Universal and Local

Universal…

The source of authority needs to be universal not only geographically, but also chronologically. In other words, it transcends the cultural trends and intellectual fashions of any particular time. Every church or ecclesial structure other than the Catholic Church is limited, either by its historical foundations or by its cultural and national identity.

For example, Russian Orthodox, The Church of England and the Southern Baptist Convention find it hard to transcend their national identity while the churches of the Protestant Reformed tradition struggle to transcend the particular cultural issues that surround their foundation. When they do move away from their foundations they usually find themselves at sea amidst the fashions and trends of the present day.  Often the result is yet one more division in the Body of Christ.

… Local

For a universal authority system to be valid, it also must be expressed locally. Catholicism speaks with a universal voice, but it is also as local as St. Patrick’s Church and Fr. Magee on the corner of Chestnut Street. Not only does the universal Church have a local outlet, but also that outlet has a certain autonomy that allows it to be flexible in its application of the universal authority.

Often a church’s universal reach will be hampered by its originating cultural context. The center and majority of Islam’s population is still in the place of its origin—the Middle East. The original lands that have been the demographic centers of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism have remained so.

By contrast, Catholicism has adopted culturally diverse forms coupled with insights from the Hebrew, Greek, and European cultures, and over the next hundred years will be further shaped by Africa, Latin America, and Asia.