Denver Catholic

23 DENVER CATHOLIC | OCTOBER 28-NOVEMBER 10, 2017 EAMON DUFFY REFORMATION DIVIDED: CATHOLICS, PROTESTANTS AND THE CONVERSION OF ENGLAND (YALE, 2017). In my last review, I mentioned that Eric Metaxas' book, Martin Luther, con- veyed some age-old myths about Cathol- icism and o" ered the works of Eamon Du" y as a strong counter. Du" y himself has a new scholarly book for the anniversary, drawing our attention to the drama of the Reforma- tion in England. Although in great need of reform, Du" y counters that "we are far more aware now of the richness, resilience and social embedding of the late medieval religion so often carica- tured or ignored in the older narratives." Du" y focuses elsewhere on this earlier period, but in this work details how Catholics dealt with the Reformation. This fi rst section focuses on how St. Thomas More placed himself at the center of Henry VIII's controversial attempt to deal with Protestant heresy before the king's break with Rome. The next section, points to lesser known fi g- ures such as Cardinals Reginald Pole and William Allen. Allen devoted "his life to radicalising what he saw as a broad but dangerously unfocused Catholic surviv- alism into something more militant and ideologically committed," organizing the e" orts of priest to serve in Protestant England at the risk of their life. The fi nal section, details the internal struggles and developments of Protestantism, especially with the rise of Puritanism. The last chapter looks at how George Fox went further than many reformers were willing to go with the rise of Quak- erism and its insistence on absolute equality: "Even a sympathetic assess- ment of it must come to terms with the fact that in Fox's movement we are dealing with the fi nal refi nement of that strand of the Reformation which had long seemed to threaten the dissolution of the visible Church, in any sense that would be understood by the majority of Protestants, their rulers or their pas- tors." Overall, Du" y conveys the drama of the unfolding of the Reformation both within the Catholic Church and without, as Protestantism grew ever more domi- nant in England. BENJAMIN WIKER THE REFORMATION 500 YEARS LATER: 12 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW (REGNERY, 2017). Wiker provides a popular and accessible overview of twelve themes that unpack the historical dynamics that led to and enabled the Reformation. He makes no attempt to whitewash the real problems that existed in the Church, but explains that factors like the Papal States, the growing infl uence of atheism, the threat of Islam, the rise of nation states, and the printing press all played into the Reformation's suc- cess. In the aftermath of the Reforma- tion, he explains how those pushing secularism used historical scholar- ship to relativize the Bible and the Thirty Years War to discredit Christi- anity as violent, though it was largely a political dispute. Wiker asks both sides to reassess the messiness of their past: "Just as Catholics need to take a deep, hard, honest look at the actual corruption of the papacy rather than pretend that all popes have been saints, so also Protestants need to take a deep, hard, honest look at Martin Luther rather than pretend that he was a saint" (125). Two of his key conclusion con- sists in the never-ending need for reform in the Church and the oppor- tunity for Catholics and Protestants to move beyond the hostility of the Reformation era. RODNEY STARK REFORMATION MYTHS: FIVE CENTU- RIES OF MISCONCEPTIONS AND (SOME) MISFORTUNES (SOCIETY FOR PROMOT- ING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE, 2017). Stark, a sociologist at Baylor, most directly attempts to debunk Refor- mation myths. First, he begins by noting that the periods both before and after the Reformation were marked by poor church attendance, despite Protestants attempts to force attendance by law. Rather, uniting church and crown led to more apathy and even antipathy among Catholics and Protestants. Though not a Catholic himself, Stark has rou- tinely defended Catholicism from many historical fabrications (see his Bearing False Witness: Debunking Cen- turies of Anti-Catholic History), which in this work include the claims that Catholics impeded the rise of science and modern economics. He also notes that, despite claims to the contrary, Protestants did not respect freedom of conscience and engaged in religious persecution, and Luther himself was known for virulent anti-Semitism. His most provocative claim may be that the Reformation was "espe- cially good for the Catholic Church," because the Church "actually thrives on Protestant competition and is far more successful and e" ective when forced to confront it." In general, Stark thinks that pluralism, and the competition it brings, creates an envi- ronment in which religious practice thrives, versus state churches which are "lazy and ine" ective." Even within the United States, Stark found that states with lower Catholic populations tend to have higher Mass attendance and more active parishes. Likewise, he claims that the presence of Protestant missionaries in Latin America has led to a more energetic Church and even a "sunning awakening." Ironically, he says "that the Catholic fi nally thrives in Latin America could be considered as partly a gift from Martin Luther." Even if we're not prepared to thank Luther, Stark helps us to think through God's providence in guiding the Church even through painful divisions. MATTHEW LEVERING WAS THE REFORMATION A MISTAKE? WHY CATHOLIC DOCTRINE IS NOT UNBIBLICAL (ZONDERVAN, 2017). The greatest surprise in all of these myth debunking narratives may come from Matthew Levering 's book, writ- ten in response to a question posed to him by a Protestant press: Was the Reformation a mistake? He does not consider the Ref- ormation be to be a mistake, both because reform was needed and Reformation traditions have born some good fruit, but he does hold that the Reformers were mistaken on central points of the faith. The surprise comes from the freshness of Levering 's approach, avoiding polemics by o" ering a biblically rooted approach to dia- logue on key theological issues. The book debunks the myth that Cath- olic teaching do not have a biblical foundation. The book itself consists in a dia- logue, as each chapter begins with a critique of the Catholic position using Luther's own words. Lever- ing then follows not with a direct response to Luther's concerns, but a rich and broad account of the biblical underpinnings of Catholic doctrine. Addressing doctrines such as Mary and the saints, the sacraments, pur- gatory, the papacy and justifi cation, he demonstrates that "the Catholic Church's biblical reasoning has been formed over the centuries in the process of handing down the gospel, proclaiming it liturgically, preaching it, living it, and resolving doctrinal controversies" (187). Both Catholics and Protestants will be enriched by Levering 's "biblically warranted rea- soning about biblical realities." Though there have been many mis- understandings on both sides the last fi ve hundred years, the anniversary of the Reformation provides an oppor- tunity to learn more about the history and theology of both traditions, as we work toward healing the wounds that divide Christians. Debunking com- monly held myths provides a good start to this process. Debunking Reformation myths I n my last review, I looked at a number of new books on Martin Luther and genuine reformers in the Catholic tradi- tion. In light of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation on October 31st, I'd like to continue with related books, but this time focused on clearing up misunderstandings about the Reformation. The Catholic Reader DR. R. JARED STAUDT Just as Catholics need to take a deep, hard, honest look at the actual corruption of the papacy rather than pretend that all popes have been saints, so also Protestants need to take a deep, hard, honest look at Martin Luther rather than pretend that he was a saint" BENJAMIN WIKER "

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