A Question of Authority
Here’s a trivia question: Which Christian Church claims the
least authority? I’ll give you a hint:
It’s the one that, in reality, has the most authority. Right, it’s the Catholic Church. Seems counter-intuitive, but I can prove it.
First, let’s look at what authority the Church has. It is responsible for safeguarding the
Deposit of Faith. It can interpret the
Faith and teach it with authority, but only as guided by the Holy Spirit, which
is why its doctrines can’t change to suit the prevailing culture. It has the authority to bind and loose on
disciplinary matters. Because these
refer to the living out of the Faith in time and space, these things can
change.
This sounds like more authority than many other communities
would claim for themselves, but in actuality, it is the Church that is
restrained in its authority claims.
For example, until 1930, every Christian group condemned
artificial contraception as contrary to the moral law. Then, one by one, each denomination changed
its teaching and “caught up with the times.”
Now, in 2013, only the Catholic Church holds firm to this ancient
teaching. Why? In 1968, as the world awaited Pope Paul VI’s
authoritative teaching on the matter, many people speculated that he would
change the doctrine. He did not. Paul VI gave a beautiful theological
explanation of the teaching, but in the end, he did not have the authority to
change the moral law – it had come from God.
The Church safeguards the Faith; it does not invent it.
From the beginning of Christianity, priests have all been
male. Slowly, many groups have changed
this, and you find “priests,” pastors and even bishops in other denominations
that are women. Surely, the Church would
change this teaching? In the 21st
century, it is a big stick to beat her with.
When Pope John Paul II wrote his Apostolic Letter on reserving the
priesthood to men, he claimed very clearly and emphatically that the Church
does not have the authority to ordain women.
Certainly he also gave a beautiful theological explanation as to why God
established a male priesthood, but in the end, he said, the issue is closed
because the Church does not have the authority to do otherwise.
Now we are faced with the issue of homosexual
“marriage.” Most Christian groups are
defending marriage, but little by little, we are seeing denominations begin to
adopt same-sex “wedding” rites. Does
anyone believe the Catholic Church will ever follow suit? Of course not. Why not?
Well, if you understand the teaching on the nature of marriage, it
should be theologically obvious. But by
now we should also realize that the Church will tell us that marriage was given
to us by God and the Church does not have the authority to change it. (This is also why the Church stands alone in
not sanctioning divorce.)
So the next time we hear someone complaining that the Church
claims unwarranted authority, we should remember that it is only the Church
that refuses to believe it has authority over God. Martin Luther said that every Christian is
his own pope and council when it comes to interpreting Scripture. He soon lamented that “there are as many beliefs
as there are heads.” The Catholic Church
claims that no one has that much authority.
