evangelical Catholic vs. catholic Evangelical

Reaching For Reform

An evangelical Catholic is, quite simply, a Roman Catholic who is evangelical. That is, an evangelical Catholic is a member of the Roman Catholic Church who is loyal to the Pope, faithful to Catholic doctrine, observant of the sacraments, and possessing a desire to spread Catholicism into new areas.

George Weigel, author of Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Cen­tury Church, gives a more detailed definition:

“An evangelical Catholic is a Catholic who has absorbed the deep reform of the Church that was begun in the late 19th century under Pope Leo XIII, a reform that was accelerated at the Second Vati­can Council (1962–65) and given its au­thoritative interpretation for the 21st century by Popes John Paul II and Bene­dict XVI. Evangelical Catholics understand themselves as members of a communion of disciples, formed by friendship with Jesus, by Word, and by sacrament, for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. (Pope Francis is an Evan­gelical Catholic).”

catholic Evangelical

In contrast, a catholic Evangelical is a Protestant evangelical who subscribes to the idea of the progressive revelation of Jesus Christ in history, such that the Christian church grows, matures, and develops over time. Here the various faithful, historic teachings and insights that have accrued over history do not belong to the person, church, or denomination that developed them, but rather belong to the general history of Christianity, and are the common property of all faithful believers, churches, and denominations.

This idea was proposed by Philip Schaff in his inaugural address, “The Principle of Protes­tantism,” given in 1844 to the German seminary at Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. It presented a model for historical development that both demonstrated the dependence of the Protestant Reformation upon Medieval Catholicism and explained the present state of affairs within European and American Christendom.

“In many ways, 19th century American culture was as tumultuous as the western territories were rugged. An exploding population and the availability of land brought many changes to the still young country. Perhaps this is nowhere bet­ter illustrated than by the so-called Sec­ond Great Awakening. In many ways this phenomenon reflected the general optimistic tenor of the Jacksonian era — populism, individualism, and volun­tarism. American religious expression was driven by the same populist forces reflected in the general culture of post 1812 America. This populism created deep rifts between the traditionally edu­cated (and predominantly Calvinist) clergy of Protestant New England and the burgeoning Methodist and Baptist circuit riders as well as revivalist preach­ers like Charles Finney and Lorenzo Dow. Revivalism, which was effecting thousands, played a formative role in de­picting the central message of Christian­ity as grounded in the heart of the indi­vidual believer. The salvation of the indi­vidual’s soul eclipsed all denominational and ecclesiastical concern. ‘Everyman a Church, No Creed but Christ and No Law But Love’ were the slogans of the day, while new Protestant denomina­tions and religious sects seemed to spring up everywhere.” (Wayne A. Larson, Philip Schaff’s Idea of Historical Progress & Its Critique of the Church in 19th Century America, 2001.)

Schaff saw the Puritan influence in America as providing a low ecclesiology and anti-historical bias. He believed that it was essential for the church to return to its historic, universal expression found in its faithful, historic creeds and liturgies. It is only when the church embraces the truth of its universal character (the meaning of the word *catholic*) that the church(es) would emerge from their narrow-minded divisiveness into the acceptance of the common or universal expressions of faithful Christianity. Schaff was called from Germany to serve the German seminary at Mercersburg by John Williamson Nevin.

“Their goal of ‘evangelical-catholic’ Christianity sought to overcome American individualism and anti-historical bias with a model of the church as an organic whole, solidly rooted in the past and looking forward to development, growth, and unity in the future.“(Stephen R. Graham, Philip Schaff, chapt. in Historians of the Christian Tradition: Their Methodology and Influence on Western Thought, Michael Bauman and Martin I. Klauber eds. (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1995), 276.)

This was not the suggestion that the Roman Catholic Church and Reformed Protestantism would unite. Nevin and Schaff were formally accused of being “closet Catholics,” but were cleared of all charges by church courts, and never made any formal attempt to affiliate with the Roman Catholic Church.

The postmillennialism of Nevin and Schaff has fallen on hard times today. Protestant churches are awash in Dispensationalism and premillennialism, which tend to foster division and distrust. Schaff and Nevin worked to de-eschatologize (or reduce the endless and fruitless concern about the “end times” that so distract the present life of the church). They did so by placing the church and Christian theology into a stream of historical progress that grows and matures, and continues to look forward to the hope of the gospel to save the world. What is still needed is the development of a philosophy of Christian history that will accommodate the wideness of God’s grace and mercy without sacrificing faithful commitment to the Bible. The understanding of theological development presented by Schaff and Nevin might help reach this goal.

However, the goal is not to create an institutional church with a top-down authority structure, but to allow a common, local perspective that is both faithful to the truth of the Bible and generous (and/or patient, i.e., longsuffering) in its understanding or willingness to learn from brothers and sisters in Christ who believe differently. The only way to do this is to proceed with the idea that all Christians, churches, and denominations are works in progress. God is not finished with us yet. We Modern, and much less Postmodern, people don’t have much time for patience! Nonetheless, at St. Paul’s we press on “straining forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).

For further information see:

• The Heritage of St. Paul’s Evangelical Church, Phillip A. Ross, Pilgrim Platform, Marietta, Ohio, 125 pgs., 2024.

• Goodnews—Evangel 2023, Phillip A. Ross, Pilgrim Platform, Marietta, Ohio, 320 pgs., 2024.

• Goodnews—Evangel 2024, Phillip A. Ross, Pilgrim Platform, Marietta, Ohio, 300 pgs., 2025.

• GoodNews—Reformation Reloaded (Forthcoming), Phillip A. Ross, Pilgrim Platform, Marietta, Ohio, 2026.

And/or come and worship with us at St. Paul’s Evangelical Church in Marietta, Ohio. Come and see what God has in store for His future.