Mark Brumley on what unites and divides Catholics and Evangelicals

From the Ignatius Press blog, Insight Scoop:

The Southern Cross, the newspaper of the Diocese of San Diego, interviews Mark Brumley, president and CEO of Ignatius Press, who will be participating in a panel discussion, "Evangelicals and Catholics in Dialogue," at a gathering of The Evangelical Philosophical Society (EPS) during November 14-16:

SC: What is the current topic of dialogue between the Catholics and Evangelicals?

MB: There are a variety of topics under consideration. The unofficial dialogue known as Evangelicals and Catholics Together has looked at such things as justification/ salvation, the nature of the Church and the authority of the Bible. Other topics Evangelicals and Catholics are exploring together are the question of Natural Law/Common Grace, whether contraception is contrary to the moral law -- many Evangelicals are adopting the position of historical Protestantism and are joining with Catholics to say that contraception is wrong.

There has also been a lively discussion, especially on the Evangelical side, of the nature of Tradition, as a norm for belief and practice, and the place of liturgical worship in the Christian life. Catholics are learning from contemporary Evangelical biblical scholarship, which is coming into its own in the era of post-liberal theology. Some Evangelicals have even come out in support of a renewed Evangelical appreciation of Mary -- with some notable caveats in place. Perhaps the most significant area of discussion is how Catholics and Evangelicals can collaborate in evangelization and other forms of cultural engagement.

SC: Has the election of Pope Benedict XVI had any significant impact on the dialogue, or do you expect some impact in the future?

MB: I think it has. A number of Evangelicals have told me that they see Joseph Ratzinger as “one of their own,” in a number of respects. Not least among those respects is Benedict XVI’s appreciation for what Catholic theologian and convert Louis Bouyer called “the positive principles of the Reformation,” as distinct from what he regarded as the negative aspects of it. For Benedict, I think this is underscoring Catholicism’s agreement with classical Protestantism on justification by grace and the divine inspiration of the Bible.

Of course many Evangelicals also appreciate Benedict’s forceful critique of moral and religious relativism. Many are thrilled with his thoughtful engagement of critical issues in biblical scholarship, as expressed in his recent book, Jesus of Nazareth.

I have heard some concerns about the recent CDF document on the nature of the Church, but usually when the document is explained to Evangelicals, they see that it is nothing new. They don’t agree with it, but they understand that it simply restates the Catholic understanding of what a “Church” is.

Read it all.