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An Evaluation of the Vatican Council—5 'S THE Roman Catholic Church 2.

A change in attitude toward the


I
^hanging? This is an intriguing outsideiuorTd. T'ol^-ReformatTon Ca­
question that calls for honest con­ tholicism tended to be “ghetto-
sideration. A simple Yes or No an­ minded.” It built a wall of separation
swer is neither very helpful nor truly to keep all outside “heretical” influ-
CHANGE meaningful. Evidence can be piled ences a safe distance from the fold.
upon evidence to indicate that Rome _Today the Catholic Church is more
is changing. On the other “Hand, there outgoing and expansively confident.

u tH ie'
'~B~aTrTuItiplicity of counterevidence As in the^past; she ~is tTying to arrange
pointing to the fact that Catholicism all human value systems in a master
remains~essenrianyunchangerfr^> Catholic synthesis^ The modem \
~=TRere isTio doubt that the “winds world is no longer considered only
of change” have been blowing" __with negative suspicion.

C lo u id t
through tne windows opened by Pope 3. A change in attitude toward
JOfrri~XXni. The question, of course, non-Catholics. The Councils of Trent
is ^KhaLfihange^) if any, these theologi­ arid-”Vatican I adopted sharply an­
cal gales have brought forth and what tagonistic attitudes toward Protes­
we understand by “change.” tants. Now we have “the spirit of
Over the centuries there has devel­ Pope John.” Rome has" decided to
oped a sort of myth regarding the ' abandon~"ecclesiastical warfare and
. unchangeable, monolithic Roman turn to dialog. It is no longer clear
Catholic Church, where everyone sup­ that- schismatics, heretics, Jews, and
posedly always believes and behaves in heathen are all outside anid progres­
thesajme way. Rome, we are told, is sively "bfackT,’
/Semper ^aEerfi\\(‘‘always the same”). 4. A 'change in attitude toward re­
But there have been many turning ligious liberty. In regard to non-
points in Catholic history. Cathollcs, the past position of Rome
In contrast with those of Protes­ was one of outright and unequivocal
By B. B. Beach tantism, Catholic changes are often denial of the right of heretics to re-
so subtle that they hardly seem like ligious liberty. The situation is’much
changes at all. But what may seem like" rrtorerftnid^today. It would be absurd
a- small change to an outsider, may to maintain that there is no differ­
be quite substantial when viewed ence between the official Catholic po­
through an internal Catholic optic. sition today and that of even ten
However, if Catholicism differs less" years ago—let alone a century Ur irior
widely today from certain forms of -^ago. T he Catholic Church has at last
Protestantism, it is more because acknowledged certain principles of re­
Protestantism has changed than be- ligious liberty that are already to a
cause Catholicism has drifted in the large extent the common heritage of
direction of Protestantism. (See The marflunct; XverTThough the Vatican
Great Controversy, p. 571.) Council “Declaration on Religious,
It would be absurd to pretend that Liberty” is deficient in certain aspects^
j jhere is no difference between the ap- it does proclaim “that the human pen
// proach of popes~today to a problem, son has the right to religious liberty/j
J and that of popes'~of4he nineteenth 5. A change in liturgical worship.
century. It would be equally inac­ For approximately Tialf a millennium
curate to maintain that the climate, Catholic public worship has remained
outlook, appearance, methods, and fixed in the Trider^tine m py. Public
approach of Catholicism have not worship was usually fooked upon as
changed. The question that remains, secondary to acts of individual wor­
of course, is whether Catholic dogma ship. Vatican II has now accom­
and basic aims have changed. This is plished what amounts to a jump from
a different matter, which also begs for private rosary to public vernacular.
an answer. First, let us note briefly Ariibng the significant” changes'TTTat
some very important changes in Ro­ are taking place, perhaps the most
man Catholicism. noticeable alteration is the substan­
tially increased use of the vernacular.
Important Changes 6. A change in attitude toward
1. A change of self-definition. The Bible. _For a number of years the
new emphasis Is on the church as Catholic Church has been gradually
“the people of God.” rather than on returning, in a sense at least, to the
the old juridical view of the church Bible. The tendency is now toward a
as a pyramid with the pope on top, more Biblical way of presenting Cath­
the la i fy at theljottom , and the hier­ olic teaching. Catholic Old and New
archy in between. For all practical Testament scholarship has been grow­
Pope Paul VI embracing the representative of purposes, in the past the Catholic ing by leaps and bounds. Modem
the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constanti­
nople, December 7. 1965. when the anathemas Church_was the hierarchy under the form criticism has been given guarded
of the eleventh century were withdrawn by pope. The laitv belonged, to the approval.
pope and patriarch. church but was not the church. 7. A change in Catholic methojds
The R e v ie w a n d H era ld is published by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and is printed every Thursday by the Review and Herald Publishing Association at Takoma
Park, Washington, D.C. 20012, U.S.A. Second-class postage paid at Washington, D.C. Copyright © 1966 by Review and Herald Publishing Association. Vol. 143, No. 16.
REVIEW AND HERALD, April 21, 1966
mmd tactics. Past Catholic methods church implicit in the doctrine of progress take place through dying to
■ugtTT RTcbmpared to heavy military inerrancy lies like a sign of contradic­ the past and being reborn in the gos-
music. After the French~Revolution tion across the path of further pel Tmager~C5thglfdsm is willing to
and during the nineteenth century progress.”— R o s e m a r y R u e t h e r , “ I s apply mis concept to the sinful in­
this martial music seemed to become Roman Catholicism Reformable?”— dividual, but she still claims sin-
a swan song. Today, after Vatican II, The Christian Century, Sept. 22, 1965. lessness, perfection, and inerrancy for
tt lias changed again, into a tantaliz­ Efforts at reform have not been tak- TTerselL This seems effectively to pre­
ing Pied-Piper score that has become ing place in the bright light of the clude the possibility of reforming the
an ecumenical “hit." gospel, but in the dimmer twilight of church on the institutional level.
The jnusic has changed. The road traditional council and papal teach­ A recent book published in France
which mankind is invited to pro­ ing. While in Rome, observers could suggests tfiata mutation of traditional
ceed is smoother and more pleasing^ note sincere concern for renewal and Catholicism is taking place, rather
I But the destination oT Catholic mack, considerable desire fori reform. But than just aggiornarnento, j>r updat­
| has^ not changed. They all lead to this was always within the strict lim­ ing. If by'mutation is meant mainly a
*-tEe f_same wefHcnown—destination— its of doctrinal continuity and the change in form, then we agree. How­
Koine Catholic past. Limited renewal based ever, if mutation refers to a radical
VVe could mention other changes, on the concept of “development of departure from the parent type, we
some equally important, affecting doctrine” is not reform in the Bibli­ are forced to conclude that the only
Catholic attitudes toward evangelism, cal sense of repentance leading to a mutation the Church of Rome has
episcopacy, laity, cremation, birth radical change of direction following ever experienced occurred when it fell
control, et cetera, but space does not the gospH bTireprint . ' away from the pure teachings o f ,
permit pursuing this aspect of the Rome sees change simply as a proc­ Christ in the early centuries, as fore-’
matter further. ess of evolution and maturation. In toIcTby the apostle PauTTn his Second
Row About Changes in Dogma? contrast to the Catholic evolutionary Epistle to the Thessalonians.
viewpoint, Christian change and ~ (Concluded)
So far, we have pointed to major
changes, without going into the ques­
tion of the basic nature of these
changes. There is no doubt that the
outlook and attitude of Rome have
«fianged. The Catholic Church’s ap­
pearance and approach have also
changed- Buf how about Catholic
dogma? Is Rome reforming in this all-
important area? This is the crux of
the question of updating. Prayer Requests
There is no factual evidence indi­ “I want to request prayer for my youngest son and his wife. They have both
cating that^ Rome Is giving up~ , asked for prayer. The wife is suffering from a kidney infection, which the best doc­
officiairy at leaslC^X .single dogmatic tors are unable to cure, so they have given her up and sent her home from the
jt. However,a~ certain “restructuring hospital. Both she and her husband feel that only God can help her now. My son
^values within the “unchangeable ’ used to be an Adventist, but drifted away while serving in the Navy. His wife has
core of Catholic dogma appears to be always been prejudiced about the Sabbath. I know the Lord can heal her if it is
taking place. A difference is being His will. Please pray that she may be healed and that both of them will give their
made between the substance of Cath­ hearts to the Lord and prepare for His coming. . . . I will be praying for them
olic doctrine and its semantic formu­ also.”—State of Missouri.
“Day after day I suppose you receive requests for prayers from families who
lation. As a result, there is taking need help in understanding the problems of our teen-agers and ourselves. Despair
place a! certain amount of reinterpre- fills our hearts to find our son, a young man, backsliding. We thought we were giving
tadon of Catholic dogma that makes him a good foundation in church school and in the church. Now as we look back
it possible to look at certain former we can’t clearly understand how we could have failed so completely. Our son needs
dogmatic pronouncements in a rela­ help. Because of his smoking and the like, our church school didn’t want him. This
tive way, with the result of making year in public school he has failed and has recently gotten so many demerits he will
them appear less absolute than they be expelled there. He has suddenly gotten completely away from us. We’ve talked
once did. While the progressive flag and prayed and done everything we know to do. Please put him on your prayer list
is being waved in policy and working and put the rest of us there too, for we need help. . . . The county superintendent
methods, doctrinal questions are of schools wants to place our son in care of a court counselor. Satan is surely testing
our family. We find ourselves very discouraged.”—State of Oklahoma.
placed under the banner of “solid
conservative doctrine and discipline.”
Some Protestants appear now to he- "My Prayer Was Answered"
lievetKat Rome is really reforming- “Prayer was answered wonderfully for my oldest son a few years ago. He
affd~ becoming more progressive—and- is a changed person.”—Mrs. W., of California.
iifiewal-minded than Protestantism.
TheTe Ts no denyrng that consider­ “In 1963 I wrote to you asking that you join me in prayer for my family, with a
special burden for my son. I asked that he would go to our Christian college rather
able self-criticism and genuine effort than to a worldly school. My prayer was answered. However, he has found no goal
to reform “Tiave been taking place to strive for. He has now decided to go to a worldly school where he can study agri­
within and without the council. But culture. . . . I am asking you to pray again for this good boy that he will not be &
all talk of reform appears doomed to lost from God’s finishing work. I will continue to join you in prayer at sunset. I |
rejoice at the prayers answered for so many dear brothers and sisters.”—Mrs. M, of 5&
CEurch faces her own previous denial Ohio. jjj
of reform (and fundamentally this <k
means her claim of inerrancy) much This column is dedicated to the encouragement of prayer for others at the sunset hour each Friday evening:
more courageously than she has done Because of the large number of requests received and the complexities of the problems presented, it is impos­
sible for us to answer each letter personally, but all requests will be acknowledged and will be kept on file in
» far, then the irreformability of the our office. Portions of letters, especially those that tell of answers to prayer, will be published as space permits.
K V IEW AND HERALD, April 21, 1966 5

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