The Protestant Dilemma

To Patrick Madrid’s three signs of Visibility, Foundation, and Preservation, we now add four of Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s traits. But before we do that, the story of what inspired Fr. Longenecker to closely examine Church authority is instructive.  While an Anglican, Fr. Longenecker struggled with a dilemma resulting from Luther’s action: He saw that, from a human point of view, both the people in favor of women’s ordination and those against it have good arguments. Both sides were arguing from Scripture, tradition, and reason. Both sides argued from practicality, compassion and justice.  Both sides honestly considered their arguments to be persuasive. And both sides were comprised of prayerful, church-going, sincere Christians who genuinely believe the Holy Spirit is directing them.

But how could both be right?

Furthermore, the divisions over women’s ordination in the Anglican Church were no different, in essence, than every other debate that has divided the thousands of Christian denominations. Some groups split over women’s ordination; others split over whether dancing is appropriate conduct. Some split over doctrinal issues; others split over moral issues.

Whatever the issue and whatever the split, the basic problem is one of authority. If Christians have a sincere disagreement, who decides?

Evangelical Protestants say the Bible decides, but this begs the question when the two warring parties agree that the Bible is the final authority. They eventually split because they can’t agree about what the Bible actually teaches.