The Evangelical-Roman Catholic journey towards rapprochement
RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE between Evangelicals and Roman Catholics may sound like an unlikely scenario but lessons drawn from history, as I will seek to demonstrate in what follows, can yield some surprisingly fruitful outcomes, ones which may prove to be highly pertinent to our present-day context. It may be valuable before embarking on an historical review to register the obvious objections which such a project might give rise to.
RESPECTFUL DIALOGUE between Evangelicals and Roman Catholics may sound like an unlikely scenario but lessons drawn from history, as I will seek to demonstrate in what follows, can yield some surprisingly fruitful outcomes, ones which may prove to be highly pertinent to our present-day context. It may be valuable before embarking on an historical review to register the obvious objections which such a project might give rise to. For example, how can one speak about a journey towards theological reconciliation and these two contrasting religious traditions in the same breath? Reformation theology is surely the antithesis of Roman Catholic belief and to speak of rapprochement is simply to indulge in wishful thinking* Full article available in printed copies.
Paddy McGlinchey
is a member of staff at the Church of Ireland Theological Institute.