"Sola Scriptura" and the “Five solas” are fundamental doctrinal principles of the Protestant Reformation; however, it is very possible that they are the principles that are keeping many divided from other Christians. I was born into a Protestant denomination, and although I do not agree with all of what I call Post-Reformist Thought, I believe that perhaps “Sola Scriptura” is the most troubling when it comes to ecumenism. The Scriptures are indeed very important….
The Road to Emmaus is a post resurrection story found in the Gospel of Luke 24:13-32 in which Jesus spoke with two disciples: “[25] And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! [26] Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" [27] And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Bible, Revised Standard Version).” It is obvious that the Old Testament Scriptures played a significant role in how Jesus was able to communicate his point to Cleopas and the other disciple. So, Hebrew Scriptures were very important to Jesus. Moreover, St. Paul said in 2 Timothy 3: "[15] and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. [16] All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work himself (Bible, Revised Standard Version) ." Scriptures are fundamental and essential in and to the Christian Faith. However, we also need to know Church history and understand how the canon came about. I once heard a priest say that "the Bible is the word of God, but not necessarily the words of God." Now, if you disagree with this previous thought, I suggest that you do the historical research to make your defense, and ask yourself if the stance you are taking is completely and truthfully defendable. Moreover, making Scriptures the final authority in Christianity is very perplexing since the Church existed before the New Testament Canon we have today. But, please do not misunderstand me, the Scriptures are extremely important, but when placed on so high a pedestal, we probably turn the Scriptures into an Idol. Scriptures should have a high regard, but what I have noticed in the many years in which I have been a Christian is that many times they are misused and taken out of context to make a point in a sermon or a homily rather than having a simple reading or an exposition of them. Furthermore, many times the person delivering said sermon becomes the center of focus rather than the Word of God because of the mysterious revelation this person brings by taking Scriptures out of context. And then, to make things worse, we ultimately get a culture that almost worships these men. If you want a good example of what I mean, just turn on your TV set here in America and watch all the various Televangelists that are trying to get your attention. Now, if you think they are interested in worldwide Christian Unity, think again. I suggest you e-mail them and ask them that question, and I am sure you will find that most do not want to share the wealth in the business they are in. Now, if this has really become a business for them, I think that you should also question if this form of Christianity lines up with the teachings of Jesus, entirely. I do not want to pick on Televangelist alone because this type of preaching takes place in many Evangelical churches across America, or at least most of the ones I have attended which is also quite a few. To close and make this post brief, the issue is that Jesus said that the two most important commandments are to “love God, and love our neighbor as ourselves.” If these are the two most important commandments, than even the Scriptures alone do not come before them. Saint Francis is known for the quote: “Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words.” I think that there is a great deal of weight to this simple saying because to me it seems to line up with what Jesus taught. These days I wonder if we are actually moving away from “Sola Scriptura,” and more into how a preacher or what a preacher interprets from them rather than reading them and seeing what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. Do you really believe that Scriptures were written to divide us as Christians? I really doubt it, but many Christians go as far as thinking that because others do not understand Scriptures the way they do than they are probably not even Christians. I am sorry to burst your bubble, but if you think this way, I am here to tell you that Anglicans, Evangelicals, Coptic, Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and many more are all Christians whether we understand Scriptures the same or not. You may disagree, but that is your opinion. I suggest you start talking to some of these Christians you think are not real Christians, you may find that you are the one that is less of a Christian if your thinking does not line up with the teachings of Jesus more than theirs. The problem with ecumenism in Christianity is that there has always been more monologue than dialogue, to borrow an idea from my own father who sometimes does not completely agree with my thinking on Scriptures, but at least knows that he and I are both Christian. Finally, I hope this post opens your mind on the concept of ecumenism and how the Scriptures relate to it. Blessings and I hope you enjoyed reading.
Reference:
Bible, Revised Standard Version, http://quod.lib.umich.edu/r/rsv/browse.html
