Roman Catholics don’t understand. (1) The difference between the Reformation (Reformed theology) and the Radical Reformation (anabaptist theology); (2) The distinction and similarities between Calvinistic Baptist theology and historical anabaptist theology; (3) Some of the reforms in Roman Catholicism that have drifted towards Protestant critiques (many RC churches now do worship in the common tongue). (4) The way in which many Reformed and anabaptistic churches have lost their moorings in the theology that was taught at the time of the Reformation.

One of the fundamental points of the Reformation was the doctrine of sola Scriptura – that is, Scripture alone. The initial Reformers – John Calvin, John Knox, Martin Bucer, Martin Luther, etc – did not reject the work of the Spirit in the history of the church. But the fundamental thing that they did was build it on Scripture as the final rule for faith and life. This is what the orthodox church has done throughout history from Clement to Augustine. In this manner, the Reformers maintained catholicity with the church of all times and ages. Notice that when I speak of Reformed, I include Anglican (British Reformed), Presbyterian (Scottish Reformed), Lutheran (Norse Reformed), the Reformed in the Netherlands (Dutch Reformed). Various Reformed confessions arose in these countries to combat the errors of the Roman Catholic Church, and to defend themselves against charges of anabaptistic theology (read the Belgic Confession closely).

Here is where it gets confusing. I have more in common with a Baptist, a Pentecostal or a Roman Catholic guy who reads his Bible than a Reformed guy who doesn’t read his Bible. I have been blessed by the writings of Calvin Robinson, for example, but I stoutly disagree with him on his various teachings re Mariolatry and his belief that John Calvin was a heretic (he is old orders Catholic, not Roman Catholic). I agree with Calvin Robinson (and John Calvin) that we must dispose with the root of Marxism and Feminism in the Protestant world. He has a very important warning when he warns Protestants of this. Why? Because the message of the Bible is antithetical to all such ideologies that exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. There are portions of the Protestant world fighting against these things and the prevalence of anabaptistic theology. The Roman Catholic Church has much bigger problems to deal with.

There are a lot of guys swimming the Tiber back to Rome. It’s a two-way bridge, yes. But as much of popular evangelicalism devolves into silliness, men are looking for a stable foundation in the midst of all the foment and revolution in North American ecclesiology. They are looking for order, even if it is only the appearance of order.

Therein lies the problem. Much of the church in North America does not have an ecclesiology. Those that do have an ecclesiology, all to often retreat into sectarianism in order to protect the order of their churches. Batten down the hatches! There’s a storm coming! No credobaptists allowed!

Well, that storm is upon us with the widespread dissemination of information with the internet and artificial intelligence. It’s time to face this problem head-on, to meet it with a grin and a firmness of faith and doctrine, because guys will be swimming back and forth over the Tiber whether we like it or not.

In 2025, we need a reformation in ecclesiology. What is a proper doctrine of the church? What does Christ desire of His Church, His blood-bought bride? The faltering courage that leads to churches locking their doors for 2+ years of lockdowns. The constant push for women’s ordination. In broader evangelicalism, the lack of church government, the Ted Talks, the fog machines and gaudy displays of kitschy pop Christianity.

It’s all in our Reformational documents. But the Reformation has experienced a mission drift. There are many faithful men and pastors who are braving it out in the wild, little islands in their almost entirely apostate denominations. Sure, I recognize that there are the two-office churches (Scottish Reformed) and the three-office churches (Dutch Reformed). The CREC is bringing them together. The Anglicans tend to be a bit more hierarchical. But even if we can’t figure it out right away, we can recognize each other’s ordinations.

You see, the Reformation was not united by a reductionistic gospel (like the TGC). The Reformation was not united by an institutionalism (like the Roman Catholic Church). The Reformation was not united by compromise (like modern liberal ecumenical movements). It was united by sound doctrine.

There were problems. Bucer lamented that churches struggled with knowing what were the minors and what were the majors. The Reformation was not a golden age in any sense of the word. But when the Reformers were driven out while seeking to reform Rome, they united around sound doctrine that can be found in the confessional documents of the Reformation. At the time they had to settle for national churches, and that has led to its own problems 500 years down the road. But praise God that some of the local magistrates did indeed protect them from the attacks of Rome.

As we look forward to the future, it would be foolish & sinful to go back to Rome. It is impossible to go back to the national ecumenical structures that were built at the time of the Reformation. Yes, we can and should learn from the ancient church. We should study the order of Dordt and Presbyterial order in Scotland and the order for the French churches. We should immerse ourselves in confessional and historic theology and in the teachings of the church fathers. Yes, we need scholars, young men who will boldly study these matters even in the face of mockery and persecution.

But if we can build again a bulwark of Reformed Catholic Christianity in North America, being humble about our sins and weaknesses in the contemporary church, always submitting to the words of Christ, then I am convinced we will see another Reformation grip the heart of the West. But in doing so, there is no skirting around issues of the doctrine of the Church.

I’m not so interested in controversies surrounding independent baptist or baptist/reformed churches like Right Response Ministries or Refuge Church in Ogden, Utah. I have found some of their content interesting over the years. But there are things happening in every town and city of this nation, next door, where Christians are reforming their churches according to the Word of God.

This is one of the reasons I love the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Committee. This is why I keep an eye on conservative Anglican and conservative Lutheran movements and conservative movements in liberal Presbyterian denominations. I keep an eye on churches in evangelicalism that are reading their Bibles and seeing the need for reforms in various places. I expect as this revolution in information and learning happens, we will see Roman Catholic priests and Eastern Orthodox priests considering the goodness of Reformed catholicity. This is one of the reasons I am in the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches.

I love the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. It is an article of faith, but it is also something Christ really is forming in the midst of this world of sin and misery.

Final Note: this was initially posted on my Substack on Dec. 30, 2024 – here. I posted another article in this vein on Kuyperian commentary back in April, 2024 – here.

Photo by Wim van ‘t Einde on Unsplash