Reformed From What?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
April 30th 2006

Reformation Sunday / All Saints Day
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller

“Reformed From What?”
Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 3:19-31


I can only remember once ever worshiping in a church which acknowledged Reformation Sunday. While this does say something about how closely I was paying attention, it also has much to do with a general ambivalence and ignorance about the Reformed tradition. I believe this is a great loss. So, as we celebrate our theological heritage, we will also look to see if this forgotten heritage has anything to offer for us today.
Reformation Day, which is actually Monday, is the day when we celebrate Martin Luther nailing his 95 thesis to the door of the Wittenberg cathedral. It is this event which is celebrated as the inauguration of the Reformation or break from the Catholic Church. Those of us who are Presbyterian are connected to this event through the parallel reformation going on in Geneva Switzerland under the leadership of Ulrich Zwingli. It is through the second generation reformer from Geneva, John Calvin, that John Knox carried the tradition to Scotland – the birthplace of Presbyterians.
The Reformation was fueled by anger over the rampant corruption of the religious leadership, the abuse of wealth and power in the institutional church and even the great ignorance and lax morality of local clergy. The theology developed by these early reformers continues to influence the church today. And while there is agreement about the essential beliefs of the reformation you would be hard pressed to find an exhaustive list. The fear of idolatry – the mark of good reformed theology – keeps us from creating such a list for fear the list could become inflexible or an object of devotion.
It was out of this concern that the reformers challenged the traditions and teachings of the church which contradicted the written word of God – the bible. It was the recognition of how we human beings often elevate our traditions above critical reflection. And, this critical reflection was always to be done through the lens of scripture. The life of faith was always to be judged through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as shown in scripture. This concern led the reformers to translate the bible into the common language. In this way, all people would have access to the bible, not just church professionals.
Some of the other major themes of the reformation focused on the way of salvation. The belief is that salvation comes by the grace of God through faith alone. In other words, we cannot earn our salvation. The reformers also changed the number of sacraments from seven to only two: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. However, one of the great contributions was the belief in the priesthood of all believers. With this move, and the translation of the bible into common language, reformed Christianity emphasized the gift and responsibility which each person has for faithful living informed by thoughtful and responsible theology. Unfortunately, time only allows us to scratch the surface of our reformed theological heritage.
As we celebrate and even give thanks for our reformed heritage, it is imperative that we do so with humility and honesty. In other words, we must also take a few moments and look at the underside of the tradition which lays claim up us. The truth is that the history and development of reformed theology has led to some results which most of us would like to forget.
The reformation, while leaving a legacy for which we are thankful, has also given rise to fractionalization, and new forms of the very institutionalism we sought to reform. The reformation also has a bloody heritage. From the Thirty-Years war in Europe, to the English Civil War, the violence of Northern Ireland, to the destruction of the native peoples in the Americas under the cover of the City on a Hill theology and later manifest destiny, people of the reformed faith have played their part. The theological foundation for chattel slavery in this country came from our very own Presbyterian Church, and my own Alma matter Columbia Seminary. And, more recently, the rational for the South African Apartheid was developed by reformed theologians. With this sort of baggage, it has left some people to believe that the reformed tradition is best left for the dustbin of history, or at least asking: “How could this be?”
Part of the problem has been the misunderstanding and even outright abuse of the reformed doctrine that salvation comes through faith alone. This belief was reduced to the idea that as long as one’s intellectual beliefs were correct - or orthodox - you would be assured a place in heaven. In other words, as long as you thought the right things your actions were of little consequence. This narrowing of the tradition has led historian and Presbyterian pastor Ed Loring to call for an end of the reform tradition. It is a challenge to the church which says: if the good news we have offer in Jesus Christ allows people to continue the ways of injustice, oppression and abuse without calling for repentance, then we really have no news worth sharing. However, I, for one, do not believe, despite all the history, that our reformed heritage is worth casting off.
I give thanks for Allen Boesak, a Reformed Black South African theologian, who sees hope and a need for the reformed tradition. In an amazing and blunt essay called: “Black and Reformed – Contradiction or Challenge?” Boesak claims that the reformed tradition is life-giving despite its very close connection to the Apartheid regime. In his final analysis of the Reformed tradition for Black South Africans, he says: “It is my conviction that the Reformed tradition has a future in this country only if Black Reformed Christians are willing to take it up, make it truly their own, and let this tradition once again become what it once was: A champion of the cause of the poor and the oppressed, clinging to the confession of the lordship of Christ and the supremacy of the word of God.”
As we celebrate the reformed heritage, we too must be willing to truly make this heritage our own. Our celebration of the past must lead us to more faithful living and willingness to see where the Spirit is at work in new ways. Anything less would be unfaithful to the tradition and lead to traditionalism or worse, idolatry. While their may be a day when it is time to call for an end to the reformation it is not today. The same issues which gave rise to the reformation are still at work today. However, despite news to the contrary, our struggle is no longer with the Catholic Church. Our greatest struggle is with ourselves. Whenever we turn our backs on the word of God in favor of our little traditions, whenever we place national identity or market ideology before the lordship of Jesus Christ, or when we believe mental assent is the fullness of our faithfulness; it is we who are in need of reformation. So, let us embrace this day and this tradition and claim it as our own ever mindful that God is not finished with us yet. And may we trust that our church, the reformed church is indeed “always being reformed by the Spirit of God.” Amen.