Differences Between The Medieval Catholic Church And Pietism

The Pope is the head of the Church: he represents the ultimate religious authority. However, as a Bishop of Rome, the Pope is also in command of certain secular affairs, including some military aspects. Certainly, the Pope is a link between the earthly and the divine realms. Problems arise when the imperfect world the Pope physically lives in interferes with his heavenly objectives. Taking Pope Gregory I as an example, I am going to look at his letters to analyze how he reconciled his political and spiritual goals, whether he valued one category over the other, and how he justified it.

The book first shows the misconceptions that today’s Christians have placed on these two concepts by placing them into two different classifications. After dispelling these arguments the authors present the biblical relationship between these two concepts. The authors spend the majority of the book expounding the idea of what they call “the Great Commission Worshiper.” (5)

One cannot talk about tradition without acknowledging the fact that the definition of tradition within the Church is continuously changing. At first, the Apostles were the tradition. Tradition meant the Apostle’s Christological preaching and interpretation of scripture. A few centuries of later, the Church had to distinguish itself and set boundaries to what would be considered traditional, and in-line with the teachings and interpretations of the Apostles.

This book calls the church to rethink and modify its practices, by providing a middle path between the emerging church and the conservative that aims to benefit all. There are major shift happening in the Western Church that has people talking. The problem is that churches fail to follow a mission-centered approach. Chester and Timmis have found that in order to refocus the churches

As time constantly presses forward and the earth continues to revolve, the world will never stop progressing and adapting to better suit the needs of mankind. The evolution of religion has greatly enhanced the quality of life for humanity by providing individuals with a strong belief system that is now the foundation of many peoples’ core values. One universal religion that has undergone extensive amounts of reform is Christianity. In particular, the Catholic church is well-known for the development of their famous ecumenical council meetings that help determine the future of the church. Numerous Councils have been conducted throughout the course of history, but none more significant than the most recent, the Second Vatican Council or Vatican II. The Catholic church was operating as if it was still the medieval period and desperately needed to be modernized. As a result, every Roman Catholic Church official was gathered to meet and devise a plan for how to introduce the church to the modern world. Consequently, the following will reveal the Second Vatican Council and the ramifications of the agenda, history and theology evolution, significant texts, and new developments.

Due to Christianity’s importance, the Church consequently held significant power during the Medieval times. In a decree titled the “Unam Sanctam,” Pope Boniface VIII wrote, “URGED BY FAITH, we are obliged to believe and to maintain that the Church is one, holy, catholic, and also apostolic. We believe in her firmly and we confess with simplicity that outside of her there is neither salvation nor the remission of sins” (Dennis). In other words, the Pope established that all answers to Christianity exist solely in the Church, including on the basis of salvation and the forgiveness of sins. Further on in the “Unam Sanctum,” he proclaimed his part in the equation: “Furthermore, we declare, we proclaim, we define that it is absolutely necessary for salvation that every human creature be subject to the Roman Pontiff” (Dennis). In this instance, the Pope arguably assumes the role of God on earth, defining that he is absolutely necessary for salvation, not solely Jesus Christ. His assertion provides further evidence for the

The scenario takes place between a knowledgeable Catholic man, and a practicing Protestant adult. The Catholic man is Charles, who is a family friend of Steve, and has a very in-depth knowledge of both the Catholic and Protestant faith. The Protestant adult is Steve, who is curious into learning the importance of the Catholic faith in Tradition and Scripture. Steve presents to Charles many legitimate questions about his faith and legitimacy of the Catholic tradition.

The Protestant Reformation, throughout the middle ages, had a truly impactful effect in Europe and the Roman Catholic Church. Before the reformation, all Christians in Europe were primarily Roman Catholic; for it had dominated European civilization. Along with the priest, who provided people with forgiveness of sins, marriage, baptizing and other important duties, the Catholic Church was the “caretaker of the soul” and also owned one third of all the land in Europe. Evidently, the Catholic Church was quite powerful and had great say in a European Christian’s daily living.

Therefore, this is nothing new under the sun. This paper will reveal the analysis of four uniquely sought out churches and how they consider themselves as being missional. What is Missional? In Matthew 28: 16-20 tells us, “then the eleven disciples went

Within Yves Congar’s The Meaning of Tradition, he sets out to define the traditions of the Catholic Church. Congar begins his analysis of the role of Tradition in the Catholic Church by defining it; his definition states that Tradition is a gift from God that is passed down subsequent generations. According to Congar the Church’s tradition involves sharing Christ’s revelation, so that God’s revelation can be passed down throughout space and time. Congar devotes sections of his book to the role of magisterium in the Church. The magisterium has a pivotal role in analyzing the doctrines of the faith and providing the people of God with an explanation of its meaning. By doing this, the magisterium is exercising its role as the successors of Jesus’ apostles in guiding the faithful. The Magisterium is essential to ensuring that the faithful create a personal relationship with God. Congar, attributes the magisterium’s role in the Tradition of the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit. According to Congar argues that the Holy Spirit has inspired the Church throughout history. The Holy Spirit also works through the people, giving them the gifts necessary for understanding the word of God. Congar continues to ascribe the Church’s tradition to its familiar atmosphere that allows faith to grow in believers. Congar goes on to state that the Church’s tradition does not stem from Scripture alone, the uniting force of God’s word. Scripture needs to come from an inspired source, alone it can

1. A decree concerning the symbol of faith and matters of faith and morals. Tradition and Scripture were both upheld as valid sources of divine revelation.

Not all branches of Christianity agree of its importance in the faith. The main objectors are people of the protestant faith who believe that the only scripture is to find the true message of the Bible also called Sola Scripture (Weaver p.93). However, Catholics consider it equal to the importance of the bible to understand the faith and use it for many purposes. Weaver (p.89) explains that tradition tells us what to do and why we do certain practices as a religion. This is very important because it ensures that the religion does not morph drastically into a different religion.

The saints of our modern day Catholic Church stretch out into every aspect of our lives. There are saints dedicated to nourishment, to the internet, and even to specific animals. One of these saints stands out amongst the rest, Pope St. Clement I. As a pope of the early Church he, ‘had known Saint Peter.’(5) His actual papal order is unknown, and it’s disputed as to whether he was the second, third, or fourth pope of the Church. Despite these confusions he, ‘is known for his epistle to the church in Corinth ...,’(5) and is recognized as the first Apostolic Father of the Church. Throughout this paper what can be learned in regards to becoming a disciple will be identified, and expanded. Pope St. Clement I was a rigorous follower of Christ, leader of the Church, and faithful until his martyrdom in 99, through his words and actions all members of the Church can learn how to further become disciples of Christ.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church conveys teachings and instructions to people especially to the

Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture are important to the Catholic Church and they have an in depth meaning to the people within the faith. With this in depth meaning, the Church can bring the Gospel and Sacred Scriptures to the forefront of the lives of God’s people. This relationship between God and his people can bring light to those in this world and witness to those outside the Church. Sacred Tradition teaches the old and new traditions to many people. In knowing the Sacred Tradition, the importance of the Catholic faith can be expressed to abundance of people. One way of gaining tradition is through Sacred Scripture. The Scripture or Word of God gives knowledge and the love of God and his son, Jesus to everyone.